Fitting Into the Process: Institutional Issues Affecting Development and Deployment of Automated Highway Systems

A research effort in response to institutional issues identified by the National Automated Highway System Consortium -- particularly the steps necessary to integrate Automated Highway Systems (AHS) into the transportation planning and decision-making process -- revealed not only the concerns to be addressed and barriers to be overcome in developing and deploying AHS, but also issues and barriers transportation officials at every level already confront in the current, and rapidly changing, legislative, funding and technological environment. The findings also suggest possible institutional blocks toward intelligent transportation systems in general and AHS in particular.