Evaluation of Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Final report
Zimmerman CA, Coleman TG, Daigle J. 2003. Evaluation of Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Final report. FHWA-OP-03-130. Battelle. Washington, DC
From official abstract: "This document presents the results of the evaluation of the ITS Field Operational Test (FOT) at Acadia National Park. Through the partnership of the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Interior, Acadia National Park in the State of Maine was selected for the FOT to test the effectiveness of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in dealing with transportation problems within a National Park setting. The ITS technologies were deployed over a two-year period and in 2002 they were evaluated to determine the impact of ITS on Acadia and the surrounding communities of Mount Desert Island. A suite of nine different ITS components were to support the region’s needs for public transportation management, traffic management, and traveler information. In the area of public transportation, five of the nine components were used to enhance the operations of the Island Explorer, a bus system launched in 1999 to provide free service during the tourist season throughout much of Mount Desert Island. The remaining four components were to be used for assisting the Park in management of traffic and to provide real-time traveler information to visitors. An independent evaluation of the ITS FOT took place from 2000 through 2003. Baseline data that reflected conditions prior to the deployment of the ITS technologies were collected for the years 1999-2001, and data collected in 2002 measured the post-deployment impact of the ITS technologies. Customer satisfaction and mobility were the top goals for the evaluation, but importance was placed on assessment of other goal areas as well, including safety, efficiency, productivity and economic vitality, and energy and environment. Hypotheses regarding the anticipated impact of ITS in each goal area were developed and tested. Many of the hypothesized impacts of ITS were supported by the evidence gathered. In other cases, the data were very limited but suggestive of the anticipated effect. In a few cases the impact was not observed or was in the opposite direction. The report presents findings from the data, conclusions and recommendations. One of the key findings was that ITS contributed to a positive visitor experience and increased visitors’ willingness to use transit rather than their own vehicles."
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Zimmerman, Carol; Coleman, Thomas; Daigle, John
- Date of Issue
- 2003-06
- Publisher
- Battelle
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- roads, transportation, visitor experience, visitors
See also
- Acadia National Park Intelligent Transportation Systems Field Operational Test: Transformation needs assessment
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Acadia National Park data analysis
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Business survey
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Evaluation plan
- Acadia National Park ITS field Operational Test: Evaluation strategic plan
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Island Explorer data analysis
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Key informant interviews
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Parking report
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: State of Maine data analysis
- Acadia National Park ITS Field Operational Test: Visitor survey
- Alternative Transportation and Travel InformationTechnologies: Monitoring Parking Lot Conditions Over Three Summer Seasons at Acadia National Park
- The Convergence of Transportation, Information Technology, and Visitor Experience at Acadia National Park