Connected Vehicle Technology for Improved Multimodal Winter Travel: Agency Perspective and a Conceptual Exploration

Accurate and real-time traffic and road weather information acquired using connected vehicle (CV) technologies can help commuters perform safe and reliable trips. A nationwide survey of transit operation managers/supervisors was conducted to assess the suitability for CV transit applications in improving the safety and mobility during winter weather. Almost all respondents expressed positive attitudes towards the potential of CV applications in improving winter transit travel and voiced their concerns over the safety consequences of CV equipment failure, potential of increased driver distraction, and reliability of system performance in poor weather. A concept of operations of CV applications for multimodal winter travel was developed. In the conceptual framework, route-specific road weather and traffic flow data will be used by the transit managers/supervisors to obtain real-time operational status, forecast operational routes and schedules, and assess operational performance. Subsequently, multimodal commuters can receive the road-weather and traffic-flow information as well as transit routes and schedule information.