ITS in China: Backgrounds and prospects

While the R & D and application of ITS have seen worldwide rapid developments, in China the road infrastructure is yet to be improved and established. In the next one or two decades, the improvement of road transport will largely depend on the increasing investment to road construction. However, if ITS could be recognized as the common future of world transportation, a challenge we are going to address, which more or less is different from those faced by most developed countries, is how to simultaneously and coordinately develop our road infrastructure and ITS to promote transport efficiency, improve traffic safety, and reduce environmental impacts. The relation between the building of road infrastructure and the development of ITS is explored on the background of present achievements and future plans of highway transportation. The necessity to develop ITS along with the building of road infrastructure and the main areas with high priorities of deployment are determined. It is suggested that a modern road transport system in China be with a completed infrastructure and smart operation.