TAMPA BAY AREA INTEGRATED TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION SYSTEM. FINAL REPORT

The Florida Department of Transportation entered into a contract with the University of South Florida on behalf of the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) to develop an action plan for the implementation of an Integrated Transportation Information Center for the Tampa Bay area. This report is a compilation of three previous technical memoranda, a summary of focus group interview sessions and feedback from project Advisory Committee members. The first technical memorandum analyzed different methods of gathering real-time traffic information. The second memorandum evaluated methods of disseminating that information to a variety of audiences: local traffic operations, fleet operators, broadcast media and commuters. The third technical memorandum catalogued existing traffic control centers and other traffic information resources in the Tampa Bay area. In addition, the report described other traffic control centers and traffic management projects in North America, as possible models for the recommended system. The focus group sessions, as well as input from the project advisory committee, were intended to solicit public perceptions about and reaction to a real-time regional traffic information center. Finally, this report contains the recommendation for the implementation of a regional, real-time traffic information center in the Tampa Bay area: geographic coverage, staffing, physical location, hours of operation, system architecture (hardware and software, transmission media) and organizational structure. A consensus-building process led to CUTR's recommendation. This report contains an estimation of operating costs and describes possible sources of funding.