Intelligent transportation systems

Car crash on Adelphi Road, just south of Campus Drive, College Park, Maryland
Originally uploaded by rllayman

I have never been all that interested in intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which include things like coordinating traffic signals (see "Traffic signals disrupted, creating chaos in Montgomery" from the Washignton Post)and announcing accidents and other delays so that people can make "diversion" decisions and use alternate routes.

I went to a GIS seminar at the Maryland 4H Center last Monday, and because I wanted to stop at Shoppers Food Warehouse to buy low priced yogurt on the way home, I went down Adelphi Road towards Hyattsville (also see "Will tax incentives make food deserts bloom?" from Greater Greater Washington).

On the way back, there were the remains of an accident being cleaned up and investigated at Adephi Road just south of Campus Drive.

I just tooled along on my bicycle. Meanwhile northbound traffic was stacking up, eventually reaching almost to East-West Highway. The crossing guards at Northwestern High School didn't know what was going on, and there were no police officers assigned to other intersections, except at Adelphi Road/University Boulevard/Campus Drive, to direct drivers to either turn around or to turn east or west.

It did make me appreciate traffic management more, and the need for intelligent transportation systems, whether or not they are focused on technology, message boards, etc.

(But then, I also appreciated being on bicycle and not being "inconvenienced" at all.)