Institutional Issues

Institutional issues involve the following challenges:

Ensuring the use of appropriate procurement methods for ITS (for instance, methods applicable for highway construction project are not appropriate for ITS type projects)
Streamlining the procurement process of new equipment, particularly at public agencies which usually involve lengthy bureaucratic processes
Gaining the confidence of those from the old school (e.g. the slide-rule generation) who are apprehensive of new technologies and who prefer maintaining the status quo
Overcoming inter-jurisdictional barriers during deployment through communication, cooperation, and coordination (the 3 Cs of ITS) as transportation problems do not stop at jurisdictional boundary lines
Mainstreaming ITS education and training (e.g. starting from K-12) through curriculum accreditation or certification process
Stress to political leaders and heads of agencies the importance of focusing on operating the system, as well as its construction and maintenance, in their approach
Ensuring that the operating policies, budgets, and legislative processes are changed as required to make effective operational use of ITS