Global Transportation Leaders To Gather In Chicago Oct. 14-17 For 9th World Congress On Intelligent Transport Systems

10/4/2002

From: Jim Lewis of the Intelligent Transportation Society Of America, 202-484-4589, http://www.itsa.org

News Advisory:

Thousands of the world's top experts in transportation planning, management, policy and research will gather in Chicago less than two weeks for the largest international meeting devoted to insuring safety, mobility and security on the highways of America and the world.

The 9th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems will be held October 14-17 at Chicago's Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. Prominent business leaders, government officials and transportation ministers from the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific will discuss the latest innovations in traffic safety, gridlock relief, driver information, public transportation, accident management, freight movement and more. Here are some highlights:

-- Britain's Minister of State for Transportation, the Rt. Hon. John Spellar MP, will address the opening ceremony on October 14. He will tell participants what Britain is doing to improve transportation safety and traffic flow using Intelligent Transportation Systems, and how other nations can do the same.

-- Keynoting the Congress will be Peter Schutz, the former President and CEO of the auto company Porsche AG, who will share his auto industry perspective on ITS and its future.

-- Special programs at this year's World Congress will look at the growing concern over driver distraction, the expanding market in car-sharing, ITS at the Olympics, life-saving 911 phone technology, and how ITS can help protect the environment in developing countries.

-- In the wake of September 11, sessions on transportation security, disaster management and military uses of advanced transportation technology have been added to the program.

These are just a few of the more than 150 technical sessions and 48 Executive and Special Sessions to be held at the Congress discussing major policy and operational issues facing the ITS world. In addition, you can see the latest ITS technology up-close at an exhibit that will run the three days of the Congress.

For more information and registration, log onto www.itsworldcongress.org

------ Headquartered in Washington, ITS America promotes development and deployment of surface transportation technologies and serves as a federal advisory committee to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It has more than 500 public and private sector members.