CANADA/NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AGREEMENT

The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador are working together to make the province's roads safer and more efficient using intelligent transportation systems technology.

The two governments have signed an agreement to implement a Geographic Information System in the province, with each contributing up to $396,750 towards the initiative.

The project will combine data on traffic, collisions and road surface conditions in a particular geographic area, and enable transportation planners, engineers and road maintenance crews to access improved and integrated information. It is expected that this advanced technology will lead to improved operation, efficiency and safety of roadways in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The project, to be developed in three phases and completed in March 2008, involves new ways of capturing, storing, manipulating, analyzing and presenting information.

Intelligent transportation systems technology is a rapidly developing field, where information processing, communication systems and sensing devices are creatively combined and integrated to make the transportation system work more effectively. Centralized traffic management, transit smart cards and traveller information systems are examples of intelligent transportation systems in action.

The Government of Canada will fund its contribution to these projects from the $600-million Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, which dedicates $100 million for initiatives that better integrate the country's transportation system, including $30 million to fund intelligent transportation systems.

For more information about Transport Canada's role in intelligent transportation systems, please visit www.its-sti.gc.ca.

August 2007