Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefit Priorities: An Application to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge

This paper reports on an application of the probabilistic multi-dimensional scaling algorithm (PROSCAL) to assess the priority in benefits desired from various intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies that can be used on the proposed new Woodrow Wilson bridge. A survey of transportation professionals in the Washington Metropolitan Area gathered pair-wise comparison judgment data for nine potential benefits of ITS. From these collective preference orderings were computed, reflecting a robust prioritization of the perceived benefits. Results indicated that improved safety was the highest priority benefit followed by better traffic flow. The analysis demonstrated an alternative to conventional multi-attribute utility models in evaluating transportation decision making.