"Our citizens expect us to be forward thinking and good stewards of taxpayer dollars," Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel said in a statement released by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, an advocacy group for intelligent transportation systems. "The Minnesota Department of Transportation uses cost-effective ITS technology to ensure that our transportation system is safer, more efficient, and user friendly."

Ed Rendell, a chairman of Building America's Future and former governor of Pennsylvania, said the nation must embrace rapid advancements in innovative technologies.

"Whether they are geared to providing more reliability to our daily commutes or advanced detections to bridges, smart technologies are the wave of the future," he said.

A few examples of ITS include advanced crash avoidance systems; active traffic management to reduce congestion and improve incident response; electronic tolling and payment systems; synchronized and adaptive traffic signals; stress sensors in bridges; weigh-in-motion truck screenings; and real-time traffic, transit, and parking information for commuters.

"At a time when governments at all levels are being asked to do more with less, investing in intelligent transportation systems is a cost-effective way to ensure that our transportation system is safer, more efficient and user-friendly, all the while supporting job creation and economic growth," according to a letter sent from more than 100 organizations in the coalition to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders.

The coalition urged lawmakers to support the Smart Technologies for Communities Act (HR 995), a bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, and Russ Carnahan, D-Missouri, to establish competitive pilot projects in up to six communities across the country that would serve as models for large-scale deployment of high-tech, integrated transportation solutions.

"Technology can help make the transportation system -- and travelers -- smarter, thus maximizing the investment of limited resources and enabling travelers to make informed choices about how they get to their destinations safely and efficiently," said AAA President and CEO Bob Darbelnet.

Sustainability leaders such as the Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Transportation for America, and Pew Center have also endorsed the bill.

"Transporting people and goods more efficiently is one of the key steps towards reducing oil use and our impact on the global climate," said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Adopting reliable and cost-effective solutions for deploying intelligent transportation technologies are a no-brainer in these times of constrained budgets."

The letter, list of endorsements, and more information about the Smart Technologies for Communities Act are available at www.itsa.org/SmartCommunities.html.