High-tech transport conference gearing up for Toronto

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 1999) — When the world’s leaders in high-tech transportation will converge on Toronto in November, they will be able to see first-hand how state-of-the-art technologies are being used to make surface travel safer and more efficient in Canada’s largest city.

Toronto will host some 4000 participants from 70 countries in the 6th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Nov. 8-12. In addition to an extensive “ITS expo” that will show the products and services offered by over 100 companies, there will be 16 facility tours for the participants to show how ITS technologies are used in freeway management, transit operations, international border crossings, railroad management, and the St. Lawrence Seaway/Welland Canal.

“Toronto has a lot to offer people who want to use technology to make traffic safer, smoother, and smarter sooner,” says Joseph K. Lam, chairman of ITS Canada and of the Toronto 1999 World Congress Organizing Committee. “We have quite a number of ITS deployments ranging from COMPASS, the advanced traffic management system managing Highway 401, the busiest highway in the world carrying some 350,000 vehicles a day, to our brand new, all electronic toll system on Highway 407. These are landmark ITS deployments.”

Co-hosts of the event are ITS America and ITS Canada, supported by counterpart organizations ERTICO in Europe and VERTIS in Asia/Pacific.

The program will include 51 Panel Sessions and 123 Technical Sessions with more than 500 technical presentations. Nearly 400 booths have been sold to exhibitors for the World Congress trade show, expected to be the largest exposition of ITS technologies anywhere this year.

Call 416/588-5051 to register, or register online at www.itsworldcongress.org