Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 20, 1991, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free december 1991 e51 smart artists geared to unclog congested roads los Angeles slow go and Gawker Block had crept into the Lingo Long before Drivers had memorized the schedule for the radio traffic reports and Long before commuters were forced to conduct business by cellular phone from the Middle of a traffic fun tur thinking engineers in Detroit had envisioned a Way to avoid this has their unveiled at general motors Futura a exhibit at the 1939 worlds showed tightly spaced chains of zipping along roadways at near maximum these cars collide because they were linked by radar like elec tronic communication devices that Al Lowed them to relay their positions to the rest of the pack main Tain Safe the effect of this Virtu ally bumper bumper traffic was to move Many More vehicles Over the same roads in the same and the futurists projected that this would be the reality of the War tested technology although this idea has not been companies such As Ford and Motorola Are outfitting so called smart cars with aerospace developed and now War tested from to Chicago to san projects Are under Way or planned to test new sys tems in an Effort to unclog the nations much is at besides easing application of the new technology can help increase Auto safety and reduce air pollution and Oil it also can help bolster the United states sliding competitive position in worldwide Auto and electronics markets by keeping cars equal to their japanese and German rivals in the latest japanese and european automakers Are further along in developing the sort of navigation devices and communication services that Are about to be tested in experiments beginning this in Drivers Are trying out a radio broadcast system that instantaneously signals traffic problems to specially equipped and Many More freeways in both Japan and Germany Are equipped with Roadway sensors to feed information into map Ping systems that Are optional equip ment on some German and japanese luxury automakers Are in danger of losing their remaining automobile Market share to foreign competitors if we fail to keep up with the Europe ans and said Steven Shea technical director of the advanced technology for the Highway program operated by the University of if american Consumers have a Choice Between a smart japanese car and a dumb american even More will buy japanese Driver safety although global competitiveness is improved Driver safety and reduced traffic congestion Are the primary motivations among both automakers and Public the theory is that before we spend billions to build More freeways and we ought to make sure that we Are making the Best possible use of the capacity we already said Edwin general manager of the los Angeles department of transport which oversees a City in which traffic congestion grew at a nation leading rate of 15 per cent annually during the there is no that Drivers will accept High tech gadgetry in their remember the synthesized voices that warned of Low fuel tanks and open doors they bombed in the Early subsequent including Oldsmobile and Pontiac cockpit style dash Board have not been big sell engineers Are betting that overbuilding traffic congestion and High costs of building new mass Tran sit systems will Spur consumer accept most of the smart car systems re quire the installation of computerized traffic measuring sensors in or along but that is Only half of automakers must include electronic brains in their automobiles to allow the cars to talk to other cars As Well As to the traffic Central command Post receiving the information transmitted by the Roadway sen by helping Drivers avoid colliding with each other and find the least congested these systems could double or even triple the Capac Ity of the nations Urban freeways within two engineers Calcut in similar systems in trucks and emergency vehicles could Speed ambulance response times and other trips where time is engineers with enough smarts in roads and Drivers would be Able to repro Grain their destinations As they would a Var or microwave oven when they enter a then the car would travel on the microprocessor revolution and military buildup of the last decade has been a big Boon to the technology that is most of the systems now planned for cars Are derived directly from the radar and computer aided vision built into the smart bombs so effective in the persian Gulf and advances in computer technology have lowered prices to within the Range of consumer Bud facing mounting traffic re lated environmental and so Cial the nations transport Jinon officials say they Are More ready than Ever to make the dreams of 1939 come the electronic solution will not be the Federal Highway administration projects that it will take an investment of billion us to billion us Over the next two decades to install smarts into about Miles of metropolitan area highways throughout the this Cost estimate includes Only the sensors and communication systems that would be operated by Highway for the systems to Auto makers must and Consumers must the other half of the system electronically outfitted about a dozen smart car and High Way experiments Are being pursued throughout the and with much of the nations worst con is the primary Guinea project a nine month old Experiment along interstate High Way 10 in los Angeles which routinely carries More than vehicles a Day along its eight lanes is the nations first to test How Drivers would use mealtime traffic flow information in their daily in the us 25 pm cars have been outfitted with special inboard mapping and communication systems and Drivers have been ordered to travel at Peak com mute hours along a 13mile the Drivers Are alerted to traffic problems both on the freeway and on major surface streets for As Long As one mile North and South of it As they and Are free to select alternative routes based on this similar projects Are scheduled to Start later this year in Chi Cago and Detroit automakers Are developing Early pieces of technology to communicate with those sensors As Well As other efforts of the big three automakers Are closely but pm largely because of its acquisition of Hughes aircraft is widely consid ered to be far ahead of its competitors in developing smart sources say Hughes and pm neers Are working actively on several advanced most based on radar and other detection and navigation systems developed for the sensing the Early stages of a potentially billion Dollar several electronics companies Are jumping for which started As a maker of car radios in the is developing a computerized mapping system for Auto demonstration models Are expected by the end of this year and full scale production would be in place in time for the 1994 automobile Model the Cost of these new High tech options is a major consideration to All the according to Early the vast majority of car buyers would be unlikely to accept radar and other options costing More than us if the Price dropped to perhaps As Many As 15 per cent of the buyers of cars costing and More would take one or More of the High tech a Chrysler Engineer european automakers widely Are believed to be the furthest along in developing a coordinated smart transportation More than billion has been set aside for two experimental a group of a dozen european Auto makers has committed million to project a research and the european Community has committed million for additional Pilot japanese Auto makers have been Selling computerized map Ping systems that talk to Tell ing which Street to take and where to these systems have the Capac Ity to communicate with traffic Central command posts and in advanced some already the devices Are available in some luxury japanese cars sold Only in and despite a Cost of be tween us and Engi neers estimate that 40 per cent of the luxury car buyers take the despite that original vision from pm engineers More than 50 years Auto makers and Highway engineers Are playing catchup to their global were lagging said James director of the newly formed intelligent vehicle and High Way society of a washing to based association of Auto makers and Highway the Japa Nese started on this 15 or 20 years ago the europeans followed we just got organized and focused two years we have to move quickly if were to catch Pat no Only on new Ford Mercury regular cab Ford of Canada will pay the get 48month financing choose Ford of Canada is also offering attractive 48month financing or cashback on the following not eligible for the get j cashback grand i if cashback cashback Pauj cashback Ford see your Manitoba Ford and Mercury dealer were winning the West annual percentage Rale 48 month financing is available on 1992 and prior Ford Mercury and series cab and Crew cab for example financed at 5 9 Lor 48 myths monthly payment Cost of borrowing total to be repaid if financing is total Cost of borrowing is including get payment not the effective rate is 9 apr 48 financing on approved credit is available on 1992 festival and 1992 and prior Aei ostar and 48 financing is available on 1992 and prior Crown grand for financed at for 48 monthly payment Cost of borrowing amount to be repaid ii financing is chosen instead of Cost of borrowing becomes and the effective interest Rale is with cashback Cost of borrowing is and the effective interest rate is with cashback Cost of borrowing is and the effective interest rate is for example financed at for 48 monthly payment 49 Cost of borrowing amount to be repaid with cashback Cost of borrowing becomes the effective interest rate is to elective interest rate and total Cost of borrowing vary with vehicle purchased and amount limited time offer on retail deliveries from dealer Stock offers May not be combined see dealer for ;