Understanding the Transportation Policy Process: Intelligent Transportation Systems Through Two Conceptual Lenses

Abstract

An alternative to transportation policy making, the agenda-setting framework, which is more realistic than the rational-comprehensive perspective of policy making traditionally taught to and applied by engineers and planners, is presented. In general, this framework for analysis suggests that before a policy decision is made, two important processes are at work: agenda setting and the selection of alternative solutions. The process of setting the agenda focuses attention on certain issues instead of others, whereas the selection of alternatives focuses attention on certain solutions instead of others. These processes are nonlinear, dynamic, and contrary to much of what is expected from the rational-comprehensive model. These two competing perspectives are outlined, and the rise of intelligent transportation system technologies as solutions for transportation problems is used as an illustration of the agenda-setting perspective.