With ASCT, the FHWA addresses a legitimate problem. The 2007 Traffic Signal Report Card, released by the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC), assigned an overall grade of "D" to traffic signal operations practices in the United States, indicating that "agency programs that support efficient maintenance and operations of traffic signals are not as effective as they could be."
On average, travelers spend 36 hours per year in traffic tieups. For urbanites, the number is much higher. Collectively, Americans spend nearly 4.2 billion hours sitting in backups. Implementing ASCT can help improve customer satisfaction scores.