Making the right connections will keep cities moving

With urban areas coming under increasing demands from vehicles and other road users, steps must be taken now to properly deploy intelligent systems to improve traffic flow, says Richard Walker, head of sustainable mobility at TRL.

Over the past few years we’ve seen a dramatic change in both vehicles and transport infrastructure. Cars are becoming connected and the use of intelligent transport systems (ITS) on strategic roads and in city centres has soared as pressure mounts to tackle Europe’s growing emission and congestion problems. But with Department for Transport forecasts predicting up to a 55% growth in traffic by 2040, it’s time to start considering the role of Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) in improving congestion.

At its heart, C-ITS involves the exchange of information between travelling vehicles, or between vehicles and the road infrastructure. The aim of C-ITS is to improve aspects of mobility such as safety, sustainability, efficiency and comfort beyond the scope of standalone systems. For example, drivers could receive hazard notifications on approaching dangers such as roadworks, incidents or vulnerable road users. Vehicles could receive traffic signal timing information and calculate an optimal speed to ensure the next traffic lights are green on arrival, and road authorities could be passed information on road conditions from vehicles, improving the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of road maintenance.

Despite the benefits of C-ITS, research has predominantly focused on open roads, rather than urban areas such as city centres. Pockets of research and development have taken place - for example, TRL delivered traffic signal information during the London Olympics. But given that we’re already seeing major pilots of C-ITS services taking place in inter-urban corridors, it’s clear there has been significantly less emphasis on such applications in urban environments. So, why has the scope of real-life C-ITS application testing been limited?

For too long we’ve shied away from real-life application of urban C-ITS because these environments are more complex than open roads – there’s more vulnerable road users, junctions, higher congestion and greater traffic regulations. But arguably it’s in this very environment where the benefits will be greatest. Vehicles can operate with better information about what is around them, improving safety and reducing accidents. 

Drivers have better knowledge and are able to select more effective routes around the city, reducing congestion. And with better traffic projections, road and local authorities can benefit from smoother running road networks, improved efficiency and increased customer satisfaction. 

With urban spaces coming under increasing demands from vehicles and other road users, it’s time to start putting in place proactive measures to improve traffic flow. There’s no denying that our vehicles are becoming smarter, but unless we start understanding how we best use this connectivity in all road environments, we are in danger of not making full use of the benefits offered by C-ITS.

Richard Walker, head of sustainable mobility at TRL, will be speaking at Smarter Travel LIVE.