Thinking Highways Europe/rest Of The World, October 2006

THIN KING

HIG HW AYS EUROPE/REST of the WORLD EDITION Volume 1 • Issue 1 • Autumn 2006

RACE FOR THE PRIZE Why China could steal a march on VII STAR TREK

Darryll Thomas on South Africa’s goals for 2010

JOINED-UP THINKING Phil Tarnoff’s global, impassioned plea

TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS What the Euro-Regional Projects have achieved

PLUS

• Urban mobility, alternative fuel and transport modelling features • Ukraine & Belarus funding focus • Articles from Australia, Spain, Dubai, Norway and the UK

LAUNCH ISSUE

Advanced transportation management policy • strategy • technology • finance • innovation • implementation • integration • interoperability

5 “That t’s what you lot think”, said Ted, who was already home due to the efficiency of the new congestion charging system. “Who spilt on the carpet?”

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6 No one uttered a word. No o

8 ”Well ”Wel you know I don´t approve of cowardliness.”

And And so Ted once again evicted his “friends” who had to spend another night in the shed with Scary Joe The Snake. With Ted in the house, rush hour had left the streets and come home.

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Foreword Thinking Kevin Borras

Kevin Borras is publishing director of H3B Media and launch editor of Thinking Highways. To contact him email [email protected]

Cover image Tim Travis (www.downtheroad.org)

Editor Kevin Borras

In one era...

Technology without policy is a bit of equipment in a box. Policy without technology is a piece of paper I’m not particularly wellknown for my learned, philosophical sayings or deeply insightful teachings. I did, however, utter the phrase that is in bold text above (the bit about technology being a bit of metal in a box without the policy to implement it) while discussing the very reasons for setting up a brand new advanced transportation management magazine. It’s amazing what you come up with when you’re under pressure to perform, not that I’m suggesting that Einstein suddenly stumbled upon his theory of relativity while he was in a meeting with his prospective new bank manager. The pressures of setting up and running a new multimedia company and launching three magazines in the space of three months have made Luis and I think like we’ve never thought before. There have been times when we’ve been forced to think like we never thought possible. It may be hard to imagine if you’ve ever had more than a few fleeting minutes in our company but we've have spent

Sales and Marketing Luis Hill

Margaret Pettitt, Chris Skinner, Morten Solemsli, Oddvar Solemsli, Phil Tarnoff, Darryll Thomas, Peter Tomlinson, Alexandre Torday

Design and Layout Phoebe Bentley, Kevin Borras

Printing Stones the Printers, Banbury

Guest Designers Klipp og Lim (pages 38-45)

Distribution BTB Mailflight, Bedford

Sub-Editor and Proofreader Simon Whitmore

Subscriptions and Circulation Sheri Cooper

Contributing Editors Bruce Abernethy, James Joseph, Andrew Pickford, Phil Sayeg, Phil Tarnoff, Darryll Thomas, Harold Worrall, Amy Zuckerman

Website Design and IT André Skepple-Garraway

Contributors to this issue Mousumi Bagchi, Darren Bance, Jaime Barceló, Mario Bozzo, Lisa Burgess, Ron Coello, Cbris Elliott, Fabio Faluzzi, Richard Harris, Gareth Hayward, Andrew Howard, Ed Hirst, James Joseph, Miguel López Rodríguez, John McMahon,

Financial Director Martin Brookstein EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING H3B Media Ltd, 15 Onslow Gardens, Wallington, Surrey SM6 9QL, UK Tel +44 (0)870 919 3770 Fax +44 (0)870 919 3771 Email [email protected]

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the last eight years in the advanced transportation industry listening to people. As a journalist and editor I’m in the privileged position of being on both the inside and the outside of the ITS community. I can look in from outside and look out from the inside. Whichever way I look (I’m

“This may be hard to believe but we have spent the last eight years listening to people” about to mix my senses here, but bear with me) I hear people saying that they want to read more articles that focus on policy and strategy and finance and politics and innovation and integration and implementation and interoperability as much as they do on the technology. All of these aspects are integral pieces in the industry jigsaw. You can see some of the Thinking Highways

picture with some of the pieces missing, but the only way to see the whole picture is to have all the pieces in place. With this jigsaw, looking at the picture on the box is just not enough. So, although we may not be new to the market, Thinking Highways is. The ‘thinking’ doesn’t just refer to the capabilities of the highways themselves or the vehicles that drive on them. This ‘thinking’ also refers to the thought processes of the people and organisations that are charged with turning fantastic ideas into life-saving, time-saving, money-saving realities. Many people have supported us greatly in the creation of our company and our new magazines and we thank them very much indeed. They know who they are. They can now sit down and read this first issue of Thinking Highways’ Europe/Rest of the World edition, safe in the knowledge that it would not exist without them. If you’d like to contribute to Issue 2, out at the end of February 2007, you might want to give it some thought. TH

is published by H3B Media Ltd.

Thinking Highways is published quarterly in two editions – North America and Europe/Rest of the World - and is available on subscription at £30/€40 (Europe/RoW) and US$50 (North America). Distributed in the USA by SPP, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Thinking Highways, 401 S W Water Street, Suite 201B, Peoria, Illinois 61602, USA.

Managing Director Luis Hill Publishing Director Kevin Borras Visualisation Director Tom Waldschmidt Conference and Events Director John Hill

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Although due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate and up-to-date, the publisher can accept no liability for errors and omissions. Unless otherwise stated, this publication has not tested products or services that are described herein, and their inclusion does not imply any form of endorsement. By accepting advertisements in this publication, the publisher does not warrant their accuracy, nor accept responsibility for their contents. The publisher welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and illustrations but can accept no liability for their safe return. © 2006 H3B Media Ltd. All rights reserved. The views and opinions of the authors are not necessarily those of H3B Media Ltd. Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any text, photograph or illustration contained in this publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in the UK

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Contents

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INNOVATION Chris Elliott on the benefits of a pay-as-youdrive car insurance scheme

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CASE IN POINT The Euro-Regional Projects have left a lasting legacy, says Richard Harris

Welcome to Thinking Highways

COVER STORY

Is China going to beat the US to the VII finish line? John McMahon investigates IN MY OPINION Andy Graham looks at the mobility options of the future 38

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THE THOUGHT PROCESS Richard Harris, Director, FaberMaunsell ALTERNATIVE FUEL James Joseph on the viability of ethanol, Brazil’s secret weapon in the oil replacement battle INTEROPERABILITY Lessons from the UK transport initiatives by Mousumi Bagchi, Mario Bozzo and Peter Tomlinson

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THINKING DIFFERENTLY Oddvar Solemsli and Kevin Borras tackle the thorny issue of urban mobility in a special eight-page feature created by Norwegian design house Klipp og Lim THE NATIONALS ITS in Norway, as Ed Hirst discovers, is a truly multimodal affair Darryll Thomas explains how football was the spark that re-ignited South Africa’s flickering transport flame South Africa

South Africa

Rainbow rising DARRYLL THOMAS on how South Africa’s ITS industry is using the 2010 World Cup to redefine its national transport goals

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bright future ahead

THE THINKER ITS guru Phil Tarnoff’s thoughts on global transport thinking

no delays

It was late evening on 15 May 2004 but South Africa Yellow card, green was light glued to the TV to watch the announcement from Zurich that country had been South the Africa’s ITS plans set to kick off chosen as the first African nation to host the 2010

football Cup. It was late World evening on 15 May 2004 but South Africa wasThe glued to country the TV to watchwith the aannouncement entire swelled pride that it hadfrom not Zurich that1995 the country had beenNelson chosen as the first felt since when President Mandela andAfrithe can nation to rugby host thecaptain, 2010 football World Cup.The entire Springbok Francois Pienaar, held the country swelled with pride that it had notWho feltwould since Rugby World Cup alofta at Ellis Park stadium. 1995 President Nelson Mandelacharged and the evening Springhavewhen thought that this emotionally bok captain, Francois Pienaar, held catalyst the Rugby two rugby years ago would be the long-awaited for World aloftstruggling at Ellis Park South Cup Africa’s ITSstadium. industry.Who would have thought this Africa emotionally charged eveningstar twoin years Whilethat South is certainly a shining the ago would be world the long-awaited catalyst for South Afrigalaxy of 3rd states, in terms of sporting and road ca’s struggling ITS industry, asks Darryll Thomas infrastructure, it has a public transport system that is fragmented, inadequate (in terms of both route coverage and frequency), unsafe, unreliable and unhygienic. Lack of South investment, fleet renewal, While Africa especially is certainlyin a shining star in maintethe galaxy of 3rd states,ofin terms ofsystems sporting road nance andworld upgrading signaling ofand the commuter rail service has also contributed to accidents and to the late arrivals or no shows of trains. Currently, there is no efficient rail network connecting Pretoria, Midrand and Johannesburg, where most of the football matches will be played and the Gautrain (named after the Gauteng Province in which it will run) is a part of ambitious plans to upgrade public transport ahead of the event. This flagship project will carry football fans at speeds of between 165 km and 180 km and showcase ITS elements such as integrated ticketing and public transport information/scheduling systems. Construction of the 80 km (50 mile, including 10 miles of tunnel) line is underway and is expected to be complete in 2010, leaving little room for delays before the

tournament begins later that year. 2010 is expected to be the most profitable World Cup ever with an estimated budget of US$4bn [R26.5bn] but success of the this event (beamed live to 40 billion viewers in 207 countries, with 350,000 visitors spending an estimated US$1.5bn [R9.8bn], contributing US$3.2bn [R21.3bn] to the GDP and generating 129,000 jobs) ultimately hinges on an effective and safe public transport system. FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations, world football’s governing body) has granted an overall amount of US$2bn [R12.7bn] and initially US$0.6bn [R3.8bn] of this has been allocated for improvement of the public transport system Another US$5.2bn [R34.6bn] (over and above FIFA’s US$2bn contribution) is earmarked for infrastructure over the next three years, which includes an amount of just over US$1.6bn [R10bn] for the Gautrain and the 2010 World Cup stadiums.

ITS in SA

ITS planted its South African roots in July 1999 with an ITS interest group that was to lead the industry through political acceptance in March 2000, the official ITS launch at an International ITS Awareness Symposium and Exhibition in June 2000 and then on to the establishment of SASITS (SA Society for ITS) as a Section 21 Company in March 2001. In a new world economy where technology is not regarded as a priority, particularly when competing for funding with national social ‘upliftment’ projects such as housing and public health, ITS implementation has largely been confined to adhoc pilot projects on a shoestring budget. But that is all set to change with the 2010 World Cup announcement. The ITS toolbox has all the elements needed to repair

Main photo: New VMS signs have been installed on the Ben Schoeman Highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Left, FIFA President Sepp Blatter reveals South Africa as the hosts for the 2010 World Cup

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Darren Bance on the transport challenges facing an ever-expanding city: Dubai

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INTELLIGENT SPEED ADAPTATION Is ISA the answer to UK motorists’ prayers? The AA Motoring Trust’s Andrew Howard puts forward a convincing case

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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Chris Skinner on the latest innovations in metadata registries

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T-FOCUS: simulation and modelling ITS modelling the AIMSUN way, by TSS’s Alexandre Torday and Jaime Barceló

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PTV’s Martin Fellendorf on the VISSIM evolution

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’t ! on et D rg fo

An all-inclusive transport policy smoothed the way for Madrid’s biggest project, the M-30 motorway. Miguel Lopez Rodriguez reports

r m es te co su is . is reg dia e re s tu ay bm fu hw .h3 e iv ig w ce g H ww re in at k To in W h T O of e N lin on

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FUNDING & FINANCE Thinking Highways’ funding analyst Margaret Pettit looks at a new round of opportunities for Ukraine and Belarus

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Welcome to Thinking Highways

Kevin Borras, Publishing Director, H3B Media

Policy, technology, strategy, finance, innovation, interoperability, implementation and integration. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the basic ingredients of the Thinking Highways constitution. Presumably your interests lie in some or all of these areas of the advanced transportation management ‘game’ and so, we feel, you will find Thinking Highways fascinating, educational, thought-provoking, possibly a little bit controversial, entertaining and above all highly readible. Thinking Highways will be published quarterly from 2007, in February, May, August and November in two regionally focused editions, Europe/ Rest of the World and North America. From Issue 2 onwards this page won’t feature almost life-size photos

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Luis Hill, Managing Director, H3B Media

of us but an insightful column from a world-renowned ITS expert, you’ll no doubt be relieved to discover. It feels like we’re going back to school after a very long summer holiday, but it’s not really a launch into the unknown. After all, we know the industry and the industry knows us rather well by now, but it’s daunting and not a little exciting to be presenting the fruits of our concerted labours to you after the best part of five months in self-imposed exile. We have spoken to literally hundreds of people about our new venture and by and large we asked them the same questions: are we doing the right thing and is this the right time to be doing it? Unequivocably, the answer to both parts of the question was ‘yes’. “There’s a yawning gap in the market for a magazine like

Vol 1 No 1 Thinking Highways

this,” came one enthusiastic response. “One that doesn’t see the technology as the be all and end all – because it's not.” Before you ask, this came from someone who is CEO of a large technology supplier. So, there you have it. What we have done is to create a mouthpiece for the advanced transportation industry to have its say in the most eloquent way possible. And there’s no need to learn our mantra off by heart. Policy, technology, strategy, finance, innovation, interoperability, implementation and integration. It’s not our mantra anyway. It’s yours. TH If you wish to receive Thinking Highways on a regular basis, please visit our website and register online. Go to: www.h3bmedia.com If you would like to know more about marketing opportunities in either regional edition please email [email protected] www.h3bmedia.com

Photo by Ron Coello (www.coellophotography.co.uk)

What we did while we were away

Systems from Kapsch TrafficCom for Urban Road User Charging, nationwide HGV schemes, Road Pricing, City Charging, Area Tolling or simply electronic fee collection. Whatever system you need, make sure it’s from Kapsch TrafficCom. | www.kapsch.net

Britain has it. Australia has it. Chile has it. Soon Czech Republic will have it too!

Warrior mentality

Cover Story With China looking an odds-on bet to beat the US and implement the world’s first fully functioning Vehicle Intrastructure Integration programme, JOHN McMAHON wonders who is driving the future of China’s thinking highway

For most westerners, China is a far away,exotic place as mysterious as the 8,000 ancient terracotta warriors, horses and chariots buried thousands of years ago. Despite 800m of its population living below the poverty line, the country’s economy is explosive with a GNP of US$1.05 trillion and the fastest incremental rate of growth of private vehicle ownership in the world. About 20,000 new vehicles are registered every week in crowded cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Text books have been rewritten and distributed to focus not so much on historical incidents but rather on success stories of wealthy icons like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as well as how the Chinese can influence the world economy. Doing business in China, as an outsider, can be a confusing and frustrating experience. It can also be an incredibly rewarding one as there are many opportunities emerging all the time, particularly in ITS.

Late but fast developer

As a developing country focused relentlessly on building its economy and supporting soaring exports, the nature of the ITS opportunities are unique with consequences having wider beneficial implications for the global community. China doesn’t have much in the way of an existing ITS infrastructure. Basic elements such as in-road loop detectors are not widely in use even in the busiest commercial regions of Shanghai - a situation that paves the way for a technological leap to satellite-based floating vehicle data (FVD). This everything-is-needed environment is perfect for fully deployed Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII). This is a dramatic contrast to conditions in the US where it will take much more time to adopt 100 per cent VII applications due to the legacy intersection systems and equipment already in place. Fully deployed VII offers some basic benefits as well as some other far-reaching visionary possibilities. Some of the basics include: enabling vehicles to communicate directly with a detector-rich infrastructure network providing automatic crash avoidance, road departure warnings,and delivery of other safety and consumer services. In the United States, the world’s leading innovator of VII technology, the concept entails a network of 200,000 roadside installations. These installations would com-

municate with transponders in vehicles and transponder-equipped vehicles would communicate with each other. An example of a far-reaching application is a rather ominous possibility seemingly out of George Orwell’s cautionary tale “1984.” Once the VII infrastructure is in place, the Chinese government could monitor all transponder-equipped vehicles. By utilizing Satellite GPS technology, the DOT could track vehicle transponder codes, like a vehicle identification code, any where on the planet. It’s worth noting that the US government, in defining VII parameters considers individual privacy a top priority. Unless individuals agree to allow VII applications to have access to their vehicle’s identifying elements for, say, security purposes if their vehicles are stolen. Mario Prioietti, co-founder and CTO of TechnoCom and an expert on wireless and location infrastructures, calls VII an ambitious plan that could take the US another four years to fully deploy.What exactly makes it so ambitious? Is it because the plan calls for the integration of GPS with Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)? Is it because automotive manufacturers have to cooperate at the engineering design level? Or is it because more than a few bugs have yet to worked out?

“Fully deployed VII offers basic benefits as well as some other visionary possibilities”

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Political will, or lack of it

The real obstacles have more to do with politics than technical know-how. Consider that in order for VII to work, automobile manufacturers, wireless communication companies, traffic control manufacturers and DOTs have to come together and work multilaterally in a close collaborative fashion. Implementing full-scale VII in China, or anywhere else for that matter, involves the bringing together of various technologies in a way that hasn’t been done before. It is a whole new way of looking at the design of an intersection and a new of way of doing business, and that takes time. It takes time for the companies to work together at the design level. All the flanking technologies need to be converged in highly integrated fashion. Indeed, the degree to which VII will be effective will largely dependent on the extent to which the technological convergence will take place. It’s a process of replacing the traditional ITS business model with a whole new operating system for innovation and production. What Thomas Friedman refers to in his groundThinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Cover Story breaking book, “The World is Flat” as a platform. He goes on to explain that the human race is entering a worldwide change of habits due to gaining access and utilizing platforms. VII is an example of a platform that will contribute to equal opportunities between countries. This “flattening of the world” is a good thing as it forces the recognition of each country’s intrinsic value and the value of countries that choose to work together.

Showcasing talents

A US company has been the leader in promoting public awareness of VII in the United States. Together with large corporate sponsors, they have created the Innovative Mobility Showcase (IMS) a kind of traveling road show demonstration exhibiting VII in action. The IMS effectively gives all those who see it a glimpse of the future. The IMS was first unveiled at the 12th ITS World Congress at SBC Park in San Francisco in November 2005. One of the foreign visitors who didn’t catch the IMS demonstration was Qing Wang, the VP and Marketing Director for LBW Tech (LBW). She was attending the conference searching for the best company to develop, manufacture and distribute traffic control products. Her search led her to many traffic control product vendors where she began asking questions about possible system designs and equipment acquisitions for their company’s first ITS project located in Chongqing, China. Chongqing ITS project represents the first of several transportation initiatives totalling US$1 billion. It will be a massive undertaking, similar in some respects, at least to its impact on China’s rapidly expanding economic growth (currently around 10 per cent a year) to the size and scope of President Eisenhower’s original 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act. LBW was approached by the Chongqing Road Bureau despite the fact they had never undertaken an ITS project before. Their track record of

delivering successful civil engineering projects and having an untarnished reputation for accessing top level experts in nearly every field of technological endeavour was considered far more important and relevant. LBW has also been involved with Bluetooth wireless product development and R&D.

Gwan-chi-ing

Perhaps the strongest reason the international consulting firm got the contract is Ling Tang, the CEO of LBW. She has many solid relationships with some of China’s most powerful industrial and political leaders. Chinese commerce and business networking relies heavily on the concept of gwan-chi (‘network’) which is an important business relationship based on trust, friendship and respect. Without having gwan-chi, a businessperson will not get very far in China. As part of LBW’s usual business model, Qing was prospecting the ITS World Congress in San Francisco for a partner who could come into the Chongqing project with LBW Tech and provide guidance and leadership in creating, from the ground up, a fully functional state-of-the-art ITS system. Ironically, Qing hadn’t yet heard about VII. In fact, it was a Singapore traffic control company that first introduced the concept of VII to LBW. just before Ling flew to Chongqing last August to make a presentation before the Road Bureau. She met with the aforementioned American manufacturing company and learned more about the VII application. She also learned more about the kind of horizontal collaboration needed to fully realize VII even on a small scale. As it turned out, Ling’s presentation before the Chongqing DOTs drew great interest in the advanced technology. In fact, the project managers and ITS planners were so intrigued they immediately advocated doing whatever was necessary to incorporate VII into China’s ongoing ITS developments.

“LBW was approached by the Chongqing Road Bureau despite having never undertaken an ITS project before”

Shanghai is one of the world’s fastest-growing cities photo by Luis Ferreira

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Cover Story

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Risk assessment

There are several major technical risks for VII. Integrating multiple technologies in a way that does what it’s supposed to do is, by itself, a challenge, let alone relying on technologies that haven’t been developed yet. For example, real-time data crunching on a massive scale between hardware and software remains a major hurdle. The partners developing the core VII network are wrestling with issues that in large part haven’t been encountered before. Perhaps the best way to describe this timing-of-events issue is to draw an analogy with the introduction of the electric light bulb back in 1879. It took several decades for the electrification to kick in and have a big economic and productivity impact. Why? Because it was not enough to install electric motors and scrap the old technology – steam engines. The whole way of manufacturing had to be reconfigured. In the case of electricity the key breakthrough was in how buildings and assembly lines were redesigned and managed. Factories in the steam age tended to be multistorey buildings designed to brace the weight belts and other big transmission devices needed to drive steam power systems. Once small, powerful electric motors were introduced, everyone hoped for a quick productivity boost. It took time to accumulate the savings needed to redesign enough buildings. Long, low and cheap-to-build single story factories with small electric motors powering machines of all sizes were also required. Only when there was a crucial mass of experienced factory architects, electrical engineers and managers, who understood the complementarities among the electric motor, the redesign of the factory and redesign of the produc-

tion line, did electrification really deliver the productivity breakthrough in manufacturing.

The big issue

It’s the same for VII. There is new technology and large integration issues to overcome. There have been highly successful examples of technology introduction that relate to VII, including Electronic Toll Collection in Singapore; however, these applications are limited in scope and geography. Can the core VII network be deployed with the realization that the real benefits of a technology are not always determined until after the technology has been put into the market and many applications have been attempted? China will be taking a hard look at the immediate, intermediate and long-term benefits. The only thing that is solid about VII at this point is the knowledge that successful development will rely heavily on continual and horizontal interaction among technology developers, application developers and endusers. The Chinese government is willing to do what’s necessary to solve their problems. Accordingly, it will be easy for the government to establish what they want out of the VII innovative technology and set ground rules with the various entities involved. VII applications are most likely to get fully implemented first in China simply because their architecture gives new meaning to the phrase “wide open.” Consumer acceptance shouldn’t be a problem since many of their choices are pre-determined anyway. So, after Ling’s meeting in Congqing, it wasn’t very surprising that everyone associated with the design of the proposed Chongqing ITS project urged LBW to bring the leading VII companies to China as soon as possible. TH

“There is new technology and large integration issues to overcome”

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Child in time ANDY GRAHAM envisages how his now six-year old son will use the transportation network when he is old enough to drive

As any parent will tell you, looking into the future and imagining what kind of life your children will have is a very popular past-time.What will they look like, where will they live, what kind of person will they be, what will they drive … will they grow up to be a transport consultant like their father? My son Eddie is 6 years old and has more than a passing interest in all forms of transport. He is growing up in a rapidly changing world, so I often wonder how different it will be in 2017, when he’ll be old enough to drive. (What follows are my personal predictions but some were developed with Cambridge Consultants and I am grateful for their permission reproduce them here.) I passionately hope Eddie will be part of a new generation that does not automatically want to own a car but sees the wider picture of smarter travel. I want him to be far more aware of his own impact on the environment and have a very different attitude to mine at 17 when I just wanted to pass my driving test and didn’t give the damage I was doing to the environment even the merest thought. One key change to help him, whether implemented by Government or by me, is that he will have to manage his carbon budget for travel. He will be able to spend it or save it for long journeys, but either way he will have to give a lot more though to how he travels than we do now. So, by the time he is 17, he will need to learn how to drive, but he will have already learned how to travel. The theory test of his driving licence will ensure, before he gets anywhere near a car, that he will know how to plan a journey to minimise its impact. His licence will be a biometric “identifier” that allows any vehicle he is in to adapt its performance to his own skills, experience and to the road environment and, as I present later, pay for travel in all modes.

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All about the design

The car he will want, but may not be allowed, will be an entertainment station with wheels. This will happen because traditional silos of vehicle makers and service providers will erode, as drivers expect a complete lifestyle service. Vehicle makers as we know them will become “design” houses, linked to other lifestyle brands, but the vehicles will be built under contract elsewhere, wherever it is cheapest. Eddie will not actually have his own car – he will have a single contract with a “total travel supplier”, using biometrics to identify himself to any appropriate shared vehicle available for use nearby. In this way, much of the area currently used for parking can be recycled – as utilisation of vehicles will be much higher as more will be on the road for longer periods of time. The service provider will bill him – or probably me – for all his travel movements and not just car usage. This will be by rail, bus, shared car and short-term rental of the right vehicle for whatever trip he is making. The bill will cover fuel (probably biodiesel or electricity), tolls and congestion charge, parking, insurance and carbon penalties. It will also add in phone use, Internet access and just about anything any 17-year old wants money from Dad for now. The cost of the trip will vary as a commodity on a travel “stock” exchange in real time and so he will speculate months ahead in “futures” for long journeys by car as well as rail.

Travel retailing

This change to a single service model will have been through evolution from the early pay as you go insurance and tolling systems we have today, through to companies that act as retailers of travel services. These will be like those old fashioned “travel agents”, who used to www.h3bmedia.com

In My Opinion arrange your whole travel arrangements (tickets and itineraries) before we bought our travel piece by piece online. Their role will be to purchase road space access, rail tickets and access to vehicles wholesale, both from travel suppliers (like railway companies and airlines) and from central and local Governments. They will create tailored travel packages on a trip-by-trip basis and we really will pay as we go. The days of paying money to the Government annually for road travel (in the form of road tax) will be over. Eddie’s generation will have already discovered the extent to which their every move and action is monitored in some way, so they will have less resistance to adopting technology for the “big brother” reasons mooted in some parts of the media today. The attraction of easy travel management and purchase will outweigh any objections. The ease of having one bill for everything for a generation with a very short attention span is simply too attractive.

Time is money, money is time

Travel planning will not just be based on time or financial costs. Intelligent agents from his service provider will monitor his regular travel patterns and continually update him with his best “solution” as a balance of time, cost, environmental impact and reliability of arrival. Eddie will know exactly the cost of any trip not just in fuel or ticket price but also the impact on the environment. I hope he will have grown up in a society where planning travel has become second nature before setting out on even the smallest regular trip, just like catching the weather forecast just before you go out is a habit, at least in the UK. He will have become used to checking for any problems just before he leaves on any trip, because planning a journey has for years been actively marketed and promoted as a way of reducing stress and making life better. Eddie will become part of a generation for whom the bicycle is no longer a sunny day option but an equal travel solution. Bikes will be available at every city street corner for public use – like traditional systems in cities like Cambridge. One way of making this change will be by Eddie gaining carbon credits for cycling, called “bike miles”. As he travels on a bike, an on-bike navigation unit will credit his carbon allowance, again using his biometric identity. If he cycles long enough and far enough he can get enough carbon bonus credits for a flight abroad. The business case made in 2010 for encouraging more cycle use and providing the technology was an easy one, as it cut childhood obesity dramatically. There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad waterproof clothing.

High definition travel

When Eddie does drive a car, all communication will come wirelessly to it, often via the vehicle in front. www.h3bmedia.com

Eddie’s own current mobile digital phone/PDA/MP3 player/HD TV/camera provides all these services thanks to a chip that is upgraded monthly, is the size of a small coin and integrates into his sunglasses (but the battery still goes flat after an hour). Vehicle makers long ago stopped providing the user interface and communications, as they went out of date so quickly. Now they simply provide a standard connector that outputs vehicle data, gets inputs from the user and the roadside and importantly tells the unit how to behave in a vehicle. Eddie cannot watch football while he drives but the unit can record the goals for him to watch later. True integration of the vehicle and highway for platoons and road trains will still be some way off in 2017. Although old timers like me are happy with lane keeping technology (after a few years of having lane warning), we simply do not want to give over full control of the vehicle just yet. Besides, the legal issues of who is responsible if it all goes wrong are still a barrier to wide deployment.

What lies ahead

There are some big challenges in this perhaps ambitious view, so what lessons can we learn for the next few years? Firstly, we have to change the attitudes of people by getting them planning their travel before they own a car.We have to use their current need to connect through the Internet to get them to plan their bus, rail and cycle journeys, so doing the same later in a car becomes natural.We need to package this to be attractive – so that it is very cool, not nerdy, to know when the next bus will arrive. Secondly, we have to sell a single travel service. The bigger the bundle of services, the fewer bills I will have to pay. I would really like someone to offer me this single travel service right now – this week alone I have already needed an MPV, an intercity train ticket, two taxis and a small city car and it’s only Wednesday. Finally, we have to want and deliver a change from a carfocused society. As someone who has leaded petrol flowing in his veins and has a passion for motor racing, this is a hard thing for me to accept but we have to embrace it. We do not have to fight the car or consider it less appealing, we just have to learn how to use it more smartly and get the balance right. Oh, and the obvious question about why does Eddie need to travel at all if he is so well connected? It will be because his job. I can see him starting a company called Assistance in Creating a Really Original Name for Your Masterpieces, or ACRONYM, a company that makes a great business from dreaming up new names for ITS projects. Like father, like son, some might say. TH Andy Graham is principal of White Willow Consulting. He can be emailed at [email protected] Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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The Thought Process

Richard Harris 54, director, FaberMaunsell-AECOM, UK

Transport touches everything. As Rudyard Kipling succinctly put it, “transport is civilisation.” He was spot-on with that assessment.

ITS is not a panacea. What it can do is support policy objectives and improve knowledge, information and management, as well as improve efficiency, safety, the environment and comfort.

It can take years to appreciate the benefits of some initiatives. The European Commission DRIVE programme (1988-91) under the leadership of Fotis Karamitsos established technical understanding and created informal networks that are still valid and operational today. International collaboration is still worthwhile and an essential part of developing panEuropean solutions. Fotis is back in transport now and this is the best news I’ve heard for some time.

ITS professionals give mixed messages. We want ITS to be perceived as routine, mainstream, automatically included, no risk and reliable and yet we promote the next science fiction application to prove how brilliant we are. This just confuses decision-makers and makes them cautious about the risks. We should distinguish between operational and research and development systems when badging ITS.

Transportation is about people and the goods that they create and consume. Traffic engineers should try to remember this when they see traffic jams stretching for miles.

Policy support, revenue expenditure projections and business plans are all vital for sustained ITS operation. I would hope that that was obvious to everyone, but it’s worth saying.

Technology is an enabler not a justification. Getting people and organisations working together is more difficult than introducing technologies. To help establish long-term commitment to transportation, provide flexibility raising funds and to enable private sector ideas to be harnessed, a national/ regional transport agency should be considered. A joined-up operational strategy for national and local roads is needed to better manage traffic, reduce congestion and pollution and to improve our handling of incidents.

Evaluation is essential. Otherwise how can the value of ITS be determined? Capturing the benefits is important so that decision-makers can decide how to allocate any gains. For instance, the benefits from an ITS scheme which increases road capacity could be used to introduce a dedicated vehicle lane or give more space to pedestrians rather than to just speed up road traffic.

Gaining public acceptance and confidence in new systems and services is key to achieving maximum benefits. Building trust takes a long time and requires constant attention to detail. Each time a driver sees misleading information (for instance on a variable message sign) we destroy that trust and confidence. This is why I regard journey time prediction to travellers as the most important ITS service. Everyone will judge the level of accuracy of the information provided. This service also demands a robust and accurate information and delivery supply chain to be fully maintained and operational.

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I’m concerned that piecemeal introduction of new systems may lead to safety problems in the future. For example, I expect Lexus owners will get a thorough briefing on the advanced obstacle detection system, the rear pre-crash safety system and the driver monitoring system (available in the Lexus LS460) when they collect their new car from the showrooms. However, will adequate briefing and information be provided to subsequent owners as the vehicle progresses through the second-hand market? The thought of drivers experiencing automatic intervention systems without adequate training is a real case of “scary biscuits!” Interview by Kevin Borras www.h3bmedia.com

“What ITS can do is support policy objectives and improve knowledge, information and management”

“What ITS can do is support policy objectives and improve knowledge, information and management”

Cane and able After spending three decades and billions of dollars developing it, has Brazil engineered the most viable alternative to oil yet? JAMES JOSEPH wonders if ethanol can ever break oil’s stranglehold

Alternative Fuel Left: Brazil’s efforts are being closely followed by countries with big fuel bills. India and China have sent a parade of top officials to see Brazil’s programme

“It should not take another 30 years.” So sums up an alternative fuels expert at the news that the world has belatedly discovered that Brazil, after 30 years of technological breakthroughs and at enormous cost, has converted a worldplentiful, renewable resource, sugar cane, into a practical engine fuel, freeing itself from dependency on imported oil. Currently, some 40 per cent of Brazilian vehicles, including diesel engines and even some commercial aircraft, run on sugar cane ethanol, a clear, clean-burning, rum-derived alcohol. More than 80 per cent of new vehicles sold in Brazil are, at no extra cost, certified “flex-fuellable”, or able to burn gasoline (which in Brazil, must contain 25 per cent ethanol) or 100 per cent ethanol, both available in side-byside pumps throughout the country. For Brazil - as for the world, predict many experts - sugar cane ethanol is “freedom fuel,” the first biofuel capable of breaking oil’s stranglehold. Understandably, those who procure vehicles for street and highway operations are increasingly specifying the flex-fuellable, whose minimal factory tinkering generally involves only fuel system-upgrading against ethanol’s somewhat more corrosive nature and water content. While some vehicle makers charge a small premium (roughly, US$100-300) for the flex-fuelled, General Motors gives Brazilian buyers a choice - flex-fuelled or standard - at no extra cost. Ford and GM are expected to build a total 680,000 flex-fuel vehicles this year. What, then, are the realities and promise of ethanol, from any of a number of possible sources, compared to other projected alternatives such as hydrogen, and against the predicted ever-decreasing availability at ever-increasing cost of petroleum-derived fuels. Questions like these will affect the very existence of world highways and their vehicles in a surprisingly close-athand “future.”

Oil’s obituary?

One doomsday scenario predicts that oil reserves will peak within the next two decades and that when the world’s new big users China and India come online, we will run out of readily obtainable (and affordable) oil within a scant five decades. A landmark, five-year study of world crude oil and natural gas reserves by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), released in April 2000, sets a 2 per cent annual demand growth through 2020, peaking between 20372047 at an annual demand volume of 53.2 billion barrels. From then - but only some 40 years ahead - the falloff of available and/or affordable oil is dramatic to 2100-2125 when, predicts the USGS study, the world will run out of usable oil unless equally dramatic new sources or techwww.h3bmedia.com

nologies are developed. The USGS’s true “doomsday” period is 2050-2070, when production will be only 20 billion barrels a year, about one-third of predicted peak world demand. It is during these shortage years when some predict oil will cost US$100 or more a barrel. Already the world’s once-believed all-but inexhaustible oil reserves are plainly running out. The world’s two largest fields - Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar and Mexico’s Cantarell - are on the decline. Cantarell production is predicted to plummet by 10 per cent or more a year, a decline not likely to be bolstered by newly discovered Noxal, a deep water but unproven field not expected to become productive for at least a decade.

Alternatives and their parameters

Readers are doubtless well aware of oil’s projected alternatives: hydrogen, biomass, ethanol, methanol, plug-in electricity, liquid coal, organic wastes and various compressed or liquefied natural gases. None precisely meets the strict criteria for an alternative to petroleum: an operationally priced and pumpavailable vehicular fuel able to perform efficiently in today’s gasoline and/or diesel engines, delivering substantial mileage with minimum/acceptable contamination of the atmosphere or contribution to global warming. And, ideally, these would come from a renewable, natural source. Almost all of these alternatives are currently under test or development or in actual limited use - as CNG is fuelling many city buses and even store-bought vegetable oil is capable of fuelling some reinvigorated small vehicular diesel engines. While it may be patently unfair to dismiss any or all of the projected hydrocarbon alternatives in a few sentences, when it comes to the above criteria, a sentence or two will usually do, barring unforeseen major technological breakthroughs.

Hydrogen

Generally derived from depleting hydrocarbons - from natural gas, coal and petroleum. Not a promising alternative until massive and cheap nuclear power manages through electrolysis of water (H2O) to produce prodigious amounts of low-cost hydrogen. Despite obvious negatives, General Motors is all but staking its future on the development at a cost of billions of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. In 2005 President Bush promised to invest US$1.7 billion over the next five years on development of hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles.

Methanol

Widely used as a race car fuel. Today mostly made from natural gas, but also from plentiful coal. Considered only a “niche” alternative, due in part to considerable greenThinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Alternative Fuel house gases released in the coal-to-methanol conversion and its dangerous toxicity. Even a small amount accidentally swallowed can cause blindness, nerve damage or even death.

Plug-in electricity

Powering battery-engined vehicles, plug-in power depends on a new world family of vehicles, the availability of plug-in places and the fact that some electricity is derived from hydrocarbons.

Biomass

Virtually any usually cellulose naturally grown “crops” are convertible to ethanol or a similar fuel. In April 2005, the Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, issued a 60 page report, funded by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture, predicting that by mid-century the U.S. could annually produce more than 1 billion tons of biomass - from sources ranging from forest products, switchgrass and crop residue to animal manure - enough to supply 30 per cent or more of the U.S.’s annual petroleum needs. However, the report makes scant mention of conversion-to-fuel costs nor, oddly, of sugar cane, grown in the U.S., and Brazil’s ethanol staple, as one possible biomass

source. Asked “why not?” by Thinking Highways, one of the report’s authors replied, “Well, we were funded by the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, and ultimately by the U.S. Congress, which wanted the study to cover readily available U.S. biomass stocks,sugar cane not being one of them.”

Biodiesel

A promising diesel fuel from a variety of alternates, as soyabeans, animal fat and cooking oil but tallow in some biodiesels hardens in cold climates.

You’ve seen the rest…

Ethanol is clearly the leading alternative to oil. And here’s why. Ethanol is produced worldwide from a variety of lesser-than-sugar-content agri-products, as sugar beets, cassavas, rapeseeds, wheat and similar others. But the cost of conversion to usable fuel is often high. The U.S., on a corn-to-ethanol binge, will by 2012 nearly double its annual ethanol production, mostly from corn, to 28.39 billion litres (7.5 billion gallons). The cost of conversion, even for the highly (54 cents a gallon) U.S. subsidized process requires more energy than corn ethanol’s energy output: by some estimates, 34,610 Btus to produce a corn-liter of ethanol with an energy output of only 20,340 Btus. Some now claim that the sale of fermented corn would even the conversion costs. Despite some of ethanol-from-sugar-cane drawbacks (the fuel produces a quarter to one third less power than gasoline so more must be burnt for equal mileage; in colder climes, starting engines fueled with 100 per cent ethanol is difficult so in those regions 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline is the preferred mix) Brazil has, during its 30-year road to ethanol, solved many problems which might ordinarily cast doubt on sugar cane’s challenge to hydrocarbons. Certainly ethanol’s ace is its ability to fuel existing vehicular engines, unlike the vast engineering challenges that lie ahead, among them fuel cells and electric motors, to enable use of many of the other alternatives. Still, Brazil’s most formidable trump card is technology. At its unique, sugar grower-funded science centre, Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira in the heart of the sugar country, scientists decoded the DNA of sugar cane, leading to varieties more resistant to drought and pests, and vastly increasing yield. In 1975, at the launch of its sugar cane ethanol campaign, it managed to squeeze 2,000 liters, or about 520 gallons, of ethanol from a hectare (2.5 acres). Today, the same hectare produces nearly 6,000 liters of ethanol and ethanol yield is annually growing by about 3.5 per cent.

The appliance of science

Brazil’s most formidable trump card is technology. This is a sugar cane fermentor

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The Wall Street Journal was suitably impressed by Brazil’s eforts: “While other countries were busy mapping the human genome, Brazilian scientists were decoding the DNA of sugar cane.” Currently, some 5.5 million hectares grow sugar cane, 85 per cent of it (as a near-like percentage of ethanol) produced in the country’s centersouth region, dominated by the state of Sao Paulo. By contrast, more than 50 times more land (300 million www.h3bmedia.com

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Alternative Fuel

Developing technologies can turn marginal ethanol sources into potentially big-time players

hectares) is devoted to livestock pasture. These contrasts, and lessening need for pasturage through technology advances, explain why Brazilian experts say that an additional 100 million hectares of former pasture lands could be planted to cane without deforestation or soil degradation. By 2014, Brazil expects to double its current canebased ethanol production to 31 billion liters. Unlike many alternate fuel processes elsewhere, Brazil’s ethanol is produced at no electrical cost. Rather, the cellulosic stalks of sugar cane, called bagasse, are burnt to produce not only all the conversion power Brazil’s some 330 cane-to-ethanol mills require, but a surplus sold to local utilities. A medium-size mill, processing 1m tons of sugar cane a year, sells about 15 per cent of its bagasse-produced power, reaping a bonus US$1m. New electrical technology should significantly up the electric surplus output. Recently, Brazil announced plans for 92 new cane mills at a cost of US$10 billion.

national gasoline gallon price of about US$1.50. Production costs for ethanol produced from corn, as in the U.S., are at least 30 per cent higher than Brazilian cane-ethanol, reports the U.S. Department of Energy. One reason: an extra production step is required. Corn’s starch must first be turned to sugar before it can be distilled into alcohol. But developing technologies can turn marginal ethanol sources into potentially big-time players. For example, in 2004 Iogen Corporation, a Canadian enzyme manufacturer with its partner The Royal Dutch/Shell Group, became the world’s first to turn the cellulose in straw into ethanol. The trick was to use genetically engineered enzymes to change straw’s cellulose to fermentable glucose. Iogen’s demonstration plant can produce up to 3m liters of cellulose ethanol per year and hopes to have ‘shovel in the ground’ for a commercial scale facility by summer 2007. By 2008, with a larger, more advanced facility, Iogen hopes annually to produce 200,000 tons of straw-derived ethanol at a cost of about US$1.30 a gallon. Even so, escalating oil prices can quickly alter the equation. In June 2006 when the price of a barrel of oil averaged US$65, it cost US$2.20 to produce a gallon of gasoline - about US$1.56 for the oil, 64 cents for refining costs. At the same time, Brazil was selling a barrel of caneethanol for US$25, less than half the cost of crude oil. But even figures such as those can be elusive, as Brazil discovered during its fledgling attempt to break its imported oil dependency.

“Recently, Brazil announced plans for 92 new sugar cane mills at a cost of US$10 billion”

Fuelling the debate

Statistically, sugar cane ethanol is a “green fuel” producing 57 per cent less carbon monoxide, 74 per cent fewer hydrocarbons and 13 per cent less nitrogen oxides than fossil fuels. It is also a price-competitive fuel, as must be any serious petroleum alternative. By World Bank estimates, Brazil can produce a gallon of ethanol for about US$1 (about 27 cents a liter), but only 80 cents a gallon for Brazil’s most technologically advanced and most efficient producers, against an inter-

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Alternative Fuel WHAT THE PAPERS SAY by James Joseph The world’s press has been quick to jump on the ethanol-powered bandwagon. Here’s a selection of quotes from around the globe. Proof, if proof were needed, that ethanol is now considered the most viable alternative to oil, and not just in Brazil Dow Jones “Brazil’s No. 1 sugar and ethanol equipment manufacturer, Dedini SA Industrias de Base, has launched a new process, jointly developed with Germany’s Siemens AG, for the more efficient distillation of hydrous ethanol. Dedini, (among) the first to offer Brazilian sugar and ethanol integrated mills, has also formed a joint venture with the German automation company Proleit AG (to produce the systems).”

Al-Jazeera Network “Thirteen of Africa’s poorest nations have joined forces to become global suppliers of biofuels, produced from organic material or plant oils. In a meeting in Senegal, they formed the African Non-Petroleum Producers Association (PANPP). Africa produces a range of crops that could be used to make biofuel, including sugar cane, sugar beet, maize, sorghum and cassava. All can be used to make ethanol. Also peanut oil can run diesel engines.

Jamaica Observer Reporter (Jamaica is among the world’s 100 or so sugar cane producing nations) “(This country’s) sugar expert is currently in Brazil discussing the prospects of setting up a second ethanol plant in Jamaica.” African News Dimension “Nigeria has established an ethanol programme - expected to augment the nation’s inadequate crude oil refining capacity, The programme is targeted to produce 100m litres of ethanol annually, requiring at least 80,000 metric tonnes of sugar cane.” Los Angeles Times “In Colombia, ethanol’s future is now. Since November, motorists in three large cities - Cali, Bogota and Popayan - have been required by law to fill their tanks with at least 10 per cent ethanol. Over time the list of cities and the share of ethanol will increase as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on oil.”

On Line Opinion/The Brisbane Institute Hawaii/TV station KGMB “Three of the state’s largest landowners - who together own roughly 10 per cent of the state’s land - have formed a new company to produce ethanol from various sources,including sugar cane and pineapple. David Cole, who heads Maui Land and Pineapple, says the group will study the feasibility of building an ethanol-processing plant in Hawaii.”

Oiling the mechanism

As international prices dramatically rose during the 1973 Middle East war, oil accounted for half of Brazil’s total imports, up from 10 per cent. The country slid into recession, as 40 per cent of its foreign exchange income was spent on imported oil. Brazil’s then military government acted, decreeing a state-run sugar cane to ethanol program, massive research, subsidies to growers and processors guaranteed prices for ethanol, tax breaks to companies producing flex-fuel vehicles and decreed a starting level of 10 per cent ethanol mix with gasoline. Perhaps most importantly (erasing a distribution problem envisaged by many other countries), it ordered Brazil’s state-run oil giant Petrobras to make ethanol available at its far-flung filling stations. Today, some 29,000 service stations, including those of major oil companies, serve ethanol along with gasoline. Between 1979 and the mid-1990s Brazil spent an estimated US$16 billion on loans to sugar companies and on price supports. In 1986, as drivers grew fond of lower cost, high-performing ethanol, the bottom fell out of the market. Just as Brazil’s new government drastically cut back on price supports, international oil prices plunged. Brazil’s romance with ethanol withered at a time before its advanced research was able to match oil’s lower pricing. Today, Brazil’s ethanol industry is deregulated and www.h3bmedia.com

“Not all countries can produce ethanol from sugar cane as cheaply as Brazil. But many are close - including Australia, India and many tropical countries in Africa. For the latter, a little dose of technological assistance from the developed world would create an ‘ethanol zone’ covering Brazil and Central America, India and South-East Asia and Africa, that is every bit as productive of liquid fuel as the Middle East is productive of oil today.”

unsubsidized. Despite the setback, researchers continued their goal toward high-producing cane (they studied some 140 often new varieties), cost-cutting production and devices fitting existing engines to ethanol fueling. Brazil and future producers of ethanol can probably rightly proclaim that whatever petroleum’s pricing, they can produce and sell ethanol for significantly less. Declares an ethanol mill owner: “We can produce ethanol for far less than oil, whatever oil’s price.”

Bio basics - land ahoy?

Currently, some 100 nations produce sugar cane contrasted to 46 petroleum producers. Even so, the sizable question is whether these sugar cane growing regions especially Central and South America, Australia and South-East Asia and much of Africa - can grow enough (or any other renewable biofuel) or have land enough to replace petroleum, and especially before oil’s predicted peaking and gradual decline. “Without Brazil’s knowledge lead,” concedes one insider,“it is doubtful whether world-renewable biofuel, especially from sugar cane, could take on oil and outproduce it, barrel for barrel. And at significantly lower cost. Can that happen within 30 years?” he asks. “I think the world - and highway people - can count on it.” TH Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Interoperability

Integrate Britain

Mousumi (Paula) Bagchi, Mario Bozzo and Peter Tomlinson examine the lessons the United Kingdom has learned from its interoperability initiatives A few years ago, the words ‘integrated transport’ and ‘interoperability’ were being bandied about as the lynchpins to enable seamless journeys on public transport and roads in the United Kingdom. Technology was always the facilitating tool in this respect: implementing an automated fare collection system that allowed an easy migration to integrated ticketing, implementing smart card schemes that conformed to a national specification on interoperability, introducing electronic toll collection and developing road pricing schemes that conformed to a national specification and so forth. To date, the UK has one of the world’s largest Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system schemes in Trans-

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port for London’s (TfL) Oystercard scheme, demonstrating use of smart media technology and integrated ticketing on bus and metro networks. There are also a variety of small-scale concessionary travel bus based smart card schemes operating up and down the country. There are a number of tag-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) schemes operating (Dartford River Crossing, M6 Toll). All the schemes operate successfully - albeit in isolation and none of them are interoperable with other schemes. There have, however, been important developments to deliver intra and inter-scheme interoperability in both the fields of AFC and ETC – including the DIRECTS road user charging (RUC) trials, and the development of ITSO – the national specificawww.h3bmedia.com

Interoperability

Photo by Morten Solemsli www.mortensolemsli.com

tion for interoperable smart media; both given impetus by the UK Department for Transport (DfT). The DIRECTS demonstration based in Leeds included the development of a complete end-to-end system to acquire transactions from field equipment, apply the appropriate toll rate and bill customers (thus replicating operating features that would be found in a normal RUC environment). The system had to represent a realworld trial and as such addressed a number of key issues. These included violation processing, bank interfaces and settlement processes. A major objective was the definition of the interface specification or the Open Minimum Interoperability Specification Suite (OMISS). Crucially, DIRECTS has demonstrated back office interwww.h3bmedia.com

operability, albeit in a controlled environment; and there are initiatives to examine further the use of DSRC technology in an urban environment; at least two ETC schemes in the UK (Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry in Plymouth, Devon, and the Forth Road Bridge in Edinburgh) are being developed according to the OMISS specification. With ITSO, the picture is both more mixed and also encouraging. Around half a dozen large ITSO compliant concessionary travel schemes have issued or are about to issue smart cards or other smart media, although without so far having the acceptance and back office infrastructure operating. Travel Scotland has around 1m cards issued, and Merseytravel (the Passenger TransThinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Interoperability port Executive for Merseyside) is about to start replacing its 250,000 concession passes with smart media that carries holograms and security printing as well as the chip. Notable efforts are being made by local authorities such as Cheshire County Council and Nottinghamshire, both currently converting pioneering proprietary schemes to true ITSO compliance. Two proprietary schemes have been operating in parts of Wales, but now a quartet of ITSO-compliant schemes is in preparation to cover concessionary travel on buses for the whole of Wales. More is to come, including sharing space on the cards with citizen service functions.

ITSO facto

“The focus has primarily been on the smart media”

Originally starting life as the ‘Integrated Transport Smart Card Organisation’, ITSO is now a limited company which “was formed to build and maintain a specification for secure ‘end to end’ inter-operable ticketing transactions, utilising relevant ISO and emerging CEN standards”, with the purpose of the specification being to “provide a platform and toolbox for the implementation of interoperable contactless smart customer media public transport ticketing and related services...” (both from ITSO website, September 2006).The focus has primarily been on the smart media. While a number of suppliers have had their products certified in accordance with certain parts of the ITSO specification, a key issue that remains is the lack of the commercial ‘layer’ of software and messaging that will allow point of service terminals such as bus ticket machines to be interrogated to obtain basic management information in addition to the ticket and pass sale and acceptance data already defined, combined with the lack of an infrastructure that would enable a local authority or transport service operator to easily put together an ‘ITSO compliant’ scheme. As development continues, one hopes this will come in time.

Privileged position

While it is not possible to directly compare ITSO and DIRECT or to go into significant detail on either one of them, the UK is privileged in that such developments have taken place, and they offer a number of lessons, for the future of scheme development and telematics ‘inter-

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operability’ in the UK, especially at a time when we are possibly about to jump to national road pricing, the rollout of smart cards for national rail travel, common Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Architecture and so forth. Key among these is: 1) The infrastructure must be present to turn theory into reality – too much of a focus on the ‘media’ or ‘equipment’ being used and not enough on the infrastructure components (clearing and settlement, payment services provider, software providers) needed to interface with the media and equipment and process the transactions from the media will lead to project delays and partially compliant schemes. 2) Procurement mechanisms (e.g. procuring suppliers to help develop the systems) should be utilised to initiate system development so that funding is initially made available centrally and so that impetus for developing a delivery solution is industry and local authority based. 3) Divide up delivery responsibilities and do not group too many functions into the ‘back office’ category. This can create an unworkable system especially where there are actors that are ‘risk averse’ so essentially want to see someone else hold the risk and responsibility for delivery. 4) Schemes must be developed with the consumer in mind. Avoid developing technical specifications or solutions in ‘silos’ which when adopted do not allow for what actually happens on the ground. For example, two bordering local authorities with cross border smart card based bus services operating in their areas will want to be able to access those buses transaction data for revenue reimbursement and reconciliation purposes. ITSO’s interoperability mechanisms already underpin this, but key data required for settlement and scheme management cannot as yet flow across the borders. 5) Ensure there are industry champions to drive forward the schemes as this creates momentum and ensures industry is aware of developments. TH Mousumi (Paula) Bagchi is a consultant and Mario Bozzo a director at the IBI Group in London. Peter Tomlinson is an independent consultant with Iosios Associates.

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The Thinker

A holistic view of transportation thinking by PHIL TARNOFF

are we nearly there yet? “There is more energy available than Iceland can possibly use”

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The Thinker

Imagine that a major US airline is experiencing a high level of demand for one of its popular routes. In fact, the demand is so high that potential passengers are being turned away.

The airline has two choices; either increase the fare for this route, thus reducing demand or add additional capacity to the route either through the scheduling of an increased number of flights or the use of larger planes. These two actions are not mutually exclusive. The first action reduces demand, and the second action increases supply. One of the primary objectives of these actions is to establish a supply-demand equilibrium point that will maximize the airlines profitability. Unlike the airline industry, the highway transportation system is not usually operated with the objective of maximizing profitability. The objectives of this system may include minimizing travel times and/or providing high levels of travel time reliability. Although the objectives may vary, their achievement through adjustment of the supply-demand relationships remains applicable. Unfortunately, few if any in the highway transportation community view their role in the management and operations of the system in these terms. Transportation agencies are increasingly confronted with the need to compensate for significant increases in demand (increases in vehicle miles of travel – VMT) without adequate funding or the political will, for increasing supply through new construction. Thus the application of the traditional countermeasure to increased VMT, the construction of additional lanemiles of roadway is no longer a viable option. Demand reduction measures such as value pricing, and HOV lanes become the only available alternatives. It is important to be able to analyze these options within the context of the total set of feasible transportation management alternatives if we are to ensure that the roadway infrastructure is being utilized in the most efficient manner.

Photo by Dylan Stanley Borras

Supply-demand applications

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Within the transportation community, much effort is devoted to the project level impact assessment of various transportation measures. Little attention is paid to the interactions that may occur among multiple measures, nor the regional impact of these measures. The need for this more strategic impact assessment is critical, since interactions among measures might have consequences that are more significant than the impact of any one individual measure. One particularly striking example of this relationship occurred many years ago, when a state decided to eliminate the mainline toll booths on a major congested interstate. The motivation was to increase the capacity of the interstate (supply) by eliminating the delays and queues caused by the tolls. However, eliminating the tolls also increased demand on the interstate, with the result that the quality of service being offered remained unchanged or degraded. Although the regional impacts were not evaluated, it is possible that the quality of servThinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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The Thinker

ice on alternate routes improved due to reduced demand on these routes, or alternatively, that the overall demand increased due to reduced usage of mass transit due to the lower cost of travel on the interstate. This one example points to the importance of considering supplydemand relationships as well as regional impacts when considering operational changes. These relationships can be most readily visualized through the use of traditional supply-demand plots such as the one shown in Figure 1. In this figure, the vertical (Y) axis represents disutility (also called level of service) which may be represented in terms of increased travel cost, trip time, user costs, or level of service. The horizontal (X) axis represents demand, which is usually expressed in terms of vehicle miles of travel (VMT). The supply curve shown in the figure is a representation of the degradation of service (increasing disutility) that occurs for a fixed amount of supply (roadway or corridor capacity) with increasing demand. The demand curve depicts the quantity of travel demand that will be generated, when differing levels of service are incurred. The slopes of these lines are known as the elasticity of demand. The point at which these two curves intersect is the equilibrium point. It represents the demand that occurs for a given amount of supply.

From A to D In their definitive analysis of these relationships Wagner and Gilbert identified four classes of measures as follows: Class A – Actions that reduce travel demand such as: pricing (tolls, fares, value pricing, etc), transit enhancements, telecommuting and ridesharing. Class B – Actions that enhance highway supply such as: construction (additional lanes, grade separations, intersection improvements, etc.), improved signal timing, elimination of mainline tolls and ramp metering Class C – Actions that reduce demand and degrade supply such as: take a lane for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs), auto restricted zones and reductions in offstreet parking and; Class D – Actions that reduce demand and enhance supply such as: new HOV lanes and on-street parking restrictions. The impacts of these actions described using the classical supply-demand curves which are shown in figures

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2 through 5. Note that these figures represent increased supply by the downward movement of the supply curve, and increased demand by a shift to the right of the demand curve. From these figures, it can be seen that all classes of measures improve mobility (reduce disutility) except for Class C. However, since Class C reduces demand, it offers the potential benefits of reduced fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

Class dismissed

These figures also demonstrate that Class B actions which increase VMT, tend to work against the Class C actions which are intended to reduce VMT. Other conclusions that can be reached from these curves include the fact that actions which tend to reduce demand also offer the potential to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. These curves do not account for the relative magnitude (impact) of the changes they represent. Data must be obtained from project results available from sources such as the Deployment Support Databases of the US Department of Transportation’s Joint Program Office. The approach described here is a powerful analysis tool. It provides the ability to represent the impact of growth in demand (VMT) without any change in supply (no additional roadway lane-miles) by sliding the demand curve to the right, and observing the change in the location of the equilibrium point which, in turn, will show an increase in disutility. www.h3bmedia.com

The Thinker The change in the equilibrium point can be used to represent improvements in mobility, fuel consumption and emissions, depending on its direction of change. When the point of equilibrium moves downward, mobility has been improved. When the change in the equilibrium point is downward and the right (both disutility and demand are being reduced), energy and emissions benefits are being reduced.

An interesting example

It is important to thoroughly understand these concepts prior to their application. One potentially confusing example is the construction of a new toll road. It would be tempting to consider this facility a Class A action, since pricing has been listed within this category. However, the Class A pricing actions are oriented toward the pricing of existing facilities with the specific intent of decreasing demand. A new toll road represents an increase in supply which is a Class B action. The tolls imposed on this new facility are, in fact, a technique for regulating the demand on the road, but their net result is to ensure that the newly supplied capacity is operating at peak efficiency, rather than to achieve an overall reduction in regional VMT. Thus the new toll road must be considered a Class B action with the end result that disutility will be decreased (level of service improved), while demand will be increased. This conclusion is consistent with the expectations of

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regional transportation officials when a facility of this nature is being constructed. Criticism of new facilities is often based on the very possibility that the new facility will result in increased VMT. To counter this argument, a combination of actions must be taken that produce results such as those shown for Class D actions, which produce improved levels of service without increasing demand. This is accomplished through the use of complementary Class A measures such as transit improvements, increased cost of parking, encouraging telecommuting, etc. that will reduce total VMT without reductions in capacity. The combined impact of these actions can be analyzed as described earlier, using data available for individual projects that make up the combined package of actions being considered. This analysis framework will both enhance the agency’s understanding of the potential impacts of a proposed project, and will serve as an effective graphic for communicating with the public and elected officials, many of whom are more familiar with the economic analysis than with the details of transportation engineering.

The holistic view

Unfortunately, the ability of transportation agencies to take a holistic approach toward improving mobility is hampered by stovepiping of operations that occurs within the industry. Examples of the negative impacts of stovepiped operations are easy to find. For example, individual modes (highway, transit, and rail) are operated independently by agencies with little concern about the impact of their operations on each other. Nowhere is this problem more evident and potentially damaging than in our failure to integrate measures that impact transportation system supply and demand. State DOTs emphasize the use of supply-oriented measures such as freeway ramp metering, traffic signal control and rapid incident clearance. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. The overall effectiveness of a transportation system is determined by its individual components. For this reason, it is essential that the roadway and vehicle infrastructure be considered as a system rather than its individual parts. TH

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Innovation

Drive time show CHRIS ELLIOTT charts the origins and development of Norwich Union’s innovative ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance scheme Photos by Morten Solemsli www.mortensolemsli.com

To understand ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance it’s important to provide some context on how traditional motor insurance works. Calculating motor insurance premiums has been conducted in pretty much the same way for decades. Insurers ask a range of questions from which they infer the level of risk that a particular car and driver will bring. The list of questions has been getting longer and longer over the years as insurers seek to refine their understanding. However, the bottom line is that the actual risk for an individual is never totally understood as the insurer never has information such as how far the car is driven; the times of day the car is used; how much mileage is done on motorways, A-roads and minor roads; and the balance between urban and rural driving. In the absence of this complete picture the premium offered to each driver is compiled using historical data. For instance, on average younger drivers make more

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claims than older ones so a 20-year old driver’s insurance quote today will be heavily based on the average of all previous 20-year old drivers with that insurer. ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance changes this by relating part of the premium to how often, where and when the car is driven. Each month the customer receives a bill that reflects the journeys undertaken during the previous month. There’s also a fixed fee per month that relates to the non-variable risk e.g. for theft and to reflect the driver’s previous claims history. This all means that if a customer went on holiday and left their car behind it’s likely their premium would be lower than a normal month as they would have done less driving. The principle is very similar to other utility bills like gas, electricity or a water meter – if you use less you pay less.

How Does It Work?

The opportunity to develop this concept has arisen through advances in technology and the corresponding www.h3bmedia.com

Innovation

lower costs of hardware, data transmission and data storage. The starting point is for a GPS enabled device to be fitted behind the dashboard and an antenna which receives the GPS signals is fitted on the inside corner of the windscreen. The installation of the equipment is carried out by RAC Auto Windscreens which, like Norwich Union, is owned by Aviva. For each journey the precise location and direction of travel of the vehicle is recorded at one second intervals. All this journey information is stored on the device and then downloaded, usually overnight, over a GSM network and into the Norwich Union database. This process is fully automated and doesn’t need the customer to do anything. Once we have received the journey data it is translated into a monthly bill which is very similar to an itemised mobile phone bill. On top of the fixed monthly premium a variable amount is added based on the mileage driven and time of day of journeys in the previous month. For each journey the time and location of the car is shown at both the start and end point together with the distance travelled, the tariff that applied and finally the actual premium.

that we could make the end to end process work. At this stage these customers were rewarded with a discount off their standard insurance – they were not paying a variable tariff. We shared summary information with each volunteer to highlight the kind of information we were receiving such as all their journeys split according to the time of day, day of week and total mileage each day. This was important as it gave customers the chance to express how they felt once they had been shown this level of detail. It also helped us validate that we were receiving and processing the data accurately for each journey they made. Having proven we could make this work from a technology perspective the next step was to trial a true ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance product. We focused on young drivers up to 23 years and looked to attract a pilot group of 1,500 customers, a number which was quickly achieved. In general younger drivers have higher premiums than older drivers so we could see that our new approach could potentially benefit safe drivers in this age segment. As a first step we looked at our historical claims records and other sources that helped us identify the strong correlation between time of day and the number and severity of accidents for young drivers. These statistics, based on Norwich Union claims data in 2004, demonstrate the point: Accidents between 1am and 5am are 56 per cent more likely to have an injury cost; and there’s a higher cost per accident too even without injuries - claims between 9pm and 5am cost 118 per cent more.

“Accidents between 1am and 5am are 56 per cent more likely to have an injury cost”

Putting it into practice

So how did we put the theory into practice? The main aim was to see if a group of customers would go for ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance while still retaining the choice of traditional fixed price annual insurance for motorists who prefer that method. To do this we had to be confident that we could successfully deploy a new and different set of technology for an insurance company. We kicked off with a pilot in 2003 which was expanded and capped at 5,000 volunteers by the end of 2004. Our initial publicity around this also generated in excess of 10,000 other enquires from people keen to be kept in touch and to participate in future. It was a rare situation for an insurance company to have a waiting list for a new product! The 5,000 volunteers helped us out by having the equipment fitted to their car and allowing us to ensure www.h3bmedia.com

Knowledge is power

This knowledge enabled us to create the appropriate tariff - daytime driving was set at around 5p per mile and night time driving between 11pm to 6am was charged at £1 (€1.40) per mile. The key message around this product is that there is affordable insurance available for young drivers and average savings of 30 per cent can be made when compared to standard Norwich Union Direct Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Innovation

premiums, if they avoid the most dangerous times of day. The £1 per mile night time rate may well make the young driver think about alternative transport such as sharing a taxi home or catching the bus. The product also provides greater fairness so that drivers see that they are paying for their own use of the car rather than a rate based on the average of all young drivers. There are other benefits that ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance brings. The GPS functionality will enable us to locate broken down vehicles more accurately and hence quickly – with RAC as a sister company this is a natural benefit for us to explore. The same technology will also help us locate stolen vehicles and any additional recoveries will help mitigate premium increases.

also be used to compare the impact of schemes that have been completed such as road safety measures where we could look at journey data before and after new road layouts or signs have been implemented and evaluate what changes, if any, have occurred. This could help with the design of future schemes and ensure that budgets are allocated to schemes which are more likely to produce the desired outcomes. A further powerful use is to understand journey origins and destinations. With the majority of our customers being private car drivers (although we have fleets too that contain some commercial vehicles) we can analyse the journeys they take, route choices that are made and whether they are passing other transport modes along the way such as Park and Ride sites or stations. The traditional “stop and survey” method for collecting data from motorists can have its drawbacks as demonstrated by the 7 mile tailback that was created on the A127 in Essex in July this year. In all these applications we are careful to ensure that the anonymity of our customers is preserved so no customer or vehicle information is exchanged and the data is aggregated so that individual journeys are not identifiable.

“Drivers can see they are paying for their own use of the car”

Benefits seyond insurance

There are a number of benefits that the ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance program has delivered beyond the core aims already discussed. Many of these come from the significant data set we have which continues to grow day by day and is approaching 100m journey miles. The richness of the data, with information captured every one second, is the key to its wide range of applications. Local authorities are already using our data set to help analyse congestion and set the benchmark for future analyses and journey time targets. The data can

Next steps

We have seen that there is significant customer demand for ‘Pay As You Drive’™ insurance and we are in the process of developing further products that will be available to a broad range of motorists. Tariffs will vary for each customer group and will reflect the growing data set and understanding we are developing about the inter-relationship between driving patterns and claims frequencies. At a time when increasing costs are pushing up motor insurance premiums we believe that the innovative use of technology will be popular among motorists and fleet managers who want to influence the cost of their insurance. TH Chris Elliott is government relationships manager for Norwich Union and can be contacted via email at [email protected]

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Case in Point

A TERN for RICHARD HARRIS looks at the lasting legacy of the Euro-Regional Projects

The Euro-Regional Projects (ARTS, CENTRICO, CONNECT, CORVETTE, SERTI, STREETWISE and VIKING) have transformed the management and information services on the Trans European Road Network. Supported by the European Commission, DirectorateGeneral Energy and Transport and national and regional road authorities the projects have established the foundations for the future transport systems for Europe. In 1995, with traffic levels in Europe increasing and congestion predicted to rise, the European Commission initiated five Euro-Regional Projects. These projects, ARTS, CENTRICO, CORVETTE, VIKING and SERTI, were joined by STREETWISE in 2001. Enlargement of the EU brought CONNECT into the 2001-2006 TEMPO programme. Together the projects have focused on four strategic areas, monitoring infrastructure; the European network of traffic centres; traffic management and control; and traveller information services. They have developed into unique programmes, with key shared characteristics: • The projects cross national boundaries and are divided into geographical areas along transit corridors that have to deal with common problems; • They prioritise actual deployment of infrastructure and services – the ERPs are not research projects and they directly target congestion and safety problems; • Stakeholders such as public authorities, road operators and service providers are involved, thus guaranteeing that the budgets spent will have a strong impact on traffic conditions; • The projects’ mandatory co-funding mechanism ensures cost-effectiveness; • The focus is on cross-border coordination and synchronized deployment among regions; and • They take a long-term view of the large-scale problems which they address.

tors of Europe; working together facilitates the sharing of experience and the exchange of views about solutions to common problems. This brings long-term benefits to Europe and maximises the return on investment. Between 1995 and 2000, the European Commission contributed over €125m to the funding of road management projects, and allocated an additional €192m for the period from 2001 to 2006. This is in turn motivated the project partners to commit a total of €1,000m themselves. The ERPs have achieved significant results, improving transport for users of the TERN, many of which are now taken for granted. Notable milestones include: the deployment of seamless RDS-TMC and Internet information services; coordinated traffic management, especially during seasonal peaks or periods of severe weather; dedicated FM radio broadcasts;travel time prediction; and deployment of variable message signs. None of this would have been possible without extensive real-time data monitoring infrastructure and systems for data exchange between traffic management centres.

“The projects’ mandatory cofunding mechanism ensures costeffectiveness”

Strategic objectives

Intelligent transport systems have delivered tangible results in terms of road safety and sustainable development through improved management and real-time information systems. They make a strong contribution to the achievement of the EC’s (and member States’) strategic objectives for transport: optimisation of existing

Perfect partners

The projects have created a mechanism for discussion and the exchange of experience for all parties involved in the good management of road networks. The project partners are the road administrations and road opera-

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Case in Point

the better

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Case in Point

ITS helps us establish common levels of service across Europe and interface between urban and inter-urban networks, promote public transport

infrastructure capacity; optimisation of traveller and freight flows; improved road safety; and improved environmental compatibility.

A better understanding

The current programme has made significant progress in updating and improving our understanding, operation and management of the TERN. International, crossborder and boundary and cross-jurisdictional cooperation has been established and promoted. Data collection and traffic monitoring procedures are now widely deployed, generating more information for exchange and dissemination. This allows better management of the road network and provides more accurate and useful information to travellers. Safety and efficiency of the TERN has steadily improved in tandem with these initiatives. Indeed, the European White paper - European Transport Policy for 2010, makes a clear link between ITS and safety declaring that “Only 6 per cent of road accidents appear to be unavoidable and beyond the reach of improved technology”. The European Commission and the Member States have made significant investment in ITS. This is because simply building new roads is no longer the answer to the complex transportation issues and challenges that we face. Road traffic continues to increase, as does its importance to the economy, mobility and the environment.

promote public transport and encourage multimodality. ITS investment in Europe will help progress towards the white paper 2020 objectives and supports achievement of national transportation targets.

Building a better future

The projects have established the organisational and operational regimes needed to build even better transportation for Europe’s future. The legacy of the current projects will: • Facilitate improved tactical network management and control; • Provide improved journey time reliability during peak periods; • Utilise the network more efficiently during non-peak periods through improved journey planning; • Establish improved traveller information services and wider dissemination of information. These would provide: • Enhanced safety on the network; • More reliable journey times; • Reduced congestion and lower CO2 emissions; • Better informed travellers; • Seamless cross border travel; • European economic growth; • Links to private sector investment. Continued EC involvement, leadership and support are vital for the continuation of real deployment of panEuropean cross border and cross-jurisdictional traveller services. The Road Authorities involved are committed to continuing to work together to improve European travel. TH

“The projects have established the organisational regimes needed to build even better transportation for Europe’s future”

Support structure

To maximise the potential returns on the investment already made, continued support is essential. ITS helps us establish common levels of service across Europe and interface between urban and inter-urban networks,

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Richard Harris is project director for the Euro-Regional Projects www.h3bmedia.com

Intelligent Transport Systems - delivering the future today

For all enquiries please contact [email protected]

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Mapflow may have the right position for you. Solutions in the transport sector are not always obvious. At Mapflow, we specialise in knowing the path to the right answers, providing transport agencies with the technology and expertise required to plan and implement road pricing solutions. To deliver new projects for leading European agencies, we are adding experienced Transport Consultants with both technical and management expertise to the Mapflow team. Want to help shape how Europe gets from here to there for decades to come? At Mapflow, you can. To apply, e-mail your CV to [email protected] or visit us at www.mapflow.com/careers

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38 Text: ODDVAR SOLEMSLI & KEVIN BORRAS Design: KLIPP OG LIM

A DESIGN FOR LIFE

IT WASN’T ALL THAT LONG AGO THAT BRINGING PHRASES LIKE “URBAN DESIGN”, “ENVIRONMENTALLY SYMPATHETIC,” “AESTHETICALLY PLEASING” AND “URBAN MOBILITY” INTO A CONVERSATION WITH A TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN, IF YOU WERE LUCKY, A RAISED EYEBROW OR TWO. AS FOR INCLUDING AN ARTICLE ON THOSE VERY SUBJECTS AS THE CENTREPIECE FOR A TRANSPORT-RELATED MAGAZINE … Now, though, the very mention of urban design issues in the transportation arena is likely to garner a far more positive reaction. Many system integrators and authorities are giving an increasing amount of credence to what the piece of equipment they are installing in their city centres actually looks like and what kind of ergonomic and visual effect it will have on not only the city, but its inhabitants and users.

For example, anyone who has ever walked along Tooley Street in South East London cannot fail to have noticed the exceptionally ugly gantry over the westbound carriageway, not far from the London Dungeons. The best part of 20 cameras of varying designs, pointing in every conceivable direction (admittedly so the cameras can cover both carriageways, which considering the gantry was only allowed to be built over one lane was never

A Thinking Highways special feature Produced in conjunction with Q-Free ASA

going to make it look pretty), all hanging like robotic fruit off a

particularly unfortunate tree. Ugly just doesn’t do it justice. It was only installed for a series of trials but even so, the word ‘carbuncle’ could have been invented for it. Just ask the company that installed it – they hate it too. “It’s a horrible thing to look at,” says Q-Free’s Marit Hammer. “Really horrible. Obviously it’s functional, and it was only installed to carry out trials, but there were no urban design considerations. Clearly.” Hammer is adamant that this sort of monstrosity is a thing of the past and that the ability to move freely around a beautiful city that isn’t desecrated by unappealing bits of metal that look for all the world like sculptures by a particularly vindictive artist, is

something that will be available for everyone. “Urban aesthetics is something that we are now very interested in. Our whole ethic is about not just producing products and solutions that work brilliantly, but they also have to look good. People have to look at these gantries all the time, and they also have to look at their on-board units while they are driving and they aren’t attractive either. This is all about to change.” And change it will. Technology and systems for communities on the move may sound like rather a grand idea but examine the logically grounded ethics behind it and it’s evident that at its heart is the desire to integrate technology into the environment it is designed to serve. It would take a harsh heart to argue with that.

40 A DESIGN FOR LIFE

“THE SEEMINGLY DEEP AND INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS OF CONGESTION CAN IN FACT BE LARGELY SOLVED BY A RELATIVELY SIMPLE AND EXTREMELY EFFICIENT TOOL - PRICING .” LIVING IN A QUEUE. In urban centres the world over, traffic congestion and excessive journey times are the most common problems for commuters and residents alike as they struggle to make their way around the city. Overburdened and overpriced public transport systems, coupled with limited parking facilities, make the term “urban mobility” frustratingly oxymoronic for those who struggle with even the shortest of urban journeys on a daily basis. While global business must deal with the consequences of commercial traffic being slowed to a crawl inside our cities, ordinary citizens waste their time queuing for buses that never arrive on time while their children breathe heavily polluted air into their lungs as they make their way to school. The physical effects felt by city inhabitants that are caused by traffic congestion include soaring stress levels and respiratory problems such as asthma. There are heavy social costs to be paid as well, as manifested by the modern phenomenon called ‘road rage’, when road traffic frustrations spill over into open violence.

PRICING AS A TOOL TO INCREASE URBAN MOBILITY. Many city authorities around the world are now debating the essential issues around improving urban mobility in recognition of the fact that if left unaddressed, chronic traffic congestion

threatens our quality of life, in economic and social terms. The seemingly deep and intractable problems of congestion can in fact be largely solved by a relatively simple and extremely efficient tool - pricing – and furthermore, the pricing tool can be deployed while ensuring that important social and environmental aspects are fully considered. Overseeing real improvements in urban mobility is all about managing scarce resources, such as space and breathable air, while considering the costs, user convenience and impact of infrastructural changes on a city’s landscape. Costs, in this context, must include a valuation of the external costs created by the ever-increasing consumption of scarce resources. Costs to be factored in should include the direct economic loss caused by traffic delays, the healthcare costs of respiratory diseases, and the loss of a city’s aesthetic appeal following major building works. The answer to the mobility challenge is to influence human behaviour by putting a price on convenience, so that those wishing to make use of a city’s infrastructure pay a fair price to do so. Simultaneously city governments must manage a community’s social differences and protect special needs’ groups like low-income families and the disabled, so that the system put in place is as fair as possible.

“AS EACH CITY HAS ITS OWN PERSONALITY, IT IS NOT ABOUT CREATING ONE DESIGN BUT RATHER ABOUT CREATING A TOOLKIT THAT ALLOWS CITY GOVERNMENTS TO ADJUST DESIGN VARIABLES TO THEIR CITIES’ INDIVIDUAL AESTHETICAL AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS.” INTEGRATION OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT. The world’s first system to integrate public and private transport through a single means of payment was launched during the February 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Athletes, organisers and visitors attending the Olympics equipped their vehicles with a well-designed on-board unit and an electronic smartcard to pay for access to special lanes on the tolled motorway approach to the city. The same smartcard was also used to pay for both parking and public transport systems and to gain access to Winter Olympic events. The project was a great success and traffic flow was excellent – in fact, this major global sporting event passed with no traffic queues at all! Now, consider if every city around the world issued its inhabitants with transport cards that could be used by each citizen independently or in a car’s on-board unit. Not only would global urban mobility be greatly improved, with all the positive outcomes this would deliver – economic, health, social – but cities would be able to increase revenues as both users and their cars could then be offered a tailored range of

services. It is possible, for example, to personalise these cards so that special needs’ groups are provided with reduced / free access, or so that commuters can accumulate “CO2 credits” by using public transport. The transport card can even be extended to services that are not connected to transport, such as discounts on theatre and cinema tickets. Each individual could even be rewarded with bonus points for the transport system for recycling household waste. The technology exists today - it is simply up to city governments around the world to begin implementation.

PROTECTING THE CITYSCAPE. As road user charging technology is introduced into cities it is imperative that aesthetic aspects are fully taken into account. Roadside gantries, designed to function on the road, will suddenly have to fit into a neighbourhood where people eat, sleep and work. Most probably, steel scaffolding, cables and square metal boxes are not what people want to have hanging outside their favourite restaurant as they sit to dine. Implementing infrastructure that is designed specifically for the cityscape is clearly a critical issue that city governments must address.

43 A DESIGN FOR LIFE

44 A DESIGN FOR LIFE

“IF WE ACT NOW TO SOLVE OUR URBAN MOBILITY CHALLENGES WE WILL BE ENSURING THAT OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF CITY LIFE, AND WHAT COULD BE A BETTER REASON THAN THAT?” To create a design adapted to the city requires a real understanding of the interaction between existing urban environments and the new elements that make up the urban road user charging system, so as to be able to correctly define the variables in terms of design values and strategies alongside technological considerations. As each city has its own personality, it is not about creating one design but rather about creating a toolkit that allows city governments to adjust design variables to their cities’ individual aesthetical and functional requirements. The ultimate goal is to enhance the look and feel of the charging system to ensure it becomes an urban feature that is as aesthetically pleasing as possible, while still being able to relate and interact with motorists, pedestrians and other urban systems, and capable of offering new additional performances and services. Urban environment variables include physical form, materials, colours and other elements. The design can be predominantly linear as opposed to rounded, thin as opposed to bold and the relationship between a city’s buildings and the new infrastructure need not be one of ‘conflict.’ Materials can be predominantly polished as opposed to granular, heterogeneous as opposed to homogenous and glossy as opposed to matt. Colours may vary in terms of their tint, brightness and saturation. Other elements that must be taken into consideration are qualities that enable a physical object to trigger a positive image in the mind of the observer, linked to urban features such as pedestrian streets, canals, nodes like junctions and major crossings and reference points like towers, monuments, landmark shopping centres etc. Finally, the dynamic nature of city life, and the

changes a city undergoes from night to day and climatically must be taken into account. These are only some of the things that must be studied, qualified and quantified in the analysis of an urban environment, prior to infrastructure being designed and built. After having completed an environmental analysis, city governments can then evaluate different design strategies, additional functionality and required levels of interaction between the road user charging system and its citizens. By using a set of basic designs and a design toolkit it is possible to involve the communities that will be affected by the new system in the design process to engender understanding and acceptance. In a large city it is also sensible to take into account the differences between various parts of the city, so that in situations when old parts contained within modern quarters surrounded by business parks and residential areas can all be studied individually.

FLOW, BEAUTY AND FREEDOM. City dwellers love our cities. They want to live in them, to experience the pulsating life that only a city on the move can provide. The freedom to do so depends very much on how we maintain that movement within our cities while facing up to the fact that traffic congestion, if left unchecked, will simply bring our cities to a heavily polluted, disastrous standstill sooner rather than later. If we act now to solve our urban mobility challenges we will be ensuring that our future generations continue to enjoy the pleasures of city life, and what could be a better reason than that? A design for life, indeed…

Road User Charging expertise from a very British company... ... no Bull! invented in Britain, developed in Britain... used Worldwide! Patented technology and expertise which has brought the world knocking on our door... SINCE 1996, Diamond Consulting Services (DCS), a British company, has been researching and developing a multi-lane tolling system capable of use in all tolling environments. Idris® is a patented technology based on advanced loops and computer software technology. It was originally designed for UK Shadow Tolling. It has since been developed into a world beating automatic vehicle classification system which enables accurate toll collection and enforcement. In 1998 DCS was awarded a UK Government Smart Grant to develop axle recognition within Idris.Then in 2003 received a Smart Award for technical and commercial achievement. DCS is now the proud recipient of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade. Through the development and implementation of Idris, DCS are acknowledged as experts in the US tolling market – the largest and most technologically advanced tolling market in the world.

Road User Charging is Open Road Tolling Idris leads the field in this most challenging of applications. With Road User Charging at the top of the agenda for many governments, including the UK, Idris is poised to make its mark. And with the endorsement of The Queen’s Award we will continue to fly the flag throughout the world. An Idris System provides: Accurate vehicle counts, lengths and separation; Distinguishes between towing and tailgating vehicles; Axle based automatic vehicle classification; Tag correlation and enforcement triggers. All from a single sensor technology – In-ground loops What other single sensor technology gives you all this and enforces it? Idris has the ability to pinpoint the location of front and rear license plates to initiate a Vehicle Enforcement System trigger.

The system is suitable for all Road User Charging environments such as: Open road tolling using on-board tags, electronic toll collection in single lanes, manual toll lanes or any combination of these. Idris can be used for pre or post class applications and supports reversible lanes.The system is low maintenance with a high mean time between failure. Idris® Technology Partners include: ACS State & Local Solutions. Conservación y Sistemas. Grupo FCC. Electro Automation Ltd. Electronic Transaction Consultants Corp. Information Methods Inc. OSI Laserscan. Quixote Traffic Corp. Traffic Technologies Inc. The above companies all have trained Idris engineers who are capable of implementation, integration and support of the Idris Technology.

What other single sensor technology functions with the same accuracy Visit Idris at the regardless of environment? Idris is not affected by weather ITS World Congress in London conditions and is accurate in all Stand G38 traffic from congestion to free flow.

The Idris Technology is protected by one or more of the following patents: EP0879457, USA 6345228 and 6337640 Patent Applications Pending in other Countries. Idris® is a registered trademark of Diamond Consulting Services Ltd.

Diamond Consulting Services Ltd, Chestnut Farm, Dinton, Aylesbury, Bucks. HP17 8UG Tel: +44 (0)1296 747667 Fax: +44 (0)1296 747557 Email: [email protected]

www.idris-technology.com

Idris Community Something to talk about Announcing the launch of a new concept in Idris support: www.idris-community.net Idris Community. A website which has been designed

What does Idris Community offer?

to provide support and information to existing or potential Idris users. The aim of the site is to provide an interactive community for the exchange of ideas and information relating to all aspects of Idris Technology. This site will enable more effective support for our technology partners, customers and users worldwide. Idris Community is all about Idris technology and its applications. The main website will continue to focus on the commercial aspects of Idris.

Current features include: • • • •

Latest news and announcements Community discussion forums Advice and technical support File download area

How can I become part of the Idris Community? Idris Community is open to anyone with a genuine interest in Idris Technology.

Register now at: www.idris-community.net The Idris Technology is protected by one or more of the following patents: EP0879457, USA 6345228 and 6337640 Patent Applications Pending in other Countries. Idris® is a registered trademark of Diamond Consulting Services Ltd.

Diamond Consulting Services Ltd, Chestnut Farm, Dinton, Aylesbury, Bucks HP17 8UG, UK Tel: +44 (0)1296 747667 Fax: +44 (0)1296 747557 Email: [email protected] Marketing/commercial: www.idris-technology.com Technical support: www.idris-community.net

www.idris-technology.com

Norway

Due Norsk Many of the challenges facing the Norwegian transport sector today are similar to those facing its international counterparts, writes ED HIRST

The number of vehicles on the road is increasing each year. Greater demands are being placed upon the transport network; society requires a higher level of safety when travelling, and the transport industry is under increasing pressure to contribute to improving the environment. Norway also has transport concerns which are not so common place but which are equally important to both the national economy and society as a whole. For example, the share of total transport volume by sea in Norway is greater than most European countries. In addition, the geography of Norway, its climate, the long distances between markets and the unique topography mean that an efficient and competitive transport sector is essential for the country’s economy. Norwegian business spends more on transport than its international counterpart so it is continuously looking at all available means of transport development and technology to become more competitive. Consequently Norway was quick to embrace the developments in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry for the benefit of its transport sector and has been a pioneering country in the development and application of ITS.

A positive impact

Norway, especially with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) and related R&D institutions, has always appreciated the positive contribution that ITS can provide in the improvement of the transport sector and has been actively involved in its early development. This has included involvement in R&D road and maritime projects such as the European Commission’s framework programmes and European and international ITS standardisation activities. This involvement was made partly possible due to expertise acquired from real life ITS operations, most notably the country’s Electronic Fee Collection (EFC) scheme which made Norway a pioneering actor in the EFC industry. Since the establishment of its first EFC installation in

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1987 Norway now has one of the most successful national road tolling schemes in the world. The expertise and experiences acquired from this has helped develop Norway’s ITS competences, which have been successfully employed at home and in international markets. Other ITS applications in which Norway has valuable experience include bus priority schemes in Trondheim and Oslo, automatic speed enforcement operational since the 1980s, pioneering work with digital road maps and databases, digital maps of the Norwegian coast and vessel traffic services. Norway now enjoys a healthy depth of ITS knowledge at the technical, political, operational and commercial level. There are national research institutes with teams dedicated to the further development of ITS and many companies exist who supply state of the art solutions.

ITS Norway

With this healthy crop of ITS skills and know-how in the country Norway established in 2004 its own organisation for intelligent transport systems, ITS Norway, which enjoys today a membership of over 60 member compawww.h3bmedia.com

Norway ties to secure multimodality and the on-going work in these administrations to establish their own ITS strategies. The continuing recognition of the importance of ITS is reflected in the current National Transport Plan 2006-2015 (NTP). The NTP provides and overall strategy for the Norwegian transport sector. It recognises that different modes of transport have different qualities and advantages, and stresses the need to take a multi-modal approach to developing the national transport sector. This multimodal policy has been adopted in order to stimulate a shift in transport modes towards public transport, rail and sea. The NTP has five main goals, namely: 1. Fewer fatalities and severe injuries on the roads and improved safety and security on other modes of transport; 2. More environmentally friendly urban transport with greater use of public transport; 3. Accessibility for all and a transport service supply to safeguard an active mobile population; 4. Improved traffic flow in and between regions, and; 5. More efficient transport.

As things develop nies from all parts of the public and private transport sector. ITS Norway is a driving force behind the promotion of ITS in Norway. The Ministry for Transport and Communication supported and co-financed the establishment of the organisation as a multi-modal network of interested parties. The Ministry has continued to support and contribute to the operation of ITS Norway through paid coordination work from the organisation. It will be the main contributor to a new national R&D programme from 2007 with the preliminary title of “Commercial Transport and ITS”. ITS Norway has an overall mission to develop ITS through education, promoting R&D projects, encouraging interoperability, providing a professional national and international network, and supporting the potential in Norway for a modal shift and multi-modality in the transport sector. At the political level one part of its mission is to promote ITS as today’s most efficient tool to reach transport policy goals in accordance with the National Transport Plan.

ITS is identified as one of the few focus areas in the work to develop the NTP. Norway sees the development of in-vehicle technologies as instrumental in improving safety on the roads. This belief has been underlined by Norway signing the e-Safety Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission. ITS can support the development of public transport as a viable alternative to private car use through the provision of good quality information and electronic ticketing. Positioning technologies are also being embraced with the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) along the coast which is improving the monitoring of ship traffic.

“ITS is identified as one of the focus areas in the development the national plan”

The National Transport Plan

The Norwegian Government and its transport agencies have long recognised the importance and value of ITS as a successful tool in the development of an effective use of the national transport network. It has embraced the advantages that the technologies bring to improving the capacity of the network, reducing costs and improving safety. The Government first developed a clear ITS Strategy at the ministry level in 2000. Then a co-operation plan was developed between the various transport authoriwww.h3bmedia.com

Project overview

Norway has made advances in a number of key ITS areas which are described in the projects below: • ARKTRANS is an ICT architecture for the transport sector. It is the result of the first (and only) comprehensive research initiative devoted to an in depth and in total examination of all transport modes (road, rail, air and sea), roles and functions. The results are multilevel multimodal models describing the coordination of processes and the exchange of information within and between the different transport modes. ARKTRANS is the basis for work on new and improved multimodal travel information services and universal design of such services to support all user groups. In addition to multimodal solutions, ARKTRANS is also used within each single transport mode. Building on the ARKTRANS architecture is the MultiRIT project which aims to develop new and improved multimodal travel information services. • AutoPASS – the national EFC scheme remains one of Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Norway Norway’s main ITS success stories to date. Since its early beginnings it has developed into both a national and international success. Currently there are 1.25m AutoPASS OBUs in use with 25 different installations across the country. In 2004 the national, interoperable AutoPASS scheme became operational and with over 5 per cent penetration of OBU users it is a world leader. Latest developments include the development of an AutoPASS smart card for roads and ferries, payment on ferries using OBUs, parking payment using AutoPASS, and the introduction of one Central System to support the 25 EFC installations around the country. Norway is keen to offer anonymous contracts for its users, which is also currently being developed. On the international scene, Norway is working closely with its Scandinavian counterparts in the NorITS project to enable live interoperable road tolling for users between the various countries. Go live date is planned for February 2007. • DYNAMIT – it is commonly recognised now that road operators’ role is not just to administer the physical assets of the transport network but is also to provide a good service to their users/customers. One way in which the service can be improved is to provide users with up-to-date, clear and precise information on the state of the traffic on the network. This will enable users to plan journeys more efficiently and make them better informed. Project DYNAMIT (DYNAMic Information services for the Transport sector) is developing such a traffic information service in Norway. The project provides users with the necessary information of the state of the traffic for their journey thus allowing them to take the right decision and enable effective use of the network. A pilot scheme has been developed for a stretch of the E18 between Oslo and Larvik. Travel time is collected anonymously using AutoPASS OBUs and readers placed

in both directions of the road. Information is collected on delays and travel times, expected changes in delays and travels times in the near future, and other issues that could effect travel, e.g. weather, incidents, driving conditions. Real-time information is therefore collected, processed and made available to users. Information channels employed include the internet, SMS, radio and variable message signs. Valuable lessons have been learnt from this and similar projects. • National Roads Data Base (NRDB) – this project was developed by the NPRA and Norway’s National Mapping Authority to provide road and traffic data that can be accessed via different applications. Information provided in the database contains basic road data including fixed elements, such as traffic lights, signs tunnels etc, and traffic related conditions – e.g. pollution, traffic volumes and accidents. Photographs of every 20 miles of road owned by NPRA are stored and it also has access to aerial photographs and a registry of properties, addresses and buildings. Some information comes from other sources but the user does not notice where the NRDB gets the information from. The information is kept up-to-date and stored permanently. Users can access it anywhere in the world. Currently the system applies to the Norwegian roads but it is planned to become multi-modal by 2007.

“Valuable lessons have been learnt from this and similar projects”

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The future

ITS Norway looks forward to pushing the boundaries of ITS and introducing new and exciting applications for the benefit of the Norwegian transport sector. The organisation, its members and the national government will continue to share lessons learnt from its work and co-operate with its international colleagues to ensure that ITS contributes to a more efficient, safer, environmentally-friendly and accessible transport network for all. TH

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South Africa

Rainbow rising DARRYLL THOMAS on how South Africa’s ITS industry is using the 2010 World Cup to redefine its national transport goals

bright future ahe no delays

Main photo: New VMS signs have been installed on the Ben Schoeman Highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Left, FIFA President Sepp Blatter reveals South Africa as the hosts for the 2010 World Cup

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ead

South Africa It was late evening on 15 May 2004 but South Africa wasgreen glued Yellow card, lightto its TVs to watch the announcement from Zurich that it had been chosen to host the 2010 football South Africa’s ITS plans set to kick off World Cup, making it the first African nation to do so. country swelled with2004 a pride it had not ItThe wasentire late evening on 15 May butthat South Africa felt glued since 1995 when Nelson Mandela and the was to the TV President to watch the announcement from Springbok rugby captain, Francois Pienaar, heldAfrithe Zurich that the country had been chosen as the first Rugby World Cup aloft at Ellis Park stadium. Who can nation to host the 2010 football World Cup. Thewould entire have thought this emotionally charged evening country swelledthat with a pride that it had not felt since two years wouldNelson be the Mandela long-awaited catalyst for 1995 when ago President and the SpringSouth Africa’s struggling ITS industry. bok rugby captain, Francois Pienaar, held the Rugby While South certainly a shining star inhave the World Cup aloftAfrica at EllisisPark stadium. Who would galaxy that of 3rd world states, incharged terms of evening sportingtwo andyears road thought this emotionally infrastructure, it has a public transport system is ago would be the long-awaited catalyst for Souththat Afrifragmented, (inasks terms of both route coverca’s strugglinginadequate ITS industry, Darryll Thomas age and frequency), unsafe, unreliable and unhygienic. Lack of investment, especially in fleet renewal, maintenance upgrading of signaling systems Whileand South Africa is certainly a shining starofinthe thecomgalmuter railworld service has in also contributed to accidents axy of 3rd states, terms of sporting and road and to the late arrivals or no shows of trains. Currently, there is no efficient rail network connecting Pretoria, Midrand and Johannesburg, where most of the football matches will be played and the Gautrain (named after the Gauteng Province in which it will run) is a part of ambitious plans to upgrade public transport ahead of the event. This flagship project will carry football fans at speeds of between 165 km and 180 km and showcase ITS elements such as integrated ticketing and public transport information/scheduling systems. Construction of the 80 km (50 mile, including 10 miles of tunnel) line is underway and is expected to be complete in 2010, leaving little room for delays before the tournament begins later that year.

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2010 is expected to be the most profitable World Cup ever with an estimated budget of US$4bn [R26.5bn] but success of the this event (beamed live to 40 billion viewers in 207 countries, with 350,000 visitors spending an estimated US$1.5bn [R9.8bn], contributing US$3.2bn [R21.3bn] to the GDP and generating 129,000 jobs) ultimately hinges on an effective and safe public transport system. FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations, world football’s governing body) has granted an overall amount of US$2bn [R12.7bn] and initially US$0.6bn [R3.8bn] of this has been allocated for improvement of the public transport system Another US$5.2bn [R34.6bn] (over and above FIFA’s US$2bn contribution) is earmarked for infrastructure over the next three years, which includes an amount of just over US$1.6bn [R10bn] for the Gautrain and the 2010 World Cup stadiums.

ITS in SA

ITS planted its South African roots in July 1999 with an interest group that was to lead the industry through political acceptance in March 2000. The official launch at an International ITS Awareness Symposium and Exhibition took place in June 2000 and then SASITS (South African Society for ITS) was established as a Section 21 Company in March 2001. In a new world economy where technology is not regarded as a priority, particularly when competing for funding with national social ‘upliftment’ projects such as housing and public health, ITS implementation has largely been confined to ad-hoc pilot projects on a shoestring budget. But that is all set to change with the 2010 World Cup announcement. The ITS toolbox has all the elements needed to repair

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Caption

South Africa

This traffic control centre in Midrand is the nerve centre of SANRAL’s Ben Schoeman Highway project

South Africa’s ailing transportation system by 2010, particularly: • Urban Traffic Control & Freeway Management Systems (CCTV/Incident Detection/VMS/high-speed communication) for quick response to traffic incidents and faults. • Integrated Ticketing/Smart Cards for an effective public transport fare payment mechanism. • Data Management/Call Centre/Information Systems to inform motorists and public transport passengers. • Parking Management Systems for control of parking around stadiums. Although some of these systems are already in place in one form or another, with new electronic signs dotting the landscape outside Johannesburg, the 2010 World Cup will now force the integration of existing systems and spotlight the implementation of new ITS technology.

contract is awarded in accordance with Black Empowerment Enterprise (BEE) regulations and tender submissions are evaluated in terms of scoring points for price, quality and preference: • Giving preference to Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (blacks, women and disabled), Priority Population Group (PPG: blacks) and Black Business Enterprises (BBE: at least 26 per cent black-owned) • Applying a BEE scorecard which sets a minimum percentage for various equity categories, social investment, and Contract Participation Goal (CPG: value of work to be done by BBE contractors) to apportion a weighting for the tender evaluation process. It is a further requirement that: • Engineering Contractors must be registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) in order to set a certain industry standard, to promote contractor development and apply appropriate procurement strategies. • There is compliance with Supply Chain Management Policies for all levels of National, Provincial and Local Government, in terms of both the Public and the Municipal Finance Management Acts • Labour-intensive construction methods must be used to provide work for the local unemployed community. In principle these requirements are integral to the country’s transformation, however, it is patently clear that technology contracts are not a black empowerment opportunity because: • Of the specialised nature of the expertise involved in ITS projects;

“In 1994 came a concerted drive to right the wrongs of the past decades”

Affirmative action

With the first democratically elected government in 1994 came a concerted drive to right the wrongs of the past decades under Apartheid rule – a government policy that discriminated against the black, Asian and coloured population. One of these affirmative action measures dictates how business will be done in the new South Africa, particularly aligning the demographics of the workplace, commerce, industry and sport with that of the country’s population. In order to give Black Empowerment companies (aka Targeted Enterprises) an advantage, particularly in a very active and competitive construction industry, every

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South Africa • Real-time transportation systems are generally very complex, strategic projects. • Generally black empowerment is looking to give preference to the “previously disadvantaged”, ie. members of the black population group who would benefit more from low-tech, labour-intensive work. There are a number of successful black businesses that are involved in construction work (roads, water & electricity reticulation, housing etc.) but none in manufacture and integration of ITS equipment. In fact there are not that many SA companies involved in ITS equipment manufacture at all, which means that the main contractor for ITS projects is often an international company and if it is required to have a black partner or agent it clearly just adds to the overheads. The tenderers have to provide multifarious company details on top of the all important contract pricing and the transport authority has to verify all the information provided as well as evaluate the tender in terms of the technical specification and price. Tenderers are left trying to scrape together the necessary qualification points. Contractor registration with the CIDB is a procedural nightmare and very slow but to complicate matters further, the Supply Chain Management policies are not clearly understood by the transport authorities, which leads to lengthy delays in the tender adjudication process. Potential overseas investors in the South African ITS manufacturing industry are likewise scared off by the onerous handicap conditions which are applied in favour of the locals, so the injection of international technology expertise with its associated training and skilled employment opportunities is lost. Unfortunately the process doesn’t recognise preference for local manufacture either so there is no incentive for technology transfer. At a conservative estimate, addressing the affirmative action issues can add as much as six months to the tendering process.

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Kick-off

South Africa is a proud nation, passionate about football, and with the grit and determination to overcome all adversity, so a 2010 failure is not an option. However, failure to deal with the procurement logjam and to fast track this process for ITS contracts in particular will certainly stretch the country’s fragile engineering resources to the extreme. When the 2010 World Cup kicks off the necessary infrastructure will be in place, integrated with an array of Intelligent Transport Systems which will leave behind a legacy of transportation technology deployment, including an effective public transport system. However, the new stadiums, electronic signs, shiny busses and trains will grow old and need replacing in time but the legacy of understanding and appreciation for technology will add lasting value, to the extent that ITS is forever accepted as a way of life for South African motorists and commuters. TH Darryll Thomas is the out-going president of SASITS, the South African Society for Intelligent Transport Systems www.h3bmedia.com

869:)03 1ERYJEGXYVIVW Truvelo is a SANAS-accredited calibration laboratory Truvelo provides you with detailed on-line information and regular updates on our products at www.truvelo.co.za

Truvelo Head Office South Africa Tel.+27(11)314 1405-8 Fax.+27(11)314 1409 [email protected]

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Spain According to Madrid City Council, “Madrid Calle 30 (M-30) is one of the main urban transformation projects of Madrid City Government, which implies the remodelling of the road network and the territory through which the old M-30 flows.” According to the local Government, “this is an action that places the citizen at the very centre, as the main character of Madrid and therefore, it is created to extract a series of values that, beyond the meaning of the infrastructure, seek to modernise and improve the concept of a city as a space offering possibilities of relationship and enjoyment.” Developing this public claim while at the same time keeping ourselves within the constraints of the strategic level, the organisation responsible for the execution of the project must direct it towards the achievement of such wide objectives. On the one hand, the construction project uses the most advanced means available and pursues the best quality objectives. On the other hand, it is equally necessary to have an exploitation project which shares those noble strategic goals, which in the M-30 construction project are oriented only to quality and technical-economical efficiency. These goals can be summarised as follows: • Ensure and optimize citizens’ mobility as their right and as a factor of economic development, ensuring access to leisure, education, work and multiple fundamental rights that otherwise could not be exercised. • Achieve high levelsof transport safety, avoiding risks during journeys. • Guarantee a high quality in public services, based on the user’s positive perception that can be measured by indicators. • Incorporate sustainability as strategy component, which means paying special attention to environmental management. • Extend infrastructure life by means of a proper maintenance. • Achieve the previously mentioned objectives in an efficient way, with reasonable investment and exploitation costs. Operation is a decisive tool in the achievement of the Administration’s goals, using the most advanced procedures and the widespread use of new technologies as relevant tools for the management of already existing infrastructures, as well as for the onerous task of striving for customer satisfaction.

The Exploitation Handbook

“It is equally necessary to have an exploitation project which shares those noble strategic goals”

As stated by Calle 30, the Operation & Maintenance Handbook (O&M Handbook) is the document comprehending the strategy to follow in order to achieve the mentioned objectives. Each of the component activities and functions of the operation & maintenance is projected independently way in different plans. The component plans are integrated in the common project of the Operation & Maintenance Handbook. The edition of

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Avenida de Portugal undergoes its exteme makeover

the plans in independent documents facilitates the writing work and the agreement of external agents (traffic authorities and public protection, infrastructure operator, etc.) involved in each area of exploitation, such as safety, traffic management, etc. • Operation General Framework. This is the frame document which includes the general strategy, operation objectives definition, resources and main functions, comprehending all component plans. This includes a description of the scenario on physical, socio-economic fields, among other, as well as requirable rules and, in the Book of Competences, the role and function of involved agents. • Traffic Management Plan compiles strategies, www.h3bmedia.com

Spain

Open heart surgery MIGUEL LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ of Tekia Consultores’Transport Operation takes a look at the contents of the operation and maintenance handbook of Madrid’s new motorway, the M-30, where policy, implementation and integration are happy bedfellows of technology

resources and procedures for traffic management. • Surveillance Plan. This document sets out surveillance activities carried out at traffic control centres. • The Internal Emergency Plan establishes the organisational framework in which safety activities are performed, as well as emergency response procedures. • Maintenance Plan. This includes maintenance activities of the infrastructures, tunnel facilities and control centres. • The Commissioning and Monitoring Plan is oriented towards operation and maintenance quality, monitors the correct deployment of the Operation & Maintenance Handbook, defining the subsequent operation monitoring. It establishes the strategies and procedures methodology for continuous improvement, as well as human and material resources and of all exploitation components. www.h3bmedia.com

Although the Royal Decree 635/2006 directs the Handbook mainly towards safety, the exploitation project must not forget other relevant functions, such as traffic management or customer assistance. It is important to highlight the fact that the incident management in the new M-30 tunnels cannot be performed solely with safety mind as those incidents, and the actions of those responding to them, could bring about ‘undesirable’ situations from a traffic fluency point of view. In the case of long urban tunnels with a high traffic flow, operational procedures usually include recurrent tunnel closure strategies in cases of seriousness incidents. In this way, unlikely but potentially severe accidents could be prevented. However, such actions would have a big impact on the traffic flow. Consequently, emergency and traffic management Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Spain A boring machine used to excavate the new M-30s tunnels

must be designed properly and co-ordinately with the exploitation project, trying to reach a compromise between both effects.

Traffic Management Plan

The Traffic Management function of the M-30 is the responsibility of the Madrid City Hall Mobility Office, from the moment it was transferred from the Traffic Area of the Home Office. With the construction of the M-30’s tunnels, traffic management will be performed by integrating the tunnel operation and management with the rest of the “urban mesh”. In order to do that, the Mobility Office counts on the usual collaboration of the City Police and Mobility Agents, besides Madrid Calle 30 resources, among them the operation and maintenance contractors, EMESA. All of them will act in a coordinated way according to the objectives and procedures established in the Traffic Management Plan. The Traffic Management Plan, as with all component plans of the Operation & Maintenance Handbook, defines the strategies (general objectives, component activities, organization, human and material resources) and procedures, in this case for the traffic management. We can understand the plan with a look at the objectives: • Favour the road traffic, minimizing journey times. • Avoid the formation of delays within tunnels. • Integrate Calle-30 tunnels in the urban mesh.

• Optimise the network capacity use. For example, using information systems (variable signs signs, radio bulletins, etc) to spread the demand when a road is overloaded and there are alternative routes with available capacity. • Minimise the effects on traffic of the signalling measures for incident management inside tunnels. For that, it is necessary that traffic diversion recommendations are accompanied by the appropriate changes in urban traffic control strategies. • Offer users comprehensive information about urban traffic and incidents. • Support incident management. • Contribute to safety improvement, adopting risk prevention measures, such as signalling speed variations inside tunnels. • Coordinate necessary traffic conditions for maintenance works execution.

“Traffic management will be performed by integrating the tunnel operation and management with the rest of the urban mesh”

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Event horizon

Traffic management must be performed in four normal situations or in other determined situations (events) during which traffic is disrupted. 1) Fluid traffic with no incidents or other capacity losses. 2) Planned situations of capacity loss. These events (maintenance, demonstrations, and other unplanned events) need to be treated more simply. Planning them at night is often enough. 3) Situations of capacity loss generated by an acciwww.h3bmedia.com

Spain new infrastructure exploitation. The deployment of traffic management protocols is performed on a traffic management aid system. This system works as a real time strategy server. It facilitates the Control Centre operators information on traffic conditions (acquisition processes, information treatment and presentation), selecting the appropriate response to the identified event once the severity has been analysed. After the analysis and response selection, it guides them throughout the execution of the foreseen protocols.

Internal emergency plan

Map of Madrid with the M-30 highlighted

dent. These events are random, without previous notice and are difficult to respond to. Events need to be catalogued and responses must be designed in advance. If the incident shows an obvious risk situation, the corrective action should be performed as a priority, even if it causes disruptions or severe traffic situations. Surveillance must be maintained in order to take the corrective action as soon as possible. 4) Delays due to imbalance of supply and demand. These events are difficult to manage if delays are to be avoided, and given that capacity is insufficient. However, given their recurrent nature, they can be planned in advance.

Strategic optimization

“Emergency protocols are the fundamentals on which the Control Centres’ emergency management systems should be programmed”

Traffic behaviour within an urban mesh is a highly complex process. Therefore, fully designed traffic management strategies must be contrasted by simulation. The Traffic Management Plan uses TSS’s AIMSUN, the Spanish-born transport microsimulation system. Thus, a rehearsal is performed on a virtual environment, which allows the optimization of these strategies and avoids the rehearsal of strategies which deployment could be risky and with no guarantee of satisfactory results. However, it is impossible to guarantee that traffic management strategies initially defined for different situations would be the most efficient among the possible ones. Consequently, despite being proven by simulation, they must be refined during the first months of the www.h3bmedia.com

The attention and response to incident strategy in the M-30 tunnels and the rest of the road network is structured in two levels: • Local: the exploitation resources, employed in the solution of more common incidents and those of lower entity, as well as a first intervention in those of more severity, and • higher: equipped with external resources and activated when the accident dimension surpasses the exploitation resources capacity. The Internal Emergency Plan (PEI) complies with the requirements of the aforementioned Royal Decree on road tunnels safety, as well as the Civil Protection regulations, and must pass the homologation procedure by the competent Authorities. Risks affecting the use of the road infrastructure included in the contract are identified and classified, establishing a set of measures that will respond to the incidents that may arise during the exploitation of this stretch of road. At the same time it facilitates the intervention of external emergency services in order to minimize possible damages and properly restore the service. The PEI defines, for each typified situation, the procedures covering all emergency management processes. Each phase of the process must be executed according to the specific protocols. • Emergency detection and evaluation protocols. • Response protocols. • System operation protocols. • Emergencies communication protocols. • Emergency record protocols. Emergency protocols are the fundamentals on which the Control Centres’ emergency management systems should be programmed. This system, complementary to the real time control systems, serves as an assistant for the control operators’ decision-making, guiding them through the response activities in an emergency, according to the protocols established in the Emergency Plan. The operation assistance systems (incidents/emergency management, etc.) allow the implementation of the previous operation engineering that, in some cases such as the M-30 tunnels, reach a level of complexity that, otherwise, could not be achieved. TH Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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All systems grow DARREN BANCE reports from Dubai as its seemingly endless expansion presents a unique series of transport challenges that have to be met

tegrated Solutions for the Transport Sec king to design, implement and integrate secure Intelligent Transport Solu Group offers a consultancy service for technology driven security and transport sys ng independent experts from the UK corporate sector we offer consultancy for t ojects, from inception, business case to design and project management. Our are ultancy include: CCTV systems Intelligent software & motion detection Road user pricing schemes Enforcement systems ANPR and AVL systems Tolling networks Journey time management

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lysis & Assessment

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Systems Design & Inte

Dubai Imagine a blinding hot sun and you’re surrounded by high rise towers: the location, an ambitious mixed-use urban development featuring luxury residences, iconic hotels and office blocks, vast shopping malls, an indoor ski resort in a desert city and a palm shaped islands rising out of the sea. It is of course Dubai, a city within the UAE with vision, leadership, plenty of investment and an engineering philosophy that nothing is impossible. But even this monument to mans impatience has not escaped the inevitable growing problems. Infrastructure development in the UAE has been, at all levels, phenomenal in view of the relatively brief period since the country’s investment boom. Modern cities have risen like phoenixes from the barren desert, connected by a vast network of newly built roads and linked to the outside world by modern airports and ports. Houses, schools, hospitals, shopping centres, utilities, luxury hotels and recreational facilities have all been provided for the people in a remarkably short time.

Growing pains

Faced with the fastest growing populations anywhere in the world, the UAE has experienced some major issues with the sheer speed of growth in road users and the knock on effects that this has had on the transport network. Traffic congestion has come about mainly due to the impossibility of predicting the unprecedented continuing population boom, the relative ease of gaining credit facilities at favorable rates for obtaining tax free cars and low priced fuel and the convoluted road networks that are constantly being changed, improved or reconstructed. Furthermore, Dubai has gained a poor road safety record with a minor road accident occurring at least every three minutes. Due to the frequency of such incidents, the road networks are faced with lengthy traffic jams and irate drivers as under Dubai law none of those involved in a traffic incident are permitted to leave the scene until the traffic police have attended to apportion blame.

world’s first integrated logistics and multi-modal transport platform, at its core, Jebel Ali Airport City’s considerable traffic requirements must be streamlined with Dubai’s overall future transportation needs. These projects together with other future sizable infrastructure developments planned such as ‘Dubailand’, (which, when complete will be more than twice the size of Disney World at a cost of US$13.5bn), and Dubai Waterfront, (to house the first building in the world over 1km high), will need a sustained and integrated approach to increasing the level of road infrastructure together with innovative and intelligent transport solutions.

Solving the problems

Investment in public transport is a major component of Dubai’s plans for the future. Dubai Municipality has been instrumental in the transformation of Dubai emirate into a modern, efficient commercial and tourist center. In view of the expected increase in Dubai’s population by the year 2011 to more than double the present number and the consequent increase in the number of vehicles, Dubai Municipality has prepared a comprehensive traffic flow master plan. Key aspects of the plan are the construction of new roads between Dubai and Sharjah, construction of a ring-road around Dubai, re-planning of traffic circulation, especially the flow of traffic crossing the Creek and construction of parking lots, and efficient connectivity to the sizable infrastructure developments. Building additional road space is of course not the only way to ease the traffic problems and enable more fluency on the city’s road infrastructure. Dubai has initiated a number of projects to improve the problems being encountered today. These Intelligent Transport Systems vary from car navigation systems which are so popular in Europe and America, to variable message signs to feasibility studies on road tolling.

“The Palm will house 140,000 on an island reached via a single bridge”

Crossing the Creek

The Dubai Municipality has recognized these problems and as such has identified the need to invest heavily in essential transport infrastructure. Dubai’s road network is under continuous expansion with over 20 major new projects under construction or recently completed, including a 1.5km tunnel under the airport and a new 12-lane bridge across Dubai Creek which links the east and west banks of the river that separates the city in two. As the city spreads out into sea the Complex Developments at Jumeirah and to the west to Jebel Ali this necessitate a reworking of traffic plans. When completed, Jebel Ali Airport City will host 900,000 people whilst The Palm, Jumeirah, will house 140,000 on an island reached via a single bridge. With Jebel Ali International Airport destined to handle 120m passengers per year, and Dubai Logistics City, the www.h3bmedia.com

Variable message signs

The city will enter an era of improved road management later this year with the introduction of electronic display signs updating traffic conditions and directing motorists away from congested routes. It is the first venture of its kind in the Middle East and it is seen as a much needed move towards smoother roads and betterinformed motorists. A major advantage of this implementation will be the subsequent reduction in delays for emergency vehicles on congested roads, a growing problem causing concern to the Municipality. The signs will update road conditions and list congested routes and suggested alternatives. They may also warn of lane closures or blocked intersections. It is hoped that the US$17.8m project will eventually reduce traffic accidents by 15 per cent in Dubai and slash travel time by 1.4m driving hours per year. The project comprises 17 electronic signs around Dubai, and about 300 monitor boards which will direct motorists to roads with less traffic. Illustration by Tom Waldschmidt Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Dubai

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The messages will be displayed in both Arabic and English and there will be no need to call the police if there is an accident because all roads will be wired with radar and speed-control devices, accessible to both the municipality and police. The central communication centre will have all the information to display traffic messages in time and also alert the police on time, giving minute details of the location so that they can respond in the shortest possible time. Electronic sensors and cameras will be installed to capture traffic volume data and transfer it instantly to the traffic control centre. Pictures of accidents will be transferred to an electronic map, which will help traffic controllers analyse information. Engineers will be able to find solutions to the problem in cooperation with the police and re-route traffic by sending instructions to the electronic boards. Traffic signals will also work in tandem with the electronic sign system.

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In February 2003, the Dubai Municipality Roads Authority initiated the implementation of Dynamic Integrated Navigation System (DINS). This project is a logical and functional extension of the existing Intelligent Traffic System of Dubai. The system uses the support of GPS to provide navigational data and Traffic Messaging Channel, which uses radio frequency to broadcast real time traffic update to drivers. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is offering the system, named ‘Dalili’ or ‘My Guide’, pointing out the roads to avoid if there are traffic jams ahead and the alternate streets to take. Each of Dubai’s streets and roads has been charted and sensors installed at various points in the city for the system to work in real time. As with the popular European equivalents, the system can be installed as standard on the dashboard, although if the car already has a built-in navigation system, all one needs to do is to download the software.

On-Board Units

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An ambitious and cutting edge enforcement initiative is the implementation of ‘smart boxes’ or on-board units (OBU’s) within vehicles. The UAE signed a US$125m contract earlier this year to provide the high-tech traffic monitoring and speed-enforcing system in which a GPS-enabled OBU would be installed in cars to provide a voice warning if the driver exceeds the local speed limit for wherever they may be driving. If the voice warning is ignored, the system will use a GSM/GPRS link to beam the car’s speed, identity and www.h3bmedia.com

location to the police so that a ticket could be issued, potentially generating millions in traffic fines for the Gulf state. The system will also be able to track and monitor any other driving violations, including reckless behavior. The first 10,000 units will be installed in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with 700,000 installed by 2009.

Road tolling

Another more contentious method of reducing congestion whilst raising revenue at the same time is the introduction of road tolls. The Dubai Road and Transport Authority is stated to be assessing the feasibility of installing a manual and electronic toll system in and around Dubai with specific focus on entry from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. As many as 350,000 vehicles travel to Dubai from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi every day, the majority of which pass along the Sheikh Zayed and Ittihad Roads. Although clearly still in the conceptual stage, it has been mentioned that the authority will issue motorists prepaid cards and electronic transponders so they can track vehicle movements and collect the toll charges. The Government will be conducting a public survey before the implementation. In Ras Al Khaimah, tolls are already is use on a new route connecting the Emirates Southern industrial areas with the Emirates Road. Fees are imposed on each vehicle depending on the size of their load. This route requires frequent maintenance due to the heavy load it bears and the fees will be used to generate the money needed for construction and maintenance.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, success often comes at a price, and for those that live and work in Dubai, that price is the bulging road infrastructure and the consequential traffic congestion which have been borne from a rapid growth in population and car ownership. However, as with most things in this truly amazing Emirate, the response to problems is both rapid and comprehensive. The Municipality have not just initiated single projects but a series of complex ones within ambitious timelines. With all these measures in place, along with the vision, investment and leadership that prevails, it should not be long before the road systems in Dubai are back in keeping with other elements of the Emirate, that is modern, efficient and on a major scale. TH Darren Bance is Vice President of System Design & Integration for the Olive Group, based in Dubai. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]

Intelligent Speed Adaptation

Adapt to survive

ANDREW HOWARD, the AA Motoring Trust’s head of road safety, looks at how intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) may be exactly what most motorists are looking for

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Intelligent Speed Adaptation as a driver – just as a human being. When drivers are asked in their own homes for their opinions they have to balance their views as drivers with their views as residents and parents, just as they seem to when they reach the ballot box. When in this “mode” suddenly the idea of enforcing speed limits for safety overrides the feeling of restriction they feel when in driver mode, and on balance speed enforcement becomes desirable. If asked for their level of agreement with the statement “The roads would be safer if drivers kept to the speed limit”, 83 per cent of drivers agree, as do 88 per cent of the public. This latter figure is up from 79 per cent agreement in 1986.

Fast talking

There is a vociferous minority who oppose speed limits, speed management and speed enforcement. However, our research shows that the majority of both drivers and indeed the whole population, in the UK at least, support measures to control vehicle speeds. Our headline figure for drivers’ attitude to speed is always that 75 per cent of drivers find speed cameras acceptable. This acceptability figure raises many eyebrows, in spite of the fact that it has hovered in the seventies for many years, and that it reflects other research, especially by the speed camera partnerships. However, it doesn’t seem to reflect conversations that even road safety workers have with other drivers. The explanation for this is that our question does not ask them to respond www.h3bmedia.com

Broadly speaking the complaints the AA Trust receive about speed management, and particularly speed enforcement, fall into two groups. Those who think it is outrageous that it happens at all, and those who have been caught out in one way or another - the “I didn’t know the speed limits”, the “what is this ridiculous law about lampposts?”, and the contradicting pair - “the road didn’t look like a 30” or “the speed limit kept changing”. A number of these also ask “can’t I have a device that tells me the speed limit inside the car?” or “can’t I have a device which stops me speeding?” Every time ISA appears in the news we get asked how drivers can get hold of this wonderful idea. It must be pointed out that the AA Trust also receives complaints about speed limits being too high and requests for assistance in getting limits lowered. In the autumn of 2003 we asked around 1000 people whether or not they agreed with the statement “devices should be introduced which prevent cars exceeding the speed limit at any time.” Forty-seven per cent of drivers, and 56 per cent of the whole sample agreed with this very bland statement. Incredibly, the level of driver support is practically identical to that recorded for a seat belt law in 1980 – just three years before the law came in with near 95 per cent compliance – and this suggests that it is a proportion that can be increased. This proportion is higher than most people in the ITS world expect and there are many working in this field, and in the broader road safety field, who feel that motorists are wholly against the scheme. In reality, ISA is more popular with drivers than black boxes (39 per cent acceptable). It may well be easier to “sell” drivers ISA – which can stop many drivers exceeding the speed limit, than to sell them black boxes, which only help allocate blame after the worst has happened.

Losing control

So, ISA has much to commend it to many people – those who have offended, those who feel they are bound to get it wrong one day, those who don’t want to speed at all and those who walk or cycle or have children who walk or cycle. To others it is utterly loathsome. Others have fears of “big brother” and of the dangers of handing control of their vehicle over to technology. Many of these fears are based on a misunderstanding of the system, and it is important that the public are properly informed Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Intelligent Speed Adaptation

“There will be those who see ISA as a Trojan Horse for getting road pricing equipment into cars”

about how the system works and how it will affect them. The AA Trust’s view of an ISA system has been built round the system trialled by the University of Leeds and which we have had the chance to sample as drivers as part of a demonstration in West London. This was a system where: • A GPS system locates the position of the car and in conjunction with a digital map held in the car establishes the speed limit for the length of road being used; • The system prevents the car being accelerated past this limit unless the driver overrules the system. An audible warning is available both for speed limit changes and when the system operates; • The accelerator pedal vibrates when the system is operating – ensuring the driver knows his speed is being restricted; • The system can be overridden both by a button on the steering wheel and by a kick-down process similar to that used on automatic cars.

could be legislated into vehicle design. Otherwise tax incentives (as used to promote more environmentally friendly, less polluting cars) could be used. While no further legislation may be needed there would always be scope for a third stage – where speeding in a car equipped by law with ISA is a more serious offence than in an unequipped car – after all any driver caught speeding would have made a deliberate choice not to use an available aid. It would be relatively easy for ISA-equipped cars to be recorded on the DVLA database, particularly once fitting was required. Although this approach will not generate the maximum road safety benefit in the shortest time possible, it seems the best way to gain the public’s acceptance of the system. Those who felt that ISA impeded their driving style, or was dangerous need not use it. They would however face stiff penalties if they could not stay within the legal limit.

(Left) The University of Leeds Instiute of Transport Studies’ ISA-equipped Skodas and (right) how the equipment was installed in the cars’ bootspace

This is a practical arrangement. The ability to overrule the system will be very important, particularly while unfitted vehicles predominate in the traffic mix. It would be very hard for the drivers of the first equipped vehicles to, for example, overtake a lorry on a motorway without exceeding 70 while all around are.

The driver in control

Other factors to consider are that many other drivers will not understand that some cars are limited and that there will also be problems for anyone who has a car without ISA but who finds himself driving a car (a hire car, for example) without it and vice versa. We would argue that any initial application of the system should include these features. This arrangement means that the driver controls the car with the assistance of ISA. ISA doesn’t control the car. At first ISA should be made available as an optional extra for vehicles that could be marketed on the “never get another speeding ticket” slogan. Later it would almost certainly become a standard fitting, and later still

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Orwellian motives

The “big brother” effect needs to be countered too. It is practically certain that there will be those who will see ISA as a “Trojan Horse” for getting road pricing equipment into cars, even if the people believing this would happily buy a satellite navigation system. There are also a number of people who seem to think that any scheme will mean that their every move will be tracked. Before any ISA system can be brought into operation a digitised map of Britain’s speed limits needs to be made. The speed with which this task is completed has a huge bearing on the overall effect of ISA on road safety as the system cannot work without the maps. Not only does this have to happen to facilitate ISA, but it would also help local authorities keep their speed limit databases up to date. Compiling this map is a key task. ISA offers much to road safety. It also offers much to the motorist. It is important that we remember that drivers need to be persuaded of its value, and that the indications are that many will be responsive to such persuasion. TH www.h3bmedia.com

Intelligent Speed Adaptation

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Barco Control Rooms Noordlaan 5, 8520 Kuurne • Belgium Phone: +32 56 36 82 11 email: [email protected] www.barcocontrolrooms.com

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Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Information Management

Layer cake Maybe one day someone will invent a navigation system for the information superhighway. Until they do, metadata (literally data about data) registries are the way forward. CHRIS SKINNER looks at the latest innovations in information management Transport information and control systems (TICS) include a very wide range of systems and their infrastructure. A useful framework to consider this is a four-layer architecture as follows: Layer 1: Business architecture – describing the services provided and the business processes followed; Layer 2: Information architecture – the comprehensive aggregation of information and data that provides the basis for every business in the modern age; Layer 3: Application architecture – the collection of discrete system applications that work concurrently and together power the business activity; and Layer 4: Infrastructure architecture – proving the platforms and support services common to many applications but without being directly involved in the specific design for a customer. www.h3bmedia.com

These viewpoints on the systems architecture are all needed for a full appreciation of a system capability, benefits, costs and risks, whether societal, technical, business or environmental. This accords with the classical doctrine on formation of a holistic appreciation of the major and critical elements of a major system in its intended context before embarking on design, development and deployment. This fundamental principle is true for every type of transport and logistics system and for every vehicle-based system no matter how it is integrated into multimodal networks.

An enterprising situation

The growing realisation of the need for such approaches has given rise to a new discipline for the development of large-scale, heterogeneous network systems for transport as in other business domains. The new discipline is Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Information Management

entitled Enterprise Architecture Integration (EAI) and it is catching on very rapidly. Transport is in line for the adoption of this approach also, but to do so requires acknowledgement that the current Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) architectures have not lived up to their expectations. Perhaps a major reason for this is that the business architecture has not been given enough attention. Another possible cause is the difficulty of some practitioners to relate the architecture to their needs and requirements in a familiar manner. The information architecture is also a critical focus area.Transport systems can produce immense quantities of sensor and transaction data and logistics systems produce many forms of transaction data. These data sets are required to pass through many stages of processing and interfacing to other systems in a value chain or supply chain. This requires attention to interoperability and that is often neglected until the other views of the architecture are well advanced. What should happen is that the information architecture is developed at the same time as the application and infrastructure architecture so that all of them work together to deliver the functionality defined in the business architecture. This requires that the same level of attention is devoted to data structures and messages as to hardware interfaces and telecommunications. Interoperability within the information architecture is typically addressed in a layered approach as with classical telecommunications. There needs to be recognition and acceptance of the parameters and semantics at each layer and the quality of services provided need to be within predictable or known limits. However this area is complicated by a proliferation of standards and protocols and of proprietary service interfaces.

understanding of the concepts transported over interfaces. Nevertheless in a world that is heterogenous in most respects there is a multitude of languages and definitions. In some cases we have achieved widespread standardisation but rarely is this universal – either in geographic extent or in a common timeframe. Some people would argue that this is to be expected and even encouraged. They say that if we ever achieve that identical approach then that milestone will mark the end of innovation and improvement. A more practical and realistic approach is to assume convergence to some degree but with significant variety and a constantly changing mix of technologies, standards, protocols and business models. To operate effectively in such a milieu demands methodologies and processes that produce effective harmony and interoperability in a dynamic environment.

“The achievement of greater levels of harmonisation may be confidently expected”

A question of semantics

The solution to these issues is to follow an open systems interconnectivity approach based on the seven-layer OSI standard from the ISO, with the additional requirement of semantic interoperability to ensure a common

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From the core out

Harmonisation of competing definitions of data and information is a process for finding the common or core components and then building out from that core to develop further areas of defined relationships. The process for this is still a research area in many respects but is being driven by creation of ontology frameworks as part of the semantic web extension to web services technology. The achievement of greater levels of harmonisation may be confidently expected but there are likely to be diminishing returns on investment of effort and steadily increasing complexity – itself a cause for concern. In the complementary direction of interoperability a similar process applies. Increasing levels of interoperability will be possible with greater standardisation and attention to common frameworks and processes, but it will never reach perfection. So where does this leave us for transport and logistic systems? There will be increasingly effective levels of integration, producing enhanced harmony and interoperability, but with the downside of exponentially increasing levels of investment needed and the increasing risk from creeping complexity. www.h3bmedia.com

Information Management

Laser sensors The solution exists

The upside is that ever-advancing innovation will find solutions for current issues and will provide greater efficiency and predictability. What should transport and supply chain professionals do to reap the potential benefits? Ensure that standardisation is part of all development and integration but not to the point of rigidity or impedance to new technologies and the application of new knowledge and processes. This means continual revision and renewal – and continual supersession of current methodologies. Most importantly it means embracing a culture of managed and encouraged change – change that delivers benefits and reduces costs and does so within a risk framework that is understood and also is managed effectively with no surprises. So, don’t expect that the next technology will solve all the current problems – it never will – but it could take you a step further in making improvements and making you better able to adopt the next innovation successfully and ahead of your competitor. TH

for traffic control Noptel's CM30 distance sensor family has been developed for OEM use with products for traffic, industrial or portable applications that require high-speed measurements of poorly reflecting targets. These devices represent a perfect choice for intelligent traffic camera triggering, vehicle profiling or speed measurement. The units are small in size, of low weight and power consumption, and are suitable for outdoor use in harsh environments. They are available in different packagings, and customised operation is possible even with smaller volumes.

Christopher J. Skinner, BSc(Eng) MEngSc MIET, MIEAust, MACS, CPEng is Principal, DISplay Pty Ltd in Cremorne New South Wales, Australia and can be contacted via email at: [email protected] or by telephone on +61 4 1499 0834

Footnote

For an example of the need for effective information management through harmonisation and integration to produce interoperability, one only has to look at the Australian National Transport Data Framework (NTDF) which describes no less than 66 disparate and incompatible databases. For more information visit www.atcouncil.gov.au.documents/NTDF. aspx Some of the terminology of the emerging technology to manage information such as the NTDF includes: MDA MOF OWL SOA XMI XML

Model-driven architecture Meta object facility Web ontology language Service-oriented architecture XML metadata interchange eXtensible Markup Language

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Applications • LPR camera triggering • Vehicle profile measurement • Vehicle classification • Speed measurement

• Traffic light control • Signal violation control • Criminal vehicle interception • Vehicle detection • Tunnel entrance control

NOPTEL – AT THE FOREFRONT OF OPTICAL MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY For further information, please contact:

Noptel Noptel Oy, Teknologiantie 2, 90570 Oulu, Finland Tel. +358 8 551 4351, fax +358 8 556 4101, [email protected], www.noptel.fi

Red light monitoring tames even the fastest

Trust is good, control is better. Our TrafjStar red light monitoring system reliably and repeatedly cools down hot heads on the road at trafjc junctions who take their own personal deadline pressures more seriously than the safety of other road users. With fully automated high-resolution digital technology, browser-based remote-maintenance and very low operating costs.

ROBOT Visual Systems GmbH Opladener Strasse 202 40789 Monheim, Germany Phone +49 (0) 2173 - 39 40 - 0 Fax +49 (0) 21 73 - 39 40 - 169 [email protected] www.trafjpax.com

T-Focus

Test for levels Why choose one traffic simulation model when you can combine them all, ask ALEXANDRE TORDAY and JAIME BARCELO of Barcelona’s TSS – Transport Simulation Systems In the field of transport engineering, simulation software has for many years been a helpful tool on which specialists rely for analysing and assessing transportation networks. However, during the last decade, the diversity of these tools has broadened. Indeed, the classical planning (macro) software packages, generally based on static paradigms, are no longer the only type of application available to face transport engineering challenges. This is due, among other reasons, to the permanent computational power progression and, more disaggregated and dynamic models appearing in the field. This is the case of the microscopic, currently the most-used model for operational studies, and the mesoscopic which, even if the concepts has existed for many years, has only recently started to be seen as an interesting compromise between macro and micro. With the presence on the market of these three types of traffic simulation approach, too many people have had the unfortunate tendency to compare them in order to find the “winner”. It must be understood that www.h3bmedia.com

each application has specific advantages and disadvantages and the selection of the adequate tool largely depends on the objectives of the study, the data available and the temporal window. Let’s go even further by admitting that transportation studies are becoming more and more multi-objective and that the models should be complementary instead of antagonist. Consequently, the

travelling across the network from origin to destination must be taken into account, as is the case of hybridizing meso and micro approaches. An efficient answer to these questions must be based in a flexible combination of computer modelling and transport modelling, which is an implementation of transport models supported by advanced software architecture. This is definitively the current trend on the simulation market where the systems are conceived as integrated environments enabling the direct exchange of information among various transport analysis tools. Ideally, the key component is an extensible object model common to question to be raised is: How can we all applications that share a unique make the three approaches work Model Database. Transport Planning, together in an efficient way? mesoscopic simulator and When the modelling approaches microscopic simulator, among other have been developed applications, exchange the independently and implemented in information directly in this way, each independent software packages, the one using the information and exchange of information between modifying the stored information the three levels based on file accordingly. All the data have a exchange is the only way forward, common storage and the type of but it is not the most efficient way. It network representation depends requires a complex overhead when only on which subset of data is used. time-dependent paths of vehicles The object model for the macro

“The models should be complementary instead of antagonistic”

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T-Focus Figure 1: the left window has executed the user equilibrium assignment

microscopic level lanes must have a width, and other additional numerical attributes are necessary. For example, the speed limits on the section, although macro and meso, or meso and micro, can share some of the numerical attributes. At macro level nodes representing intersections include a detailed definition of the allowed turnings, but no information on signal setting at signalized intersections, or specific give way or stop rules at unsignalized intersections as far as they do not account for signal control. Meso and micro approaches need all the information concerning phasing schemes and time settings at controlled intersections as they level contains attributes exclusive of representation lay in that, for macro deal explicitly with signal control, as the macro network representation approaches usually based on static well as information on ‘give way’ and and attributes which are shared with user equilibrium, the demand matrix ‘stop’ signs at unsignalized the meso level. Similarly, the micro is unique for all of the considered intersections to model traffic level shares some of the attributes time horizon, while in the meso and behaviour appropriately. with meso and macro, but has other micro approaches the demand This means that when moving from exclusive attributes but all of these matrix is usually split in a set of the upper aggregated level of attributes are stored in a unique matrices for a smaller time period network representation of macro model database. spanning the whole temporal approaches to the lower level of horizon, to better approximate the meso and micro there is information A visual feast time-specific traffic demands. missing that should be additionally Figure 1 (above) shows the case in provided to ensure the model which the left window has executed Macro/meso/micro consistency at the corresponding the user equilibrium assignment. Macro and meso approaches are lower level. When moving in the Link colors visualize the expected based respectively on link node and opposite direction, from the fully level of service after the assignment, extended link node network disaggregated lower microscopic to the central window visualizes similar the upper aggregated levels meso or results for a given time interval from macro, the appropriate aggregation a mesoscopic simulation, and the rules must be defined to keep the right window is a microscopic models consistent. simulation is being executed and the corresponding animated view In an ideal world visualizes the individual vehicles, The ideal situation is that depicted in queues at intersections and so on. the figure on the previous page, Macro, meso and micro representations, with nodes where starting at the macro level approaches to traffic modelling, modelling intersections and with a very large model of a region although sharing some common links modelling the transportation or a metropolitan area. the analyst, concepts, are in reality based on infrastructure, while microscopic after conducting a transport different types of network modelling to traffic networks planning analysis window into a representations. requires explicit and detailed large sub-area (possibly the whole They all have in common the modelling of the road sections, area spanned by the model) is able demand model in terms of an intersections, roundabouts and to get a deeper insight into the Origin Destination Matrix whose so on. dynamic effects of time entries represent the number of trips Road sections at macro and meso dependencies of traffic phenomena from the selected origin to the levels are therefore represented in through the meso level. chosen destination, for a given time terms of abstract oriented arcs, The dynamic analysis may then period and trip purpose; origins and whose characteristics are defined in reveal potential conflicts in smaller destinations are represented in the terms of numerical attributes, i.e. sub-areas requiring a further model in terms of artificial nodes, or capacity, number of lanes, detailed analysis, namely when centroids, where traffic flows are associated volume-delay function, or accounting for ITS applications for speed density relationship in the which microscopic simulation is the generated and sunk. extended link node, etc; while at the suitable model. TH The differences in demand

“All these attributes are stored in a unique model database”

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Time to live Deirdre has saved 15 minutes each day due to less queuing, giving her time to finish her self-portrait in just two weeks. It will be placed in her family gallery besides John Smith (1773-1854) and his first wife Camilla (1781-1824). We provide more spare time. How you spend it is up to you.

TM

Move on

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T-Focus

A model pro VISSIM’s evolutionary steps to simulate ITS on motorways by PTV AG’s MARTIN FELLENDORF

Although ITS may not be developing as fast as anticipated a decade ago, measures on motorways and other high performance highways are steadily growing. Over 50 per cent of the motorway network in the Netherlands and more than 15 per cent of all German motorway kilometres are equipped with Variable Message Signs (VMS). Thorough planning is needed to design control logics which perform best with respect to safety and capacity issues. Due to the complexity of various control options traffic engineers searched for help to test the impact of control options before actually implementing control devices and software in the field. As in other fields simulation models of various granularity were chosen to accompany engineers to gain the full merits of motorway control. The details of traffic micro simulation have proven to be a very valuable tool for many applications, in which the impact of single vehicles has to be investigated. A handful of commercial products are on the market claiming to model comprehensive ITS measures on motorways – VISSIM being one of them.

Research foundation

Decades of research were needed until the current level of modelling functionality had been made available. In the first place the movement of a single vehicle over space and time had to be coped with. If the technical abilities of the vehicle to accelerate and decelerate are known and human intention of desired speeds is

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measured it is easy to replicate a trajectory of a single vehicle. If several vehicles follow each other on a single lane a car-following model is required. In the 1960s and 70s extensive measurements were conducted to identify the process of an approaching vehicle following a lead-vehicle. Drivers are not very good at accurately sensing distance and speed difference to a lead vehicle. Oscillations are observed in which speed differences and distances are constantly alternating. A series of action point models were published which resulted in the psychophysical car-following model of VISSIM. Each driver has individual perception thresholds at which speed difference and distance he will react, either by braking or by accelerating. These thresholds are stochastically distributed to model the full spectrum of cautious to aggressive drivers. Not only the longitudinal movements of car-following but also lateral movements on multi-lane highways were investigated to replicate the process of decision making when passing a slower vehicle. Results of the lane changing process were validated against realworld lane utilisation measurements mainly in the 1980s on German motorways. With solid work on car-following and lane-changing supplemented by the computing power and availability of upcoming PCs the first commercial version of VISSIM has been launched in 1992. However, research is never ending, and recent measurements and findings of the NGSIM initiative

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funded by the Federal Highway Agency of the USA are already embedded within VISSIM.

Traffic flow models

Microscopic traffic flow simulation has long been viewed as playground within a small academic world. Increasing congestion on our roads and easy-to-use implementations of the models provided a base that traffic engineers required and were able to use these tools themselves. Without micro simulation a number of urgent questions on motorways could not have been answered, except by trial and error. Field tests are impossible or a waste of resources in many cases, especially if large investments in infrastructure are required. Here’s a taste of early VISSIM examples. Practitioners wanted to test the location and length of extra lorry lanes at uphill sections, the length of weaving section for an onramp to merge with the main traffic in hilly terrain and the likelihood of spill backs from an off-ramp. In all these cases you could not just build a pattern without the risk of failure of investment, nor could guidelines be applied since the local constraints did not match the assumptions made in the guidelines. From the beginning it was clear that a multi-purpose simulator was needed. Each application was different regarding local conditions, traffic compositions and objectives. Therefore the versatility of the simulation tool was of utmost importance even though the first examples looked at motorway segments of a couple of kilometres. www.h3bmedia.com

T-Focus

Systems like VISSIM are providing visions of a better transport future

Small universal building blocks were designed as little objects with changeable attributes allowing the user to assemble it the way he needs it. Some training and basic understanding of traffic flow is needed but once this learning curve is conquered, the benefit of micro simulation has already been seen in these early applications.

Generic interface

Motorway control via VMS became more and more important in the late 1990s and control logics of increasing complexity were designed. The advantage of these complex systems has to be justified by analysing its benefit with respect to safety, capacity or environment. Since the control software of a ramp metering system, a contraflow system, a dynamic speed system, tunnel control or a toll booth imposes different requirements on the traffic simulator, VISSIM has a generic programming interface which allows developers to attach to. The simulator moves vehicles and activates detectors which are visible to the control logic, so that www.h3bmedia.com

the control can decide on rerouting vehicles, stop single vehicles or accelerate platoons to name but a few of the interface functions. The control logic itself is often hidden as a compiled piece of software and attached as a Dynamic Link Library in order to retain intellectual property. Examples of simulating Automatic Cruise Control indicated the attention paid by the automobile industry to hide confidential developments.

Getting the big picture

Nowadays motorway agencies are concerned with network stabilities. Rerouting of vehicles in case of available alternatives is being looked at on a local scale as much as a national scale. Computing power now allows for networks with several hundred kilometres to be modelled on a PC. If this is still not sufficient, VISSIM runs on multi-processor units or a cluster of PCs. This provides computing power which comes close to what was limited to supercomputers not long ago. However, computing power is

just one piece in the process to of building large micro simulation models. Setting up the necessary data and calibrating a large model are two different items which also have to be considered. Today Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide excellent data to model the real road network but difficulties arise when obtaining travel demand information. Hybrid modelling is now the buzz phrase – micro simulation models are linked with less detailed models which deal with the demand side on a higher level of aggregation. PTV has built national models on a disaggregate level feeding VISSIM with trips. Distributing single vehicles on different routes is done on the microscopic level in order to model decisions of individual drivers – some decide before beginning the trip, others prefer rerouting options during the trip. Simulating decisions of this kind is becoming relevant for the navigation market. VISSIM and its accompanying tools within the PTV Vision family are prepared to tackle this challenge. TH

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Best wishes to everyone at H3B Media on the launch of Thinking Highways from

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Transport Technology Consultants would like to wish Thinking Highways every success for the future. “Road User Charging and Electronic Toll Collection” by Andrew Pickford and Prof Phil Blyth, published by Artech House available now from www.amazon.com

Advertisers Index AGD Systems..............................................................................25 Aselsan ............................................... inside back cover ASIM .......................................................................................................11 AutoPass ...........................................................................................51 Auto Systems ..............................................................................72 Barco ......................................................................................................67 Capita Symonds .....................................................................68 Derwent CCTV ........................................................................62 Diamond Consulting Services ............46 & 47 EIS...................................................................................back cover FaberMaunsell .........................................................................37 Image Sensing Systems...............................................33 Kapsch TrafficCom ................................................................ 5

Mapflow .............................................................................................37 Noptel...................................................................................................71 Olive Group .................................................................................... 9 PTV AG................................................................................................63 Q-Free ASA .......................... inside front cover, 75 Siemens AG München .......................................... 2 & 3 ROBOT Visual Systems GmbH ...........................72 Transport Technology Consultants .............78 Transurban....................................................................................19 Truvelo................................................................................................55 TSS.............................................................................................................67 Vitronic ...............................................................................................25 White Willow Consulting...........................................78

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Finance & Funding

Neighbourhood

watch

In the first of a series looking at transport funding issues affecting the European Union and states likely to join it, Ukraine and Belarus come under MARGARET PETTIT’s scrutiny The situation regarding funding for Eastern Europe is changing.

The current EU Fund, TACIS, for Ukraine and Belarus is to be phased out at the end of this year and will be replaced by the new European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) in 2007 under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In addition, INTERREG, an EU Community Initiative under the European Regional Development Fund that has been funding certain projects in Ukraine and Belarus, will also cease at the end of 2006 and its activities will be integrated into the ENPI. The following indicates what opportunities we might expect. Forecasts of the annual work programme for Ukraine and Belarus for 2006 are given in the accompanying box.

the client is the Joint Technical Secretariat of the Neighbourhood Programme at Solec St. 38, Warsaw, Poland. Further details can be gained from this website: www.pbu.wwpwp.gov.pl.

Cross-Border Co-operation Programme

At present CBC is the area likely to provide opportunities for ITS in the countries under review. The CBC Programme aims to strengthen management and infrastructure of eastern borders of EU candidate countries and to achieve partnerships between Central European accession countries and Russia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Possible opportunities for ITS may exist in the Programme’s purpose to encourage the linking of networks on both sides of a border (for example border crossing facilities) and the development of infrastructure networks. To give an indication of the location of some future CBC projects, there is currently a Call for Proposals within the Neighbourhood Programme for Poland-Belarus-Ukraine, seeking proposals for co-financing of cross-border projects on the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders in Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie and Podkarpackie Voivodeships in Poland, Lviv, Volyn and Zakarpatska Oblasts in Ukraine and Brest, Grodno and western districts of Minsk Oblast in Belarus. Financial assistance is granted by the ERDF under INTERREG (€4.9m) and TACIS CBC programme (€1m). The deadline for co-financing proposals is 20 October 2006 and www.h3bmedia.com

Ukraine

For Ukraine, TACIS currently has an Indicative Programme covering the period 2004-2006. In 2005, TACIS committed about €90m covering all sectors. Ukraine is a priority partner country within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova. The ENP has been developed in the context of the EU’s 2004 enlargement, aiming to strengthen stability and security and opens the way for economic integration. The new ENPI will cover cross-border co-operation and should later provide opportunities for environmentally related projects and technical and scientific links. The ENPI will also receive support for investment in infrastructure projects from the European Investment Bank. An EU-Ukraine Neighbourhood Action Plan was agreed last year by the EU-Ukraine Co-operation Council and will build on the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The PCA has been in existence since 1998 and was extended in 2004 to the 10 new EU Member States. This Ukraine PCA sets an institutional framework and Thinking Highways Vol 1 No 1

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Finance & Funding includes these elements of interest to the ITS sector: • Transport, Galileo and Telecommunications; • Cross-border Co-operation; • R & D – satellite navigation and IT. The European Commission reported in June that the Galileo agreement just signed with Ukraine “…provides for co-operative activities on satellite navigation, particularly in science and technology, industrial manufacturing, service and market development, as well as standardisation, frequency and certification. It also represents the first step towards the extension of EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) to Ukraine and the participation of the country in the programme through a stake in the Galileo Joint Undertaking. Ukraine is one of the eight countries within the world space community with significant technological knowledge on space programmes and important achievements on GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) applications, equipment, user segment and regional technology. The Ukrainian space industry is among the world’s leader in the design and production of launchers and GNSS components…”

INTERREG funding for this priority amounts to €66 million. Further development of this region will be continued under ERDF for the EU Member States. The Managing Authority of the BSR is: Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein, Grubenstrasse, 20, D-18055 Rostock, Germany. Within the Baltic Sea Programme, Ukraine and Belarus will be eligible for cross-border co-operation funding under the new ENPI from 2007.

2006 Work Programme for Ukraine & Belarus There are generally three priorities within each Neighbourhood Programme and these are the measures of possible interest. Hungary/Slovakia/Ukraine Neighbourhood Programme Source: Tacis 2004 CBC Action Programme – Neighbourhood Project Facility. Priority 2: Cross-border environment and transport with 3 measures. Indicative budget: maximum €100,000 per measure. Poland/Belarus/Ukraine Neighbourhood Programme Source: Tacis 2005 CBC Neighbourhood Action Programme. Priority 1: Increasing the competitiveness of the border area through modernisation and development of the cross-border infrastructure. Indicative budget: maximum €100,000 per contract.

Belarus

Under the European Neighbourhood Programme and the new ENPI, Belarus will be eligible for cross-border cooperation as from 2007. Initially,cross-border projects will be assisted between Belarus-Poland-Ukraine and Belarus-Lithuania-Latvia. Further assistance will depend on the progress towards democratisation and reform. During 2005 TACIS committed €8m for various projects.

Baltic Sea Programme

Currently the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) is funded under INTERREG, an EU Community Initiative to develop interregional and trans-national regions and supports towns and provincial capitals in trans-frontier regions. INTERREG has a current programme over 2004-2006, in excess of €200m to develop the whole of the BSR (Denmark, North-East Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in the EU, as well as Norway, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus). The region covers some 2.3m km2 and has a population of 103m. The main priority is Pan-Baltic inter-modal transport and IT, and aims to develop technological and scientific networks between Baltic cities. Current

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Baltic Sea Region Neighbourhood Programme Source: Tacis 2005 CBC Neighbourhood Action Programme. Priority 2: Promotion of territorial structures supporting sustainable BSR development. Indicative budget: maximum €100,000 per contract. Latvia/Lithuania/Belarus Neighbourhood Programme Source: Tacis 2005 CBC Neighbourhood Action Programme. Priority 1: Cross-border cooperation to enhance the competitiveness of regions involved and improve the access to markets across the borders. Indicative budget: €50,000 max per contract. Romania/Ukraine Neighbourhood Programme Source: 2004 Tacis CBC Action Programme – Neighbourhood Project Facility. Priority 2: Developing cross border integrated infrastructure systems. Indicative budget: €50,000 maximum per contact.

Contacts

All calls for proposals will be published by the local Secretariat of the Neighbourhood Programme. Details of the local Secretariats may be sought from the EC Delegation to Ukraine and Belarus at this website: www.delukr.ec.europa.eu. The Belarus (TACIS) Branch Office is contactable on Tel: +375 17 229 26 13; Fax +375 17 289 12 81. www.h3bmedia.com

EIS TRAFFIC REPORTER™ Traffic Counting for future planning Solution B Lay points around knot. Apply constant pressure at desired intervals. Allow data to flow over connecting strand and pull. Tighten results as needed.

RTMS™ Sensors measure volume, occupancy and speed across 8 individual lanes. Using existing road-side poles, the average installation is simple, smooth and fast, requiring no road closures. RTMS high accuracy performance is unaffected by weather and virtually maintenance free. It supports a variety of outputs, including serial, wireless, TCP/IP or contact closure. Each station can be powered by solar, batteries or AC.

Traffic Reporter™ stations store time stamped RTMS data for later collection. Each station can store 30 weeks of data, recording at 5 minute intervals. Reporter stations can be set-up in remote locations for both permanent or temporary use.

The Central Office PC can collect data automatically on schedule, or manually. Reports can be generated in a user-defined format including FHWA and ASCII.

Collected data from the Traffic Reporter can be viewed through comparison charts, stations lists. Count stations can be groups into a system sharing report, or batch processes can be applied to the logged information.

WE RELIEVE TRAFFIC HEADACHES ELECTRONIC INTEGRATED SYSTEMS INC Tel: 416.785.9248 info@eistraffic.com www.eistraffic.com