IN F R A S T R U C T U R E
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
R OA D S A F E T Y
PA R K IN G
SMART MOBILIT Y
2023
WORLD
Whether implementing MaaS, fighting congestion, assessing ITS deployments or enforcing low-emission zones, data is the key to unlocking future mobility
From the publisher of
| National Highways CEO Nick Harris, the man in charge of England’s Strategic Road Network, reveals his vision for the next five years and beyond
| Are parking spaces too small? Should the growing size of cars mean the spaces we leave them in also get bigger? A debate is raging across the industry
| Kicking cars out of cities A new vision is taking hold in European cities, from Amsterdam to Rome, of urban centres with fewer cars and more space
We help bring families home safely. Challenge us! Are you looking for ways to make roads safer? To minimise traffic interruptions? Or struggling to find a solution for your road safety project? Our team of experts are available to support you and to help you identify the right products for your specific needs. At 3M Transportation Safety Division, we work every day to maximise roadway visibility and reduce long-term costs all while conforming to some of the most rigorous government standards. For over 80 years, we’ve been applying our science to push the boundaries of traffic safety.
We are here to help! Ask your questions to a 3M expert by sending us an email on trafficsafety.uk@mmm.com or by scanning the QR code. © 3M 2022. 3M is a trademark of 3M Company. OMG315053.
| CONTENTS
Exclusive features
008 Gold standard
Looking back to 2022 the Intertraffic team can reflect on a truly momentous year that saw the return to full-scale shows and the brand’s 50th anniversary
010 Interview: Zeroing in
“We have launched an ambitious innovation strategy, which will be needed if we’re to get to Net Zero with the way we build and maintain roads” Nick Harris, CEO, National Highways
Nick Harris, CEO of National Highways is aiming to reduce both carbon emissions and fatalities on England’s Strategic Road Network to zero
050 Clearing the air
London is set to expand its Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) but the scheme faces technical and political challenges
056 Traffic in the sky
eVTOL air taxis present the tantalising possibility of urban air mobility – but how will this new form of traffic be managed?
014 Invisible tickets
Genoa, Italy, has trialled a MaaS network that is not only ticketless, but doesn’t even require travellers to take their phones out of their pockets
020 Pricing out gridlock
Colombia’s capital Bogotá is the eighth most congested city in the world, which is why innovative pay-per-mile congestion charging is being planned
028 The bigger problem
“For us, universal basic mobility is an operating principle. It’s a way we measure every grant, project and initiative – ‘How does it help close the gap and better connect all Angelenos to opportunity?’” Connie Llanos, interim general manager, Los Angeles Department of Transportation
Cars are getting bigger, so should parking spaces be increasing in size to match? A debate is raging
036 Land of the free
Two major cities in the USA are testing the concept of universal basic mobility in the belief that getting everyone moving for free will have knock-on benefits for wider economies
044 Is it working?
Connected vehicle data provides a fast and efficient way to assess the effectiveness of ITS deployments
062 Imagine a city
Micromobility firm Dott and Swedish car OEM Lynk & Co have created striking visualisations of how major European cities would look with fewer cars and more shared space
069 Products and services
Learn more about the very latest innovations in mobility hardware, software and services in the definitive 52-page guide for 2023
122 Last word: Tolling times
Christopher Melton, independent consultant and managing partner at Big Sky Partners LLC, recounts stories from his years of experience in road pricing and predicts what the future holds
2023 | Intertraffic World
003
CONTENTS | 070 Infrastructure
70 Meeting new green standards
“Road owners will have to consider the total environmental footprint, such as whether or not there are ozone-depleting compounds used in the road signs, traffic lights, guard rails or road markings” Rik Nuyttens, regulatory affairs manager EMEA, 3M
As the EU sets its sights on carbon neutrality by 2050, so transportation infrastructure providers will have to adhere to tough new standards. Here 3M’s Rik Nuyttens tells you what you need to know
72 Clear signs
A new protective overlay film from Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions ensures the readability of traffic signs and prevents the effects of dew
74 The sustainable revolution
A new, completely natural alternative to aluminium road signs will help European countries meet their sustainability goals, notes HR Groep Streetcare
76 Optimised road maintenance
Constant innovation by Hog Technologies has led to the development of efficient, purpose-
“Our clients today want more than just technology. They want performance and a full range of services. We provide many of our solutions as a service, and this model has proven itself in a wide variety of international projects”
Tobias Deubel, vice president global sales, Jenoptik Smart Mobility Solutions
082 Traffic management
82 Optimised ANPR for better detection results
While on the surface it may seem to make financial sense to monitor multiple lanes with a single ANPR camera, Adaptive Recognition reveals how it comes at the cost of detection rate and accuracy
84 Step by step
There is no quick fix to achieving an effective advanced traffic management system. Rather, the process involves granular implementation of custom-built modules, notes Telegra
86 Smarter, safer, greener
“Demand for data-based systems is growing. Going forward automated systems to measure supporting structures and axle loads should allow real-time condition monitoring and predictive maintenance”
Michael Vospernig, founder, Revotec
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Intertraffic World | 2023
built machinery for line marking maintenance and removal
From clean air zones to traffic flow management and environmental initiatives: Yunex Traffic gives road authorities access to a wide range of innovative solutions to make transportation more sustainable
78 Sign sustainability
Advances in sustainable sign technology by Triplesign will help protect the environment and save lives
80 Easy analysis
Modern smartphone technology, combined with lightweight hardware, is making it easier and more convenient to measure the retroreflectivity of road markings and signage, reports Easylux
88 Cutting-edge ITS
Innovative roadside cameras and ANPR technology from Jenoptik help communities and authorities to improve road safety, reduce emissions and enhance traffic efficiency
90 Making roads safer and cleaner International Road Dynamics’ advanced sensor system improves road safety by enabling quick and easy identification of flat, under-inflated, mismatched tyres
92 Perfect partnership
Combined expertise and an effective weigh-in-motion solution have successfully ensured the safety of a small, ageing bridge in Austria, reports Kistler
94 The modern approach to automated tolling
AEye reveals how lidar-enabled automated tolling enables real-time data capture across all lighting and weather conditions
96 One for all and all for one
A single lidar-based sensor solution from Parifex can be used for multiple violation control applications
Holistic Urban Mobility Management by SWARCO
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CONTENTS | 98 Reliable HS-WIM access for all Intercomp’s new MicroStrip Sensors make high-end strain gauge-based WIM feasible for all traffic data applications
100 Sustainable weighing
With minimized energy consumption, a long lifespan and a light footprint,
Haenni’s scales are a sustainable solution to mobile weight enforcement
102 ANPR meets data protection
Smart solutions using ANPR and hashing technologies ensure secure processing of sensitive traffic data, notes Carrida Technologies
104 Road safety
104 Guiding lights
Sernis introduces new road stud technology, which helps to improve crosswalk safety by refocusing the attention of distracted drivers and pedestrians
106 Parking
106 No strings attached
Innovative wireless and paperless solutions from Technoso Control Systems make access to parking smart, flexible, profitable, and environmentally friendly
110 Smart mobility
110 Digital revolution?
New COM-HPC server-on-modules make it possible for the transportation industry to use modular 5G cells for real-time communications, notes congatec
108 Park smart
Parking at the Claremont Quarter in Perth, Australia, has become much easier and more efficient, thanks to a new ticketless system from Designa
112 Lidar – the next big thing for smart cities?
Outsight reveals how lidar can advance smart city solutions due to its high precision, versatility, ease of use and accessible price
114 It’s electrifying
A smart charging solution from Grupo ETRA brings efficiency and sustainability benefits to the public transport sector
117 Advertisers’ directory Editor: Tom Stone Associate editors: Helen Norman, Lauren Dyson Editorial assistant: Benedict Evans Senior art editor: Andy Bass Designers: Anna Davie, Louise Green, Julie Welby Publication manager: Julian Bidlake julian.bidlake@markallengroup.com Chief operating officer: Jon Benson Chief executive officer: Ben Allen Chairman: Mark Allen
Part of
www.markallengroup.com
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Intertraffic World | 2023
Intertraffic World, ISSN 2042-7204 (Print), ISSN 2397-5989 (Online), is published annually by MA Aviation & Auto International, Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1322 221144 Intertraffic World is a partnership with Amsterdam RAI, organizers of the Intertraffic events Amsterdam RAI, PO Box 77777, NL-1070 MS Amsterdam, Netherlands Tel: +31 20 549 12 12 www.intertraffic.com
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Welcome
J
ust 20 years ago, at the turn of the millennium, traffic management was about CCTV cameras and loops, augmented by signage, signals and lane markings. Today all these elements are still vital, and advances are still being made that push design and implementation of these solutions forward. But there is now a new force to be reckoned with – data. The explosion of mobility data coincided with huge advances in connectivity, driven primarily by the advent of the smartphone. Without smart devices, and the data they provide, it is difficult to imagine how micromobility networks could have sprung up in our cities. These networks aren’t just changing the way we get around, they’re having knock-on effects in changing the way we think about urban infrastructure. On page 62 you can find visions of how European cities could look in the future, with fewer cars and more green spaces. One of the biggest strengths of data is in analysis. By harnessing the power of data we can assess exactly how effective new mobility initiatives are. For example, in the USA Pittsburgh and Los Angeles are both testing the hypothesis that giving their citizens a basic level of mobility for free will help boost their economies (page 36). Will it work? Only data will tell… There are a host of other new uses for data featured in this issue, including the monitoring of traffic flows via connected vehicles to assess the effectiveness of new signal timings (page 44); the gathering of emissions and vehicle data for the assessment and enforcement of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (page 50) and the implementation of ticketless MaaS in Genoa, Italy, using Bluetooth (page 14). Are we in danger of being overwhelmed by all this data? Not if we are ready and know how to handle it. Or, to misquote Shakespeare, if data be the fuel of mobility, generate on! Tom Stone editor
© MA Business Limited 2022. All rights reserved. No part of Intertraffic World may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publishing director. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the editor. The presence of advertisements in Intertraffic World implies no endorsement of the products or services offered. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors, or an advertiser not completing their contract. We have made every effort to secure permission to use copyright material. Where material has been used inadvertently or we have been unable to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will be made in a future issue.
Please read our privacy policy by visiting http://privacypolicy.markallengroup.com. This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data. Printed in the UK by Pensord, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA MOVING ON? If you change jobs or your company moves to a new location, please contact circulation@ markallengroup.com to continue receiving your free copy of Intertraffic World Cover image: dimazel@stock-adobe.com
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EVENT REVIEWS
Intertraffic Amsterdam celebrated 50 years with a revamp of its Summit programme, which included four theatres with runwaystyle stages
Gold standard
Looking back to 2022 the Intertraffic team can reflect on a truly momentous year. Not only did it see the return to full-scale shows following months of isolation during the pandemic, it also marked the brand’s 50th anniversary Words: Tom Stone
T
he end of March 2022 saw the halls of RAI Amsterdam full and buzzing once again as the international mobility community returned to the city en masse. The event served as both a post-Covid reunion and a reminder of the importance of face-to-face interaction. Just a few weeks prior to Intertraffic Amsterdam the Dutch government had been able to lift most remaining Covid restrictions, which ensured easier travel for most international visitors and the dispensing of the legal requirement to wear face coverings on the show floor. “To see the industry gathering again and the positive energy that arose because of that was great to experience,” recalls Joyce de Winter, director, Intertraffic Worldwide Events. “It was great to feel again the atmosphere that personal interaction and such a large show floor brings. It was like a high-school reunion! Furthermore, celebrating the 50th anniversary of our brand, with so many happy faces around, made it feel truly festive. “Intertraffic has a distinct dynamic and very international vibe, which was no different this time. But we
To reach our global goals for sustainable and safe mobility the use of shared data is key
Joyce de Winter, director, Intertraffic Worldwide Events
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Intertraffic World | 2023
did miss the Chinese industry who could not attend because of their travel restrictions, but we hope they will be with us in 2024.”
New looks
While attendees enjoyed the fact that Intertraffic Amsterdam was a return to the much-missed large-scale gatherings of old, there were also new, never-before-seen elements to the show that helped to keep the event fresh and dynamic. The floorplan of the exhibition had some updates to reflect the changing needs of the industry, with traffic management given its own dedicated section, and three halls turned over specifically to parking in order to accommodate this growing sector.
EVENT REVIEWS
Alongside the exhibition there was also the return of the Intertraffic Amsterdam Summit programme, which took knowledge exchange to the next level with four theatres hosting 120 sessions giving insight into the latest trends and developments from the traffic technology and mobility industry. “Our summit programme was revamped with a fresh ‘infotainment’ look,” says de Winter. This brought speakers closer to the audience by allowing them to present form a central runway, with the audience sitting ‘in the round’. New for 2022 was also the colocation of Intertraffic with Amsterdam Drone Week, which took place in Hall 11 and was able to take advantage of similarities in trends and developments between target groups in the two intersecting industries. “RAI Amsterdam has created a business domain called Mobility, which consists of Intertraffic, Amsterdam Drone Week and Rematec (remanufacturing for predominantly the automotive industry),” explains de Winter. “This helps to strengthen these industries by bringing the best opportunities for our communities.”
Key takeaways
The conclusion of the event brought with it a chance to reflect on key trends within the industry. “To reach our global goals for sustainable and safe mobility the use of shared data is key,” says de Winter. “While, introducing green alternatives for fossil fuels for cars is essential if we are to create a zero emission society.” One demonstration highlight De Winter remembers is the Hyperloop solution from the Dutch Technical University Delft. “They built a scale model of this high-speed sustainable train,” she says. “This created a lot of interest among visitors. Of course, there are some naysayers who think this way of travelling is not going to work, but it still gives the industry interesting food for thought. In terms of visitor profile, the organisers were happy to report a diverse array of government officials and policy makers in attendance, representing a cross section of specialists from the full spectrum of the mobility eco system. A surveyed 82% had a decision-making capacity and all in all 120 countries were represented. n
Mexican spirit
Intertraffic Mexico also made a return in 2022, representing a clear step up from the 2021 corona edition, with double the number of exhibitors in Mexico City. “The conference programme was also next level, with an international day, a regional day and a specific event on day three for Mexican mayors, attracting over 100 of them,” says Joyce de Winter, director of Intertraffic Worldwide Events. Visitor and exhibitor surveys gave a rating of 7/10 and 8/10 respectively, and 85% intend to participate in the next event 2023, underlining the potential of the region and need for knowledge exchange. “Urban transport infrastructure in Mexico City is not meeting the needs of its people as it can be dangerous and of poor quality, says de Winter. “Having a car also is part
of having a status. So people take their cars and drive everywhere, which leads to congestion and some of the world’s most polluted urban air.” Intertraffic Mexico is helping the region to meet some of these challenges, building on successes such as Mexico City’s popular car-free Sundays, where one of its busiest streets (Reforma) is closed to cars, helping to promote more sustainable active travel. “Intertraffic’s role is to bring the best industry solutions and knowledge to the regional market,” says de Winter. “To share challenges and expertise to speed up business and development goals.” The next edition of Intertraffic Mexico will take place 14-16 November 2023 and will then enter a biennial pattern, returning again in 2025.
Intertraffic dates: China 24-26 July 2023 • Mexico 14-16 November 2023 • Amsterdam 16-19 April 2024 2023 | Intertraffic World
009
INTERVIEW NICK HARRIS
Zeroing in
Nick Harris, CEO of the UK’s National Highways, has two herculean tasks ahead of him, both of which have a target of zero – namely carbon emissions and fatalities on England’s Strategic Road Network. But he’s taking it all in his stride… Words | Tom Stone
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INTERVIEW NICK HARRIS
Environmental challenges
“We’re in a period of very rapid change, particularly when we look at the environment and emerging transport challenges,” says Harris. “And that isn’t going away, which is exciting, and an opportunity – but it’s also something that we need to get to grips with.” When most people think of road transport and the environment, electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure are at the forefront of their minds. While this is undoubtedly on Harris’s radar, he has much bigger one-off carbon emissions to think about, too – those involved in the construction of roads themselves. “We’re seeing rapidly rising expectations on the environment,” he says. “And challenges with getting new schemes through the planning process. We’d been very successful as an organisation in getting large schemes through the planning process. But that has become harder. We’ve been working across government to move forward and solve that.” Despite the challenges, a recent win for National Highways has been the approval of the M54 to
M6 link road in the West Midlands, and Harris is now optimistic that more road building will be given the green light, citing the statistic that for every pound spent on road building, two pounds are generated for the UK economy. “To get the M54 to M6 link road approved we’ve had to do a lot of very good work on understanding cumulative carbon and how it applies to our schemes, and how that aligns and supports the country’s objectives to reduce our carbon impact,” he says. “I’m hopeful we’ll now see consents on a number of schemes start to come through.” Assessing carbon emissions of construction ties in with National Highways’ wider environmental vision, summarised in an ambitious Net Zero Highways plan, published in 2021. This sets the target of net zero for its corporate emissions by 2030; net zero for construction and maintenance by 2040, and net zero for all road-user emissions by 2050 (in line with government policy). There are also targets in place for net gains in biodiversity in the next five years. “We’re making good progress with lots of other things that are contributing to net zero,” says Harris. “Such as moving our fleet to electric vehicles and changing to LED lighting on the network. And we have launched an ambitious innovation strategy, which will be needed if we’re to get to net zero with the way we build and maintain roads.”
Demand management
Of course, building more and more miles of roadway can never be the only solution to rising demand. As post-pandemic economic recovery, coupled with a growing population continue to drive ever-increasing traffic volumes, so smarter ways to use existing infrastructure must be found. “We’re very interested in the possibility of encouraging more vehicle occupancy, using the right mode for the right journey, and other technology solutions that provide capacity with minimum environmental impact,” says Harris. “I think these things are incredibly important if we’re to have a future for roads and road improvements. Roads matter, and they will continue to matter in supporting the economy and our lives.” At the heart of National Highways’ technological plan to improve efficiency is its Digital Roads Strategy, also published in 2021. This covers three main areas. Firstly, design and building of roads, including the use of innovative new techniques such as digital twins. Secondly, it covers the
We’re in a period of very rapid change, particularly when we look at the environment and emerging transport challenges 2023 | Intertraffic World
IMAGE: NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
T
he UK’s National Highways (formerly Highways England) is the largest and most important road organisation in the country. It is responsible for the building and operation of the 4,436 miles of asphalt that make up England’s major highways – classified as motorways and A-roads and referred to collectively as the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The man at the helm of National Highways (officially as CEO since August 2021, but in an acting role since February of that year) is Nick Harris. He is well versed in the workings of the organisation he now leads – he joined in 2016, soon after it was formed (as Highways England) in 2015. Pre-2015 National Highways was a traditional government department, known as the Highways Agency, but after that date it morphed into what’s referred to as a ‘government company’, meaning that, though publicly owned, it has transparent, ring-fenced budgets and targets to meet – summarised in five-year Road Investment Strategies. Harris now oversees the meeting of these performance, safety and environmental targets set out in the organisation’s current Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2), which runs April 2020 to March 2025. He is also involved in making detailed plans for the next period of operation, which will be set out in RIS3.
011
INTERVIEW NICK HARRIS operation of roads and ways to get more capacity out of existing roads, while also improving safety. Finally, there’s a component about sharing data, both with travellers (to enhance multimodality) and drivers (to support connected vehicle use cases and autonomous operations).
Road Investment Strategy 3
Plans for Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), which will define the direction of National Highways in the second half of this decade are already at an advanced stage. Harris’s team is in the process of consulting extensively to identify national pinch points for congestion and safety, and understand the needs for additional capacity and how that ties in with economic plans, housing and other development plans. “We’ve run a whole series of workshops to develop this with seven other national transport bodies,” says Harris. “We’re supporting eachother’s strategies and planning activities, so we can collaborate and align our approaches where possible. We’re trying to achieve the best outcome for transport users, for regional economies and for the environment, and will continue to collaborate on these topics as the plan is developed.” Safety will be one of the key targets of RIS3. While the UK has some of the safest roads in the world and has made impressive 34% improvements in safety during RIS2 so far, across the SRN, it’s not looking like the target of a 50% improvement by the end of the period will be hit.
Smart motorways
One hot topic in which the issues of safety and the environment intersect is smart motorways. The project to widen hundreds of miles of England’s motorways by converting the hard shoulder into a live lane, thereby creating all-lane-running superhighways, has recently been met with public concern on safety, fuelled by a hostile media. From an environmental perspective the logic of the scheme is hard to argue with. “Smart motorways unlock hard shoulder capacity, reducing the amount of construction carbon,” says Harris. “But we do need to be able to do that safely. And with the acceptance of the public.” That acceptance is proving hard to win. The UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps ordered the pausing of the scheme in 2020 until five years of safety data could be gathered.
But recently National Highways published its Second Year Progress Report, which shows that all-lane running motorways are, in fact, safer than traditional motorways, and therefore safer than almost any other road on the network. One of the reasons for public misconceptions on safety is based on the mistaken belief that stopped vehicles cause the most crashes on motorways, whereas in fact most collisions are between two or more moving vehicles. Smart motorways help to reduce the number of moving collisions significantly, which explains why they improve safety. The rarer stopped-vehicle collisions are slightly more likely on smart motorways, though safety improvements such as additional stoppedvehicle radar systems are planned to address this, along with public education on the importance of tyre and fuel-level checks. As a footnote to the results, Harris points to the fact that traditional hard shoulders are not safe. Between 2016 and 2020, 28 people were tragically killed on hard shoulders in England, while no one was killed in an emergency refuge area on a smart motorway. Nevertheless, the challenge of winning over the public continues. “Crucially, we want everyone using these roads to feel safe,” says Harris. “In our report, you can also see that we’ve made good progress on many of the safety activities that we undertaken. So, we have more emergency areas, more signage, and the implementation of a radar-based stopped-vehicle detection. “We won’t actually see the safety data resulting from much of the work we’ve done in the last 12 months until 2023 at the earliest. But we will begin to see, I think, positive signs from it. And hopefully, with the with the driver information and safety campaigns we’re engaged in we can help to build further on the confidence that everyone can have, not only in smart motorways, but the whole of our motorway network.” For Nick Harris, the coming years represent a vast number of huge challenges. But he’s not approaching them with trepidation, rather with optimism. “There are a lot of opportunities in the supply chain in terms of maintaining and building roads,” he says, “But also in terms of developing our digital and technology solutions and embracing the innovation that’s needed for a sustainable future. “Exciting times lie ahead. If we can bring all of that together, then I think there’s a great future, both for road building, and for the continued development to the Strategic Road Network.” ■ Nick Harris was speaking at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum.
Smart motorways unlock hard shoulder capacity, reducing the amount of construction carbon. But we do need to be able to do that safely. And with the acceptance of the public
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FRICTIONLESS MAAS
Invisible tickets 014
In 2022, Genoa, Italy, hit the headlines with a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) network that was not only ticketless, but didn’t even require travellers to take their phones out of their pockets. But how was it done? We get the inside story from the experts involved, and uncover the challenges they faced and the solutions they deployed Intertraffic World | 2023
Words: Paige Smith
FRICTIONLESS MAAS
I
n July 2022, in a move to revolutionise how people travel in towns and cities, Hitachi Rail digitally connected public and private hire transport across the entire city of Genoa, Italy. This world-first trail was achieved using technology from Hitachi’s new smart mobility suite called Lumada Intelligent Mobility Management. Hitachi’s 360Pass smart ticketing app aims to eradicate the need to purchase a traditional paper ticket. Instead, the app connects to Bluetooth sensors scattered around the city at transportation networks that know when a passenger with the mobile app has boarded, how far they have travelled and when they disembarked. The Bluetooth sensors allow for the creation of a ‘digital twin’ of the region’s transport and passengers’ end-to-end multimodal journeys. This real-time electronic map of how the city is moving will enable operators to optimise services, timetables and create a system that better accommodates the changing needs of passengers. In the launch programme Hitachi connected 663 buses, 2,500 bus stops, the metro line, two funiculars, one historic hillside railway, 10 public lifts and two suburban bus routes that span 50km. Users also have the ability to hire an electric car using the app, pay for parking or find an e-moped. The trail wasn’t without its hurdles though.
7,000
The number of Bluetooth sensors installed across Genoa in the MaaS trial
City-wide deployment
“The project was definitely challenging,” says Alessandro de Grazia, group head of smart ticketing at Hitachi Rail. “We needed to take into account the geography of the city. We had to install 7,000 sensors, that’s one at each and every transport stop [batteries in the sensors should last around five years]. We had to really do some engineering for the installation plan. But sometimes a plan versus the reality can be another story.” One of the difficulties the team faced was fitting sensors in certain places, including public lifts. “We couldn’t just put the white sensor in there because of the historical importance of the public lift,” says de Grazia. The solution was to wrap the sensor in a dark colour wrap and hide it somewhere, such as behind a seat. “In terms of the physical installation, it was complicated,” he says. The development of the project wasn’t entirely smooth sailing either. “We built our own beacon,” he says. “And we are the only company, as far as we know that has certified this technology for use in these mobility applications. No other companies in the world do it. We
2023 | Intertraffic World
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FRICTIONLESS MAAS
Above: Travellers used Hitachi’s 360Pass smart ticketing app to book a variety of transportation modes in Genoa in the trial Below, right: The app aims to make multimodal journeys easier to plan and book
had nine months from the concept of the project to the delivery. At times it felt like we were in a black hole, but we did deliver on time.”
The question of GDPR
“A further challenge was related to the contractual schemes and the finalisation of the contracts,” says Barbara Ferrari, head of sales for Central Eastern and The number of Southern Europe at Hitachi buses included Rail. “The management of the in the trial data was a critical part for us. All the data had to be anonymised and the GDPR had to be taken into account. This was something that we needed to be very careful about. We considered all the difficulties we could face in order to protect the data. The most important aspect for us was compliance with everything.”
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We are the only company, as far as we know that has certified this technology for use in these mobility applications. No other companies in the world do it
Alessandro de Grazia, group head of smart ticketing, Hitachi Rail
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Perfect partners
The 360Pass is being delivered in partnership with the city’s public transport operator, AMT, and the Municipality of Genoa, using the local brand name GoGoGe. “AMT was really excited about the project, so they actively supported the project management, so things worked out well,” says de Grazia. “But in terms of delivery, I’ve been a project manager for 15 years and this was one of the most complex projects I have ever delivered. We had to work completely differently to how we normally do as big conglomerate. The whole project has been a total trail. We tried things, hit setbacks, and then would redo them and ultimately it now works.”
What’s next?
Regarding the future development of the project, the team are optimistic. “The data that we have
Smart and Secure Cities
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FRICTIONLESS MAAS
Above and inset: Transportation modes supported by the app include funiculars and electric cars
There is no limit to the services that you can include within the platform. So, if there is a city that needs to include e-scooters, or e-bikes, taxis or even boats, it’s possible
Barbara Ferrari, head of sales for Central Eastern and Southern Europe, Hitachi Rail
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collected, and the results of these trials are very positive,” says Ferrari. “The application works very well, the client is very satisfied, and so are the passengers because they can see there are a lot of advantages. We are sure that the app is stable and there will be efficient development.” Ferrari believes that the platform is flexible enough that it would be easy to adapt for use in any cities, including any transportation service that are available in other cities. “The strategy and the target of Hitachi is to use the success of this trial in order to promote these solutions and to have the possibilities to sell to any customer,” she says. “We want to implement this in different cities and continue to add new services.” “It’s fully configurable,” explains de Grazia. “We have a core, which fits for megalopolis, but it also fits for smaller cities, then, of course, the number of services you put on top of the core is dependent on the city you’re
I
working in. You must configure it, but the logic behind it stays the same. That’s the magic of it.” Ferrari agrees. “There is no limit to the services that you can include within the platform,” he says. “So, if there is a city that needs to include e-scooters, or e-bikes, taxis or even boats, it’s possible. You can add any transportation mode or any service that is available for transportation. For this trial we selected these services because they were the services that the municipality and the operator wanted to include at the first stage. But this is not a limitation for our platform.” “That’s the great thing about it,” says de Grazia. “It’s not built around the app itself, it’s the technology, and the connection.” The trial represents a first working example of a completely frictionless Mobility as a Service solution and the company believes that the technology could work anywhere in the world. “The advantage that we have as a company is the fact that we are in the transportation business and have been for many decades. Our added value is that we can connect with all the services and all the data within the transportation world. We know what the needs of the clients are,” says Ferrari. ■
Tackling congestion
n Istanbul and London, drivers currently lose an average of 142 and 227 hours per year in congestion respectively. Hitachi believes its MaaS offering will reduce people’s reliance on private vehicles and in turn help municipalities to meet goals for congestion relief and emissions reduction – while optimising costs and the provision of transportation across the region. “In the cities we’ve got some pretty big challenges with congestion,” says Mike Scott, senior director of external communications
and marketing, Hitachi Rail. “We don’t think about it much but we experience it as human beings every day. And in fact, we see hundreds of hours lost every year by each and every person just sitting in traffic in cities. “There is a huge economic cost to congestion – over £5 billion (US$5.9 billion) a year in the UK’s capital, according to the Mayor of London. So, cars are a problem at city level, but they’re also a problem at national and international levels when it comes to carbon emissions. Anything we can do to reduce those emissions is really important.”
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CENTRAL AMERICA FOCUS
Pricing out gridlock
Colombia’s capital Bogotá has been innovating to tackle its growing congestion problem for years. Now a new smartphone app could help implement advanced pay-per-mile road user charging Words: Django Mathijsen
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CENTRAL AMERICA FOCUS
C
captionrich caption entral America is a region in beauty – from stunning beaches, to magnificent rainforests and fascinating cultural architecture. It is a vibrant place to live and an exciting place to visit. But unfortunately, like so many other parts of the world, the region’s cities are blighted by traffic. The Colombian city of Bogotá has been fighting congestion for decades – restricting private vehicles and investing in bike lanes and public transport – but it still is one of the most congested cities on the planet. Now, traffic managers are working hard with scientists and engineers on an innovative tool to curb the looming gridlock: flexible congestion pricing that doesn’t require large investments. Bogotá has an extensive public transport system with high-capacity buses on segregated lanes along highways, and smaller buses sharing regular streets with other transport modes. Every four years, mobility is assessed: in 2019, walking was still the most popular mode of travelling, public transport was used in around 30% of trips, cars 14% and motorcycles 7%. Transportation demand reduced during Covid, but Bogotá was still the 8th most congested city on the planet, according to Inrix, with drivers on average sitting 94 hours a year in traffic. “The discussion about congestion in Bogotá has been going on all my life,” says Germán Escovar Álvarez. Trained in transportation at MIT, he’s an advisor to the secretary of mobility of the city. He says that more cars and especially motorcycles are being bought in Bogotá. “Some people have long trips where public transport does not fully respond to their needs,” he explains. “In Latin-America, as development and wealth increases, one of the first things people want is a car. That’s one of the things we’re concerned about. That’s why we’re investing in public transport, bike lanes and sidewalks. We have one of the largest bus electric grids in the world. But there are trends that are hard to reverse. And the national government is promoting clean vehicles, aiming to foster employment and promote economic activity.”
Past solutions
Colombian capital Bogotá is the eighth most congested city in the world
In 1998, Pico y Placa (Peak and Plate) was launched, restricting car use during rush hours in the city centre, based on licence plate and the day of the week. This worked for a while, until people started buying a second vehicle to circumvent the restriction. In 2020, a modified policy was introduced: Pico y Placa Solidario. Citizens can now buy a permit to drive without restrictions. Prices start at US$12 for one day, US$520 for six months (in a country with a US$250 minimum wage). Drivers can also waive the restriction for free if they share their cars with at least two other passengers. “About 33,000 car owners are using the paid permit every day,” says Escovar. “That was the first time we started charging to drive. The money goes to public transport, so it is transferring funds
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CENTRAL AMERICA FOCUS
Above: Bogotá’s Pico y Placa Solidario system means drivers must buy a permit to enter central areas during the day. But as congestion persists, more advanced methods of road pricing, such as pay-permile are being investigated
from people who can afford the permit to the low-income population who use public transport. But people who drive have different levels of income. So, the fee for the permit isn’t fixed but depends on estimated emissions (engine size, type of fuel, year of manufacture), if a car is registered in Bogotá, and the commercial value of the car. “The restriction is now from 6am to 9pm,” Álvarez continues. “We will probably need to get rid of Pico y Placa at some point, but we are approaching it step by step. In the long term, as we capture more information, we aim to charge according to the characteristics of each person their cars, and the use they give them. Therefore, usage should be measured in kilometres, not days.” So the city called for proposals to test systems that eliminate enforcement problems and explore new ways to reduce congestion. ClearRoad, a US-based transport and technology company, was one of the companies selected to run a pilot.
ParceGO: the pilot
“Initially, we came to Bogotá to demonstrate congestion pricing using
In the long term, as we capture more information, we aim to charge according to the characteristics of each person their cars, and the use they give them Germán Escovar Álvarez, advisor to the secretary of mobility, Bogotá
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CENTRAL AMERICA FOCUS
A
Calculating the optimum
ny urban pricing scheme must reduce congestion on main roads and in the city centre. It should also create revenue for public transport, while keeping roads affordable for the less well-off. “That is a multiple objective optimisation problem,” says Andrea Lodi of Cornell Tech, who is helping to analyse congestion in Bogotá. “We have to measure the elasticity to price. And understand the demand of the population for road utilisation.”
If using one path to get from A to B will cost more but take less time than another one, where’s the tipping point in price where people will choose one over the other? That’s an elasticity-to-price issue. For the demand model, people participating in the pilot answer surveys. “We will be able to do an optimisation,” Lodi says. “Running the model will probably give us multiple solutions for the decision makers: the price will be a few
discrete values. These problems belong to the class ‘NP-hard’. We cannot solve them easily: they require many iterations. So you need sophisticated algorithmic tools to enumerate only the subset of solutions that are important. Finding this subset is difficult.” Understanding the demand model has been well documented in the scientific literature. Combining it with road pricing, however, is breaking new ground.
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The city’s secretary of transportation said [pay-per-mile] needed to be mobile phonebased, because there realistically would be no way for them to install dongles in every vehicle
Frederic Charlier, founder, ClearRoad
plug-in devices,” says Frederic Charlier, who founded ClearRoad five years ago. He’s an automatics-engineer with a business MBA who was the project manager of the first Oregon road usage charging programme in 2015, and in France launched the tolling service ‘Bip&Go’, which now operates in Spain, Italy and Portugal too. But the Oregon model wasn’t necessarily going to work in Colombia “The city’s secretary of transportation said it needed to be mobile phone-based,” says Charlier, “because there realistically would be no way for them to install dongles in every vehicle.” The traditional way of doing congestion pricing (as implemented in London and Stockholm) relies on cameras, which require a huge investment. “Those models only work in highly centralised megacities,” Charlier says. “Even Los Angeles wouldn’t be able to do that because the density in the city centre isn’t large enough to justify the infrastructure investment.” So ClearRoad is developing distancetravelled congestion pricing, which is based on a
B Above: ClearRoad’s solution uses a smartphone app to calculate distance-travelled congestion pricing
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Privacy issues
ecause the congestion charge app would gather personal data of road users, privacy can be a problem. This is why Bogotá will run it by their legal department before taking the next step. And then there is the problem of public acceptance. But Frederic Charlier of ClearRoad feels that is not insurmountable. “Almost everyone is sharing their data with all these big companies and they don’t seem to mind,” he says. “Our goal, compared to Google and the other big companies, is not to make money out of
smartphone app. This is flexible and affordable for developing countries, it can be rolled out quickly and seems to be a worldwide first. ClearRoad and the city ran a three-month pilot from April to July 2022: ParceGo. The aim was to determine if measuring and charging congestion this way would work; whether it could identify limitations and opportunities, find out the optimal pricing scheme and understand how people would react. More than 2,530 people applied to participate, of which 225 became ParceGo users, recording all their trips with the app. ClearRoad asked Cornell Tech to analyse the data and help determine a suitable pricing scheme. “It’s a great opportunity for learning from data to test our ideas,” says Andrea Lodi of Cornell Tech, who is a researcher in mathematical optimisation, working on traffic management. “We hope to be able to contribute to the wellbeing in cities.” Getting access to this kind of data is rare, but Lodi feels it is improving. “There is a big movement toward smart cities,” he says. “Big cities are dealing with lots of problems. A huge amount of work is being done by scientists and
selling data. Our goal is just to measure distance. Once that data is processed, we will delete it as quickly as possible.” “We only keep high level aggregates for data management. In the programme, no identifiable data will be shared with the city. Our data is completely tokenised. We have ways to link GPS data to specific names, but we keep that in different platforms. So it is even difficult for us. And there is always a low-tech backup: people who don’t want to share their data, can buy a permit.”
„
A fair and modern approach to financing infrastructure
Those who use infrastructure should also contribute to its maintenance. VITRONIC tolling systems allow for dynamic and flexible pricing models – for a fair funding solution.
CENTRAL AMERICA FOCUS
Data is the new resource everyone is looking to. Simulations and data analyses help us better predict the effect of policies
Andrea Lodi, researcher in mathematical optimization, Cornell Tech, New York City
practitioners trying to fix them. Data is the new resource everyone is looking to. Simulations and data analyses help us better predict the effect of policies. As a scientist, and citizen of the city of New York, I’m optimistic about data use in trying to mitigate some of the problems.” If the problem is formulated correctly, congestion pricing should reduce traffic and pollution by decreasing the use of private cars and increasing public transport use. The app registers the path a participant takes, and surveys are held to understand at which prices people will decide to use public transport or cancel their trip.
Pay-per-mile future
Above: ClearRoad’s app is currently gathering data on journeys taken in Bogotá to identify congestion hotspots
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The app is currently just gathering data, measuring trip distances and finding out where congestion is worst. If the distance calculation of the app is good enough, the next step would be to use it for the congestion charge. Then it has to provide more data, like the number of occupants, since a car with three people is not subjected to restrictions. “We have learned from the pilot that it could be important for apps to automatically detect if the owners are driving,” Escovar says. “The app could, based on speed, location and vibration, identify if you are driving, walking, on a bike or standing still,” Charlier adds. “We have not implemented that modal detection yet, but this is being done by others already. That algorithm is not 100% accurate
though, so there has to be an opportunity for the user to requalify the trip if there is a mistake.” Nobody will be forced to use an app. That would be impossible since part of Bogotá’s population cannot access a smartphone or doesn’t want to share private information. It would also require major regulation changes. “We will probably maintain the policy we have, give the option to use the app and incentivise people to do so,” Escovar says, who is aiming for a charging app to go live in the next few years. It is ambitious, but barring any legal or political roadblocks, he thinks it is feasible. Charlier agrees. “The scale would not immediately go from zero to two million people,” he says. “It would increase gradually, making that quick rollout possible. Bogotá is unique because it already has congestion management which is adaptable to what we are proposing. The app is presented as a benefit to the user.” Lodi also agrees, with two caveats. “We will need to see if the sample of data we are receiving is big enough for generalisation,” he says. “And then we have to do the engineering.” Finding the optimal pricing takes a lot of research and time, but in practice it is okay to cut a few corners. “You can avoid solving too optimality by saying I’m happy with a good solution,” says Lodi. Escovar thinks that with Bogotá’s congestion problem, they will have to launch an app by 2023. “It will probably not be ideal yet, but we will then improve it,” he says. n
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bigger
PARKING PRESSURE
The
problem
Cars, whether combustion engine or electric, are getting bigger. So, it stands to reason that parking spaces should grow to match. Or does it? While some governments are issuing guidance for this, there is concern from parking operators at the changes and outright opposition from some mobility thought leaders. We find out more Words: Lauren Dyson
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PARKING PRESSURE While cars have become bigger in recent years, the size of parking bays has mostly stayed the same
W
e have all been there. You have skillfully manoeuvred your car into a tight parking space, but then you have to breathe in and open your door ever so slowly – just enough – so that you can squeeze through that tiny gap between your car and the one next to you. If you dread parking in public car parks, you are not alone. Research commissioned by AppyParking+, revealed that almost half of motorists (46%) find parking to be the most stressful part of driving. The study also revealed that motorists are likely to give up on a space twice a week and 38% of motorists will just keep driving until they find a space that is ideal for them. Part of the problem is, while cars have become bigger over the years, the size of parking bays has stayed the same. Parking guidelines for the UK were first published by the Institution of Structural Engineers in 1976, with the requirement for public bays to be 2.4m (8ft) wide x 4.8m (16ft) long. The guidelines were ideal in the 1970s, when the average family saloon was almost 20cm narrower than the equivalent today. But as side-impact safety systems have improved and driver preferences have changed, many people own bigger and wider cars that simply take up more space. “There is a trend towards the manufacture and purchase of bigger cars, such as SUVs and larger family cars,” says Dave Smith from the British Parking Association (BPA). “Cars have always come in a range of sizes from the Mini to the Range Rover. All of them have grown over the years and the smallest models are now, in some cases, the same size as the larger models used to be. For example, today’s Range Rover is 1.9m
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PARKING PRESSURE
Parking bay sizes around the world
The UK is increasing its recommended parking space size from 4.8 x 2.4m to 5 x 2.6m – but other countries have different standards:
• France 5 x 2.3m • Canada 5.2 x 2.7m • Australia 5.4 x 2.4m • Japan 5 x 2.3m • Switzerland 5.7 x 2.5m, despite having some of the largest spaces in the world, the Swiss Association of Road and Traffic Experts has recently presented a proposal to increase the standard size to 6 x 2.6m • USA 5.5-7.3m long and 2.6-2.7m wide (varies from state-to-state)
38%
Above: Due to their compact nature, Smart cars are often easy to park in small spaces, unlike increasingly popular SUVs or large family cars
The proportion of motorists that will just keep driving until they find a space that is absolutely ideal for them
wide, compared to the 1970s Source: AppyParking version that was 1.8m wide. The Mini was originally 1.04m wide and is now 1.69m wide.” Further, many new electric vehicles (EVs), such as the Tesla Model S, are around 2m wide. It is no wonder that people struggle to get in and out of their cars safely in car parks. Damage is also common. In the February 2020 Driver Poll Survey from the Automobile Association (AA), and the projection of the open door from the more than 50% of respondents said their cars side of the car, and it becomes around 600mm. had been damaged while parked in a car park, This is to the first notch of opening; if the door with the most common form of damage being a is opened to the second notch, the projection small dent or scratch caused by someone else. “When a car door is opened, a gap of around increases to 850mm. The doors on two-door cars are longer and open wider – and the lower the 400mm is needed between the inside of the car the wider the doors need to be opened to get door and the body of the car for the driver out. To compound the situation, our changing to get out,” explains Chris Whapples, lifestyles have resulted in our waistlines becoming parking and structural consultant at larger, making the 400mm gap too tight for many Stripe Consulting. “Add the thickness drivers and passengers to squeeze through.” of the door, which is around 200mm,
Older car parks may have to adapt to accommodate the demand for larger spaces but that will mean fewer spaces… A successful car park will need have the right balance of capacity and efficiency Dave Smith, British Parking Association (BPA)
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PARKING PRESSURE
New guidance
Many drivers and industry experts welcomed the announcement in August 2022 that UK government ministers have agreed to support a plan to increase the size of parking spaces across the country. The recommended length of a parking bay will increase from 4.8m (16ft) to 5.0m (16.4ft),” says Whapples. “The width of a standard parking bay is likely to increase from 2.4m (8ft) to 2.6m (8.5ft).” It is thought that increasing the size further would attract larger vehicles, which are heavier and potentially risk overloading car park structures. “Larger parking bays will make it easier for everyone to navigate into and out of spaces, and reduce the risk of damage to other vehicles when opening doors,” says BPA’s Smith. It will also hopefully mean that drivers are not spending lots
of time circling around looking for spaces that they can easily access. The irony is that the future may see a trend for self-parking cars, which will mean the width of a parking bay will be less of an issue.” While the plan has clear benefits for those of us parking cars, there are costly implications for parking facility owners, and longerterm environmental impacts to consider. The new guidance will primarily apply to off-street parking bays, such a car parks. Those building new car parks will be encouraged to provide bays that are larger than the current standard, while car parks under renovation or in the process of installing EV chargers will also be encouraged to make changes. The British Parking Association (BPA) estimates that there are currently well over 17,000 car parks that will need updating in the UK.
Above: The original Smart car is famous for being small and parkable lengthways. But even this marque is growing in size, with the 2023 Smart #1 compact SUV similar in size to the Mini Countryman, at 4.2m long and 1.9m wide
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PARKING PRESSURE services at NCP. “Some customers want larger bays, and some customers on our busier sites that fill up quickly would be concerned that in order to provide larger bays we would need to reduce the number of overall spaces available. On receipt of formal notification of the new guidance and agreed expectations we will certainly review and apply as required, where we are able to.” “Older car parks may have to adapt to accommodate the demand for larger spaces but that will mean fewer spaces,” adds BPA’s Smith. “Car parks are beginning to introduce wider bays and marked pedestrian spaces as refurbishments are completed but this is ongoing and takes time. Multistorey car parks provide particular challenges as they are not easily adaptable and re-building them is costly. A successful car park will need have the right balance The proportion of motorists of capacity and efficiency.”
60%
Above: Some drivers struggle to park well, even in the largest of spaces…
The view of operators
The bigger picture
While ministerial Fewer parking bays could support for such a plan cause more frustration for in the UK has only come drivers, and it could also result about recently, some car in increased parking charges, Source: BPA park owners have already as facility owners look to recoup taken the initiative to make revenue that would otherwise be lost. spaces larger. Back in 2016, Larger parking bays could also mean National Car Parks (NCP), the UK’s that parking facilities need to occupy a larger largest parking operator, revealed that it had footprint, using up more green space and land that already started to widen some parking bays in could be used for infrastructure supporting more London, Manchester and Bournemouth in order to sustainable transport modes, such as cycle lanes. cope with the popularity of increasingly large cars. “Cars are indeed getting bigger, but it “Over the past few years, NCP has already doesn’t mean we should be pandering to the started trialling wider bays on a few of our larger car industry and making bays bigger,” says sites and as a business we welcome any review Shaun Helman, chief scientist at TRL (formally that looks thoroughly into this issue from all Transport Research Laboratory). “Many of the sides,” says Kevin O’Connor, director of leased considerations around transport and liveability in public space come down to two things. The first is how much room things need, and the Rather than diving straight into increasing other is how those things interact with other bay sizes, local governments should first take things in the environment. If you make parking stock of their kerbside assets, getting these into bays bigger, the markets will be even more a digital format that helps them to understand ready to increase the size of vehicles in the future, because they know that you will just exactly what is on-street make space for them.” So where does it end? Dan Hubert, founder and CEO, Appyway
Abuse of parking bays
W
hen cars are too big for regular spaces, they can often be seen to overlap the line, or straddle two parking spaces. 60% of motorists surveyed by the BPA said drivers taking up more than one space is one of the most frustrating things about parking. Some drivers of larger vehicles also abuse the spaces that are reserved for the people who need large bays the most: disabled motorists and parents with young children. Over the past summer, Confused.com surveyed 650 supermarket car parks across England, Wales and Scotland, and noted that one in three people misused parent and child parking bays. Meanwhile, in Disabled Motoring’s 2021 ‘Baywatch’ survey , 88.7% of respondents said that they saw abuse of disabled bays occurring ‘often’ or ‘very often’. It is
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who say that drivers taking up more than one space is one of the most frustrating things about parking
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recommended that parking spaces for disabled people are 3.6m wide, with the 1.2m difference marked by yellow hatched lines. “Disabled bays are regularly abused by people driving larger vehicles like long wheelbase vans and large SUVs,” says Graham Footer, CEO, Disabled Motoring UK. “When challenged most drivers of these vehicles say that they cannot park their vehicles in standard bays because they don’t fit. We also see disabled bays being abused by people driving large luxury cars who do not want to park in standard bays in case they get their doors dented or scratched because the bays are too small. I am sure that if standard bays were made larger, it would stop some of the abuse of disabled bays, but only some, as there are many other reasons why disabled bays are abused by selfish people.”
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PARKING PRESSURE
62%
The increase in the size of the Mini when comparing the latest models of the car with the original 1960’s version
Glenn Lyons, Mott MacDonald professor of future mobility at the University of the West of England, agrees. “I appreciate that some people need bigger vehicles but this does not justify the gross normalisation of increasing vehicle sizes,” he says. “And to accommodate them seems like madness in a climate crisis. Wouldn’t making parking bays in priority locations smaller to reward users of smaller cars make more sense (alongside increasing parking enforcement)? Better still reallocate space to active travel or placemaking, or maybe make parking bays even bigger and only for buses. Maybe bigger bays are a cunning plan to result in fewer bays.”
Kerbside assets
Dan Hubert, founder and CEO of Appyway, also believes that a wider perspective is needed. “There is no denying cars have got bigger and that parking will, for the near term, remain an important part of people’s journeys,” he says. “But as we look towards a decarbonised future, we have to ask whether these types of changes are necessary. The UK is woefully behind in its rollout of electric vehicle charging bays, and in larger towns and cities residents are up against huge backlogs to access bicycle hangars. I would argue that rather than diving straight into increasing bay sizes, local governments should first take stock of their kerbside assets, getting these into a digital format that helps them to understand exactly what is on-street and enables them to make data-led decisions that benefit local communities, businesses and importantly the environment.”
We would accept that someone driving a very large van as part of their business would need more space to park, if it was their only mode of transport. But is it fair for someone who drives a very large, comfortable 4x4 to expect more space at their destination too?
Shaun Helman, chief scientist, TRL
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Future proofing
So instead of focussing on how to accommodate the public preference towards larger cars, Helman feels that we really need to think about how much space is reasonable for each of us to take up when we leave our ‘transport stuff’ in public spaces. “We would not have a minimum size for parking bays if there was not some expectation of what is reasonable for a car driver to require,” he says. “And expectations about what is reasonable change with perceived need. We would accept that someone driving a very large van as part of their business would need more space to park, if it was their only mode of transport. But is it fair for someone who drives a very large, comfortable 4x4 to expect more space at their destination too?” Indeed, Helman advocates that when we are thinking about how to modify our towns and cities for a sustainable future, we should not be basing our plans on the needs of car drivers. “The future of transport should not be about bigger cars,” he says. “It should not even be about cars. If all we end up with is the same number of cars, but electric, we will have failed to embrace an opportunity to make transport truly sustainable. The system we currently have is built around the car, so of course, people choose cars. That’s what is encouraged by the system. But we know that if you make good infrastructure available, for example, for cycling, people will use it and change the way they travel based on what the opportunities are there. The future of transport is a whole system that supports sustainable travel; not giving everybody what they want based on the vehicle they have.” ■
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Above: The Mini was originally 1.04m wide and is now 1.69m wide
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UNIVERSAL BASIC MOBILITY
Land free of the
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UNIVERSAL BASIC MOBILITY Can the concept of universal basic mobility (UBM) really take off? In the USA, trials are underway to test the theory that making a certain level of access to transport a basic right will pay dividends across economies Words: Jack Roper
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he theory of universal basic mobility (UBM) is that better transportation options improve socioeconomic outcomes for disadvantaged communities. Subsidized mobility may cost in the short-term, but ultimately pay for itself by creating healthier, better-paid citizens. Pilots intended to prove this compelling but untested hypothesis are underway in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. “Transportation connects people to opportunity,” says Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) interim general manager, Connie Llanos. “In LA, 10 times more jobs are accessible to those with a vehicle. But in some neighbourhoods, 40% of households have only one vehicle or none at all. Often, they’ve been effectively cordoned off by transportation planning choices.” The US$17.8m South Los Angeles UBM Pilot Program [see, How does UBM work in LA? overleaf] will provide a wide range of transportation options to 2,000 lower-income Angelenos and measure the socioeconomic impact. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, a comparatively modest US$250,000 trial will provide 50 residents with access to Move PGH services including public transit, Pogoh bike-share, Zipcar car-share and Spin scooters. “Reurbanization has filled walkable city neighbourhoods with wealthy people,” says Spin senior vice president for policy and partnerships, Kyle Rowe. “Low-income folks in sprawled suburbs are forced into costly car ownership, while those without a car struggle to access resources. Giving those most in need free transportation solutions could break that cycle, allowing them to achieve better employment, health and social outcomes.” This will involve residents from Pittsburgh’s Manchester and Chateau neighbourhoods, where median income is 14%
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Above: Blue LA is an electric car-share service running in Los Angeles
below the city average. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will quantify the effects of free mobility on socioeconomic outcomes. “Our pilot is what social scientists call a randomized control trial,” says CMU professor of economics and public policy, Dr Lee Branstetter. “We recruit low-income residents and randomly sort them into two groups of 50. Our treatment group receive additional transportation resources, whereas our control group don’t. Crucially, we obtain their permission to collect their data, which we de-identify prior to analysis.” It is a dispositive test: one designed to demonstrate that UBM works by comparing outcomes between identical groups with and without free mobility. While a sample of 50 may be insufficient to prove the theory conclusively, the results may justify funding for tests on a wider scale. “But we must remain open to the possibility it won’t matter much,” he adds. “People face so many barriers.
One plausible conclusion could be that transportation is a necessary condition for social advancement, but in itself insufficient unless paired with other social supports.” At LADOT, UBM is no dispassionate hypothesis. “For us, universal basic mobility is an operating principle,” says Llanos. “It’s a way we measure every grant, project and initiative – ‘How does it help close the gap and better connect all Angelenos to opportunity?’. This pilot is a concentrated illustration of that concept.”
Digital access
While initially focused on a 2,000-resident cohort, it will simultaneously test the theory and lay groundwork for implementation at scale. LADOT will install safe street and EV charging infrastructure, build public-private partnerships and foster digital access to transportation – all prerequisites to wider provision – and contribute US$1m in pilot funds to the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor Project. This is a 5.5 mile
We have to ensure every Angeleno can access opportunity, regardless of their neighbourhood or access to a single-occupancy vehicle. Honestly, if it can work in Los Angeles, it really can work anywhere! Connie Llanos, interim general manager, LADOT
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UNIVERSAL BASIC MOBILITY
How does UBM work in LA?
In April 2022, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched the $17.8m South LA Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) Pilot Program. A pool of 2,000 lower-income residents will receive US$150 in monthly credits and access to a suite of transportation options coming online between now and 2024. “There’s an e-bike library, expanded EV carshare, free shuttles and subsidized transit,” says LADOT’s interim general manager, Connie Llanos. “We’re deploying EV charging and street safety infrastructure. We’re even partnering with LA Trade Tech College and LA Cleantech Incubator to create job pathways back to transportation and build an ecosystem supporting the community benefits.” The programme is enabled by a $13.8m California Air Resources Board grant and $4m in City of Los Angeles funds. It involves 10 partners including CicLAvia, Mobility Development Partners, Blink Mobility, EVGo and several City departments. “The goal is to complete all facets by 2025,” says Llanos. “We’ll be working with academic partners including UC Davis to measure the benefits of these investments as we go and consider how we might take it to scale.” The program focuses on an area of South LA where 29% of households live below the poverty threshold and 19% receive state-funded nutritional benefits. 30% of households own only one vehicle and 6% report owning none at all. “We have to ensure every Angeleno can access opportunity, regardless of their neighbourhood or access to a single-occupancy vehicle,” says Llanos. “Honestly, if it can work in Los Angeles, it really can work anywhere!”
resources with smartphone-enabled (8.9km) bike and pedestrian path being built payments. With a smartphone, they can along the route of a disused railway access transportation options and – with their line, to connect working LA Metro permission – we can track their mobility. stations on its A, J and K Lines. Technology in almost everyone’s hands gives us “Rail-to-Rail will reimagine a former railway incredible reach that we’ve not had before.” as a multimodal connector to downtown LA,” Llanos explains. “Underutilized infrastructure becomes a blight and Public outreach reminds the community it isn’t Equally crucial is community getting the same investments as engagement. In Pittsburgh, the elsewhere. We want South LA Manchester Citizens Corporation residents to see and feel that will help identify the correct their choices have grown.” target population and educate LADOT is also building them in using mobility options. The number of LA digital infrastructure to LADOT has partnered with the citizens being given support universal mobility. It SLATE-Z (South Los Angeles US$150 a month still sees gaps in smartphone Transit Empowerment Zone) adoption and will provide community organization and for transport phones as part of the pilot. created a Residents Advisory It is developing two parallel Committee to articulate citizens’ mobility wallet mechanisms to own investment priorities. deliver US$150 monthly subsidies, based “We’re not prescribing options this on the Metro Tap system and Angeleno Card community should have,” says Llanos. “Since respectively. The goal is integrated and scalable we first submitted the application, we have copayment and access via a single application. designed the pilot with local residents. It makes “The smartphone makes all this possible,” a tangible difference, because transportation says Branstetter. “With a smartphone, we can policy has neglected these neighbourhoods over communicate with residents and provide time and we have to rebuild those relationships.”
2,000
Top: In LA public transport options are sometimes few and far between, making UBM a real challenge, but one LADOT is prepared to meet Above left: Metro Bike Share provides Angelenos with access to a range of bikes for short trips across LA Above right: Trials will provide better access to shared mobility
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E-scooters and free mobility Spin operates scooters and e-bikes in some 100 North American markets. Users download an app, unlock the dockless shared vehicles, and leave them in any location deemed parking-compliant. “Initially, we deploy the fleet in a way we think captures the market,” says Spin SVP, Kyle Rowe. “Then a beautiful chaos happens, created by random individuals making genuine trips. We start to see how demand ebbs and flows, both geographically and temporally. Based on that, we build a rebalancing plan. It’s a really complex science.” Spin operates a warehouse in each market and employs staff to swap batteries and reposition left vehicles to locations of likely demand. Its workforce ranges from one employee on a college campus to dozens in major cities. Spin operates 1,500 vehicles in Pittsburgh but elsewhere remains subject to more restrictive fleet caps. “Our primary constraint is fleet-size,” says Rowe. “We must prove we can operate responsibly so that policymakers feel comfortable with us deploying the larger fleets we need to meet the demand shown by our data.” Spin is contributing US$50,000 to the Pittsburgh UBM study. It hopes to gain experience and build partnerships enabling it to reduce barriers to access, while affirming its status as a contributor to transportation funding goals. “During the pandemic, nearly every US city deemed micromobility an essential service,” says Rowe. “If we prove our service is fundamental to improving outcomes for disadvantaged communities, we become part of a core framework for policymakers.” Above: The UBM ambition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is to make the opportunities downtown accessible to more residents than ever before
Participants agree to download an app that tracks their movements… We de-identify that data to safeguard privacy
Dr Lee Branstetter, professor of economics and public policy, CMU
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A partnership with Allegheny County Department of Human Service (DHS) enables CMU to interrogate rich public datasets. Each year, the US unemployment insurance system requires all companies to report the identities and incomes of employees – data that Allegheny DHS can use to track the employment status and income of individuals in the pilot. “My research team does not have access to individual records,” Branstetter notes. “Instead, we have a relationship whereby we present this agency with questions about two randomlyassigned groups. We can directly see what difference transportation resources make to income and do more sophisticated analyses.” The possibilities are not limited to employment. Allegheny DHS can describe individuals’ interactions with the US justice system. School Data and privacy records enable it to detect spillover effects Both pilots must quantify the relative on the academic progress of children with socioeconomic progress of participants to parents involved in the study. It can monitor understand the impact of UBM provision. reliance on publicly funded health insurance, University of California, Davis (UC Davis) income support and nutritional assistance. will assist LADOT, while CMU is responsible “We’d love to be able to tell government: for progress-tracking Pittsburgh’s ‘If you provide lower-income citizens treatment and control groups. with additional transportation, “Participants agree to their economic circumstances download a smartphone app improve so much that it pays for that tracks their movements,” itself in reduced outlays and says Branstetter. “We can increased tax revenues’,”says measure the movements of Branstetter. “Medicaid records our treatment group relative The funding for the allow granular analysis of to our control group. Do universal basic mobility health outcomes (with the they go to new places? Or just trial taking place in same iron wall around privacy). commute to the same places It may show that short-term more reliably? We de-identify Pittsburgh transportation expenditure that data to safeguard privacy.”
Private mobility providers have also tended to neglect communities where lower median incomes equate to uncertain return-on-investment. Llanos is excited about the involvement of private partners in South LA and believes the pilot’s scale will demonstrate to private enterprise that UBM is a future investment priority. “Research shows that those who use transportation most efficiently use a variety of options,” says Rowe. “Obviously, free public transit is within the purview of city authorities. In Pittsburgh, the pairing of public services with those of private companies like Spin and Zipcar is pretty unique and may enable individuals to better access their community.”
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UNIVERSAL BASIC MOBILITY
Above: Los Angeles is famous as a city built around the private car, but can UBM help to widen options for residents? Right: Blue LA EVs can be picked up and dropped off at 40 locations around the city
By providing options to use other modes, perhaps we can bring [lowincome residents] along on the sustainable mobility movement already underway Kyle Rowe, senior vice president for policy and partnerships, Spin
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makes for a healthier society and reduces long-term health expenditure.”
To Europe and beyond
12%
air pollution and respiratory disorders, LADOT will promote clean mobility through street safety and EV infrastructure. The package offered in Pittsburgh reflects a sustainable modal mix, with Zipcar use rationed to a few hours per month. “Transportation accounts for 12% of average American household expenditure,” says Rowe. “For low-income suburban residents forced to maintain an old clunker of a car, it becomes far more. By providing options to use other modes, perhaps we can bring them along on the sustainable mobility movement already underway in walkable neighbourhoods.” ■
The average proportion of household income spend on transportation in the USA
The continuity of administrative records allows the persistence of study benefits to be measured into the indefinite future. Potentially, this approach is easily repeatable across or beyond the US. Branstetter believes UK researchers could access equally rich datasets by partnering with the Office of National Statistics, while statistics are even more centralized elsewhere in Europe. Both pilots target net-positive carbon impacts. In South LA, which suffers high concentrations of
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CONNECTED VEHICLE DATA
Is it working? Connected vehicle data has uses way beyond collision avoidance and weather reports – it’s creating a dynamic picture of traffic flows that can be used to verify the effectiveness almost any kind of traffic management system, as is being proved in Ohio Words Tom Stone
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CONNECTED VEHICLE DATA A connected vehicle technology penetration of just 4% is enough to give meaningful traffic flow data
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n Ohio during 2020 traffic reached historic lows as the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns kept citizens at home and highways empty. But that didn’t stop a new adaptive traffic signal system being installed on US-27, as it had been planned, funded and agreed long before anyone had even heard of Covid-19. Moreover, traffic managers could be fairly confident that, while the pressure was temporarily off their network, congestion would one day return, with a vengeance. Accordingly, engineers rolled out the new system as planned. Adaptive to traffic flows, it relies on traditional in-pavement loop detectors, which are located upstream from each of 22 signalised intersections along the designated portion of US-27 in Bevis, to the north of Cincinnati. Signal phase and timing is then dynamically adjusted using a Link-Pivot Model, which is an updated version of SCOOT (split cycle offset optimisation technique). So far, so traditional. No traffic engineer working to optimise signal timings over the past couple of decades anywhere in the world will be particularly surprised by the methodology now in use in Ohio. But the innovative part comes not in how the system operates, but how its success is being measured. For this, connected vehicle data is stepping up and helping to validate the entire process, thereby creating robust performance measures to pave the way for more systems of this type in the future.
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Digital twin boom
In a clear sign of the growing importance of data and connectivity across all industries, a new report from Future Market Insights predicts the global market for digital twin technology (currently at US$9.5bn) is expected to reach US$72.65bn by the year 2032, (a compound annual growth rate of 22.6%). The Digital Twin Technology Market Report analyses the use of digital twins in a variety of sectors and acknowledges the importance of its development within the transportation and automotive sectors, which holds the largest market share due to rising utilization for simulation, design and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul). Digital twins are widely used for digitally representing real-time data. In other words, they help in building predictive models and gauging the probability of success of various physical prototypes before they are rolled out. Connected vehicles, often equipped with 3D mapping technology in the form of lidar, can be used to update digital twins on a real-time basis, with roadside sensors also used to enrich the data picture.
Above: Digital twins of road networks are assisting with infrastructure design and construction, asset monitoring, and even live traffic management Right: Darcy Bullock led a team of academics using connected vehicle data to assess the effectiveness of a new signal system
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“The really cool part was that we could evaluate the effectiveness of the system independently from the sensors,” says Darcy Bullock, professor of civil engineering and joint transportation research program director at Purdue University, Indiana, who took charge of the assessment. “Often, we do the evaluation using the same sensors that we’re using to control the system, but
an independent evaluation using connected vehicle data carries more weight. It’s really hard to keep detection running all the time, but I think we need detection, so this is where connected vehicle data should be used.”
Signal performance measures
The aim of an adaptive signal control system is to effectively ‘self-tune’ timings to respond to an increase in traffic. The success of this is measured in four key ways. The first is arrivals on green. “That is, when a car is driving down the corridor, if it arrives at the signal on green, life is good,” says Bullock. “The second performance measure we worry about is what we call split failures,” continues Bullock. “When you pull up to a traffic signal, you see it go green, a bunch of cars go in front of you, but you don’t get to go. That’s insufficient green. We call that a split failure. “Then third performance measure we call a downstream blockage, the lights are sending the downstream signal, but you can’t get through and that’s a distinctly different problem because it’s a downstream signal causing a problem upstream. And then the last one is what we call our LOS or a level of service. And that’s a traditional delay base.”
Using the data
It’s really hard to keep detection running all the time, but I think we need detection, so this is where connected vehicle data should be used
Darcy Bullock, professor of civil engineering and joint transportation research program director at Purdue University, Indiana
Connected vehicle data can help to assess how well such a system is working, so why has it not been used before? The simple answer is the level of penetration of the technology into vehicle fleets
CONNECTED VEHICLE DATA
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timestamps. “But as long as you’re in that 4-5% you can absolutely get a good resume on heading. The industry has solved that problem.”
The results
Connected vehicle data or not, deploying in the middle of the Covid pandemic meant that the true efficacy of the new system could not be assessed immediately. “We knew we were going to have a large traffic rebound, so everybody was holding their breath,” says Bullock. “Is it going to be better or worse than where we were before?” The challenge for the new system was also intensified by the fact, when it was installed a new signal was also added to the corridor. “Generally, signals don’t improve things, they slow things down and add more friction to the system,” says Bullock. In 2021 as Covid lockdowns eased, the corridor saw a 35% increase in traffic volumes, nevertheless some parts of US-27 saw a dramatic improvement in flows thanks to the new adaptive traffic signal system. At one intersection arrivals on green went from 31% to 78%. “These are numbers that elected officials that ultimately fund these projects can understand,” says Bullock. “We also can look at travel time along the corridor and if we can see there is substantially no change in the morning peak hour times despite the increase in traffic.” Across the entire, 22-signal stretch of US-27 where the new system was installed arrivals on green showed a 1% improvement, while split failures didn’t change and downstream blockage didn’t change. “I’ll take that as a win any day when you’ve got a 35% increase in traffic volume,” says Bullock. Now, thanks to the verification power of connected vehicle data, those behind the multimillion-dollar investment in the adaptative traffic signal system can stop holding their breath and breathe a sigh of relief. Not only that, but the results can also now be used to support future similar investments. n
IMAGES: @STOCK_ADOBE.COM, TOM STONE
Below: Graphics assessing the four key performance measures of signals, created using connected vehicle data: AOG (arrival on green); SF (split failure); DSB (downstream blockage) and LOS (lost of service)
had not been high enough. A critical mass had to be reached for such a data set to be granular enough to provide meaningful information. “We’ve be talking about connected vehicles for the last 15 years,” says Bullock. “But what’s really cool is that in the last two years we have started to get connected vehicle data at scale. Just in the state of Ohio, we ingest about 17 billion records per month.” While this certainly sounds like a large amount of data, in fact, in vehicle percentage terms the penetration is still fairly low. Nevertheless, it is enough to provide accurate information for this kind of project. “In Indiana and Ohio we see 4-5% of our vehicles are connected,” says Bullock. “Which is one in every 20 to 25 vehicles, which help to create a trajectory data set. We use Wejo for this data, but I know there are multiple competitors.” Bullock admits that in the past, when penetration was only at 1%, which is a level seen in some other countries, it was not possible to get accurate trajectory information from connected vehicle data, which can be very sensitive to
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LOW EMISSION ZONES
Clearing the
The Mayor of London’s plan to expand the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will come with some economic and traffic management challenges. But if these can be overcome, this will be another stride towards greater health and sustainability for the capital – and the rest of the UK Words: Lauren Dyson
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LOW EMISSION ZONES
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n late November 2022, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded to cover the entire area within the Greater London Authority boundary. From August 29, 2023, thousands of drivers in non-compliant vehicles will have to pay £12.50 (US$15) a day to enter the Greater London area. The mayor says the aim of the expansion is to tackle the ‘triple threats’ of air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion. The ULEZ already covers the area of London that sits within the north and south circular orbital roads. This charge has been in place since October 2021, but road user charging in London actually started almost 20 years ago. “Road user charging isn’t new to London,” confirms Claire Harrison, senior engineer at Transport for London (TfL). “The first road user charging scheme, the Congestion Charge, was launched in 2003. And then, in addition to measures to promote walking, cycling, and the use of public transport, emissions charging is another method that we are using
to further reduce the most harmful emissions generated by transport across the capital.” Road charging policies within London have progressed gradually. The first low emission zone (LEZ) was established in Greater London in 2008. This policy targeted heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) exceeding 3.5 tonnes and busses or coaches weighing more than 5 tonnes. Then, in 2017, the mayor introduced the toxicity charge, also known as the T-Charge. This covered the same area as the Congestion Charge in central London and operated at the same time. “Most drivers of petrol and diesel cars registered before 2006 had to pay £10 (US$12) to drive into the centre of London during the week,” says Harrison. “This was on top of the Congestion Charge. And then in April 2019, the T-Charge was replaced by the central ULEZ. This also operated within the same zone as the Congestion Charge, but it was operational 24/7 and the charge increased to £12.50 a day. “The emission requirements for the ULEZ are much tighter and diesel drivers are hardest hit.
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Above: Singage is an important tool in the implementation of London’s ULEZ, with over 1,000 signs already in place for the current area within the city’s North and South Circular roads
Our city is being smothered by toxic air – and it’s hurting and killing Londoners. Air pollution particles have even been found in the livers and brains of unborn babies
Sadiq Kahn, Mayor of London
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The ULEZ is enforced by a network of cameras equipped with ANPR. These identify vehicles driving in the zone and track whether the applicable charge has been paid or not. If the charge is not paid within three days a penalty charge notice (PCN) is issued. It is perhaps unsurprising that many Londoners are against this potential extra travel cost, but despite the negative feedback, Khan is resolute in his ambition to clean London’s air. It is thought around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to pollution and the ULEZ has already been very effective in reducing air pollution in central areas. “Our city is being smothered by toxic air—and it’s hurting and killing Londoners,” Kahn says. “Air pollution particles have even been found in the livers and brains of unborn babies. Children are growing up with stunted lungs, and adults are developing asthma, dementia and even cancer. I cannot stand idly by and allow this to continue.” The goal of the ULEZ expansion is to get the most polluting The fee applies to any vehicles off London’s streets. diesel car that doesn’t We’ve already seen Compliance within the meet the latest emission significant air quality current ULEZ is now at 94%, standards (Euro 6), and improvements… a reduction in which is much higher than this is generally any diesel roadside nitrogen dioxide of the 39% when ULEZ was that’s registered before more than 40%, a 27% first announced in 2017. 2015. Fewer petrol drivers Kahn believes that are affected at the moment reduction in PM 2.5 and expanding the ULEZ to because the restrictions a 6% reduction in C02 cover most of London will are the same as for the Carolyne Paul, senior engineering leader, strike the best balance T-Charge. It only affects Transport for London (TfL) between maximizing the petrol vehicles registered health and environmental before 2006 (Euro 4).” benefits for Londoners while minimizing the In March 2021, the LEZ standards were made cost to drivers. The mayor’s office says that much more stringent, and they were brought more in line with the ULEZ standards. Then, in October about 200,000 non-compliant vehicles are driven regularly in London. Meanwhile, nearly half of 2021 the ULEZ was expanded and became 18 London households do not own a car but they are times larger to cover the entire area between disproportionately affected by road pollution. the North and South Circular orbital roads. “We’ve already seen significant air quality improvements, including a reduction in Enabling change roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide Existing road-user charging schemes in London, of more than 40%, a 27% reduction in PM 2.5 such as the Congestion Charge in central London and a 6% reduction in C02 emissions,” says and the LEZ for large and heavy vehicles will remain as they are. However, some changes have Carolyne Paul, senior engineering leader, TfL. been made to help those who will struggle with “To achieve this, we’ve delivered the technical the cost of replacing their vehicle. The mayor requirements for over 1,000 signs, technical has introduced ‘grace periods’, which will allow approvals of almost 800 cameras, as well as some drivers additional time to comply, as well the communication systems behind them.” as a new £110 million scrappage scheme. “I’ve announced support to help make this Cleaner air change easier for Londoners, including a new In 2022 Transport for London (TfL) held a public £110 million scrappage scheme, which will consultation on the plan to further expand help Londoners on lower incomes, the ULEZ zone into greater London. disabled Londoners, micro businesses The results were mixed, but overall, and charities to scrap or retrofit some 60% of those who responded their non-compliant vehicles were opposed to it, with 70% in exchange for a grant or free of residents in outer London annual bus and tram passes,” against the idea. Around 80% Kahn says. “I know this will of workers in outer London make a huge difference to also opposed the plan (see countless Londoners.” Better for everyone? overleaf).
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LOW EMISSION ZONES
London’s ULEZ works alongside the Congestion Charge, but is expanding to cover a much wider area
Leonardo DiCaprio, actor
Advocates for shared mobility see the mayor’s recent announcement as a crucial step forward in encouraging people to choose more sustainable transport options. “It is critical that the focus on the expansion of the ULEZ not only gets people out of noncompliant vehicles and into compliant ones, but into a range of sustainable alternatives,” says Richard Dilks, chief executive of national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK). “This should include shared transport options like car clubs, shared bikes and e-scooters, lift-sharing and demand responsive transport. If London, and the UK more widely, are to meet ambitious climate change targets, we must harness the full potential of shared transport.” The expansion of the ULEZ is just one of the initiatives being considered by the mayor. He is also considered applying the ULEZ charges to all
Better for everyone?
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hile environmental and mobility groups have welcomed the mayor’s decision, several of the outer London boroughs affected have expressed concern and disappointment with the outcome. While the councils say they recognize the importance of cleaner air, many believe the ULEZ expansion will have a negative economic impacts, with elderly, disabled and lower-income families worst affected. They also say the ULEZ will deter people who live outside the capital from travelling in to work, shop, or visit attractions. “We won’t support an unfair, regressive tax that will achieve very little in terms of outcomes by zone one officials who completely fail to grasp the need for people to be able to drive locally and the relative shortcomings of the public transport compared to elsewhere,” says Colin Smith, leader of Bromley Council. “The ULEZ boundary should be left where it is, contained within the north and south circular, especially given that even TfL’s own interim reports suggest that the recent changes there have only made very marginal improvements.”
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“We are very disappointed to hear the mayor’s decision to go ahead with the expansion of the ULEZ,” says Ray Morgon, leader of Havering Council. “With the high cost of living and the large jump in prices in the second-hand car market, this will be yet another pressure on hard working families who are already struggling at the worst possible time.” There is also concern that the public transport infrastructure in the outer London boroughs, and in the commuter counties that surround London, is inadequate and not sufficient to encourage people to move away from cars. “Unlike urban parts of the capital, our residents don’t have the luxury of a frequent, multi-layered transport system,” says Ian Edwards, leader of Hillingdon Council. “Many have little option other than to use their cars for everyday travel. Imposing the ULEZ charge is not only wrongheaded but is completely unfair and will hit the poorest in our communities hardest. What Hillingdon
petrol and diesel vehicles, rather than just the older ones, and also a pay-per-mile scheme. He says payper-mile road-user charging would be a “simple and fair scheme” that could, in the future, replace the Congestion Charge and the ULEZ, however, it requires a greater technological investment. “Extending the ULEZ will further improve the health of many Londoners, but the real prize is a pay-per-mile smart road user charging scheme,” says Nick Bowes, chief executive of Centre for London. “The ULEZ is analogue technology – a clunky flat fee regardless of how far, where and how often you travel. Technology and the world has moved on. The mayor should move as quickly as possible to implement pay-per-mile road user charging, as it would be a fairer scheme that delivers on multiple objectives: tackling congestion, improving air quality, promoting active travel, and generating income for TfL.” n
really needs is not another tax but increased investment in its public transport links.”
Hollywood support
But the scheme has also garnered international interest and even support from Hollywood, in the form of a Facebook post from Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who wrote to his 19 million followers: “London mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand his flagship air quality policy, the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), will mean five million more people breathing cleaner air and will help to build a better, greener, fairer London for everyone. “This is the kind of large-scale, decisive action we need to halve emissions this decade, coupled with the implementation of naturebased solutions. The expansion of the ULEZ will reduce the number of Londoners living in areas exceeding interim World Health Organisation (WHO) targets for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by 13% – including children at 145 schools.”
IMAGES : STOCK_ADOBE.COM, JULIO CESAR HERNANDEZ REYES
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand his flagship air quality policy, the ultralow emission zone (ULEZ), will mean five million more people breathing cleaner air and will help to build a better, greener, fairer London for everyone
AIR TAXIS
sky
Traffic in the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles are often touted as the next big thing in personal transport, set to relieve congestion on our streets by enabling us to take to the skies. In London preparations are already underway for a new kind of traffic management Words: Ben Sampson
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AIR TAXIS
C
ity authorities are continuously looking for smarter ways to manage traffic, while actively encouraging micromobility to make journeys more efficient and sustainable. So the unlocking of low altitude urban airspace to enable mobility via electric aircraft, such as eVTOL aircraft, is a very exciting concept. OEMs produce a lot of hype about the innovative features and benefits of these types of aircraft, but ANSPs (air navigation service providers) such as the UK’s NATS (National Air Traffic Services) have a very different role to play in the incoming ‘eVTOL revolution’. They must facilitate the safe introduction of new types of aircraft being developed, solving challenges in partnership with industry and government. As director of safety transformation at NATS, Andy Sage’s phlegmatic attitude reflects that pragmatism. His role is to ensure that new and different types of aircraft are integrated into the UK’s airspace safely. Around two thirds of his time is now spent working with eVTOL companies, who are keen to ensure they have access to the UK’s airspace in the future. While there are hundreds of eVTOL aircraft in development around the world,
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AIR TAXIS the leading developers are approaching final certification testing, training pilots and beginning to consider infrastructure. Analysts predict the market for eVTOL aircraft will be worth up to US$1.75 billion before the end of the decade. But as Sage points out “unless eVTOL aircraft can fly where they want in the way they want, that bit of paper from CAA and EASA won’t be worth very much.” “In the past 18 months eVTOL aircraft manufacturers have begun to understand the role that airspace has in the ecosystem and are looking to us to help them work out a roadmap for scaling up operations,” says Sage. NATS is working to a timescale that predicts the first eVTOL aircraft will be certified in two years. There is high demand to access the UK’s airspace from eVTOL aircraft developers. “NATS has a duty to safely and efficiently accommodate any user who has a legitimate demand on our airspace,” Sage explains. “It doesn’t matter whether it is an eVTOL aircraft, BVLOS [beyond visual line of sight] delivery drone, helicopter operator or a highaltitude persistent drone. They all have their challenges and are all knocking on our door. “But we do not want to disrupt current airspace users or negatively impact efforts to reduce carbon footprints.”
London project
Sage was involved in a two year project to produce a concept of operations (ConOps) for urban air mobility (UAM) in London, which published its findings in March 2022. An industry-wide effort to envision how eVTOLs can be introduced into UK airspace, it involved eVTOL developers Embraer’s Eve, Vertical Aerospace and Volocopter, as well as NATS, Heathrow Airport, London City Airport, Skyports and Atech. The London UAM ConOps delivers a regulatory roadmap to the UK regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority and a practical view of the market. “It moves industry on significantly about how it can scale up operations over time,” says Sage. The central use case of the ConOps proposes eVTOL aircraft flights running in a corridor between London Heathrow Airport in the west of London and London City Airport in the east, with stopoffs along the way. London was picked because of the large amount of existing air traffic, including helicopters. NATS conducted simulations for the project that considered how the demands and requirements of the route would be met using current airspace procedures and technologies. It then assessed when the route
would hit capacity and what new procedures and technologies would be needed. This simulation work helped to define the roadmap for a phased technology introduction. The London ConOps and regulatory roadmap, which can be downloaded and viewed now, has been well received by the industry, with positive feedback from manufacturers and other ANSPs. “People see it as ambitious but pragmatic – based on a realistic understanding of how the business works,” says Sage. “The ConOps determines that VFR [visual flight rules] and the current regulatory framework are good enough to get the eVTOL industry started, but that it has limitations. You won’t be able to fly everywhere you want on demand to start with – it may be a more scheduled service.”
Flexibility
For the purposes of the project, NATS viewed eVTOL aircraft as being essentially alternatively powered helicopters –but key differences were also considered. With battery capacity likely to be limited, at least initially, it is expected that eVTOL aircraft will be unable to hover and wait for access to their docking stations, known as ‘vertiports’. Another difference is their higher speed compared to helicopters. eVTOL
You won’t be able to fly everywhere, you want on-demand to start with – it may be a more scheduled service Andy Sage, director of safety transformation, NATS
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Below: Artist’s impression of an eVTOL air corridor in Central London Left: Andy Sage, director of safety transformation, NATS
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AIR TAXIS Right: eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace is part of the UK Air Mobility consortium Below: NATS is part of a project trialing the use of drones in the UK’s Channel Islands
This is a fundamental change to the entire market construct
Andy Sage, director of safety transformation, NATS
aircraft will need to know a landing slot is available when they depart. This type of flexibility can be provided using current methods, but only up to a certain point. “It doesn’t take that much in terms of demand for procedures to be tested,” says Sage. “At that point we will need to use some of the techniques from commercial aviation for capacity management. Digital towers will also play a part for smaller airfields that want to become transport hubs. “If you look at the number of forward orders of eVTOL aircraft and the small number of markets initially being targeted, it is easy to imagine that within three to five years further solutions will need to be developed. “Ultimately if industry appetite is to fly where they want, when they want, on demand you must change the way the airspace is managed and structured. It will require a high level of integration and not a dedicated series of corridors. “To achieve that level of integration requires airspace managers such as NATS to evolve the service it provides. If you don’t, you will see a greater segregation in the market, which won’t provide what the industry wants.” If the key to accommodating eVTOL and other new types of aircraft is airspace integration, unmanned traffic management (UTM) technologies will be needed. Sage says, “There has to be a convergence between ATM [air traffic management] and UTM, a greater level of digitization and automation of the services we provide both inside and outside controlled airspace.” There are fundamental building blocks required to manage airspace in an integrated way, believes Sage. Every aircraft must be conspicuous to each airspace user. International standards are also required to ensure that safety cases meet the needs of the market and users.
First routes
The fact that the corridor considered by the London ConOps simulation stretched
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from one airport to another hints to where the first eVTOL aircraft will operate. “Inevitably people will look to airports first because you get the footfall and connectivity needed in these places already,” says Sage. “That is why airlines are making large forward orders of eVTOL aircraft – they want to diversify and expand. But some of the more interesting use cases are linking connectivity points that are underserved by current modes of transport.” One of the challenges to introducing eVTOL aircraft is trialing integration while maintaining uninterrupted access to the airspace for current users. Some countries with large areas of airspace available have created dedicated areas to test vehicles. “But the results of these trials don’t necessarily carry across to working airspace,” warns Sage.
Dealing with variety
As well as preparing for the advent of eVTOL aircraft, NATS has been supporting BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) drone trials in the North Sea for several years, primarily for monitoring methane emissions from oil and gas installations. It has also been working with an operator in the North Sea to integrate
unmanned BVLOS drone operations alongside helicopters in unsegregated airspace. Further, NATS is working with several companies trialing point-topoint drone operations for logistics in temporary segregated airspaces. But it is not yet working on projects that trial small delivery drones in urban areas. Access to space using the UK’s airspace is another change coming soon. Small satellite launch company Virgin Orbit is planning its first launch from Cornwall, England later this year. SaxaVord spaceport in the Shetland Isles, Scotland also hopes to host the first UK space launch ever before the end of this year. “Operationally we are already working on accommodating this and are looking at it in a planned and holistic way,” says Sage. The future then holds the promise of not just an increased number of traditional and eVTOL aircraft, but several different types of air vehicles and operations. There will be variance in different markets, but eventually standardization will happen, Sage believes. “There are signs that industry is working collaboratively to generate a shared vision, albeit under the auspices of the UK Government setting the direction in terms of airspace modernization,” he says. “NATS has a unique position to provide a leadership role in this space. We can be independent and are best placed to assess how proposals impact existing users. We have led many innovations, but those have all been evolutionary steps within the established market structure – airports, airlines, ANSPs. This is a fundamental change to the entire market construct. “The extent to which it happens is the real question and opportunity – the innovation needed for these lower carbon forms of transport will carry over to larger aircraft one day.” n
FUTURE CITIES
Imagine the future
Micromobility firm Dott and Swedish car OEM Lynk & Co, which specialises in innovative ownership and sharing schemes, have both created their own concept images of European cities as they could look with fewer cars and more shared space. Get a glimpse of the possibilities over the next six pages
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FUTURE CITIES
Paris
Imagine the congested roads outside the Palais Garnier replaced with a large, safe area for people to socialise and soak up the culture. The area could include public seating, shaded areas and planted greenery. Here, e-scooters and e-bikes are integrated into the city in a responsible way. Allocated parking spots for micromobility vehicles are situated close to public transport hubs, and there are separated lanes for e-bike and e-scooter riders
Times are changing and in Europe people want to see a mobility transformation in their cities, where vehicles are used more efficiently and where traffic-lined streets give way to cleaner, greener urban space Words | Lauren Dyson
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he rapid rise in popularity of automobiles in the early 20th century meant that historic cities had to adapt quickly. Overnight, green areas became roads, car parks and petrol stations. Sightlines became littered with traffic lights, cameras and signs. Stockholm, for example, is now covered with 550,000m2 of asphalt parking spaces. That is the equivalent of more than 77 football fields. Recently Ipsos conducted a survey, for car and mobility company Lynk & Co, of 8,000 people in eight European capital cities; London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Brussels. Lynk & Co wanted to find out what Europeans think of their cities today and how they would like to shape their cities for tomorrow. The results make up a Lynk & Co report entitled Cities Reimagined. It reveals that the most common wish cited by residents across the eight cities is to replace parking spaces with more greenery (57%), followed by more places to rest (32%) and wider sidewalks (28%). Lynk & Co is on a mission to explore alternative solutions for cities, and heal urban landscapes scarred by road and traffic infrastructure.
Better together
Shared mobility, such as car sharing, is one effective solution for easing 2023 | Intertraffic World
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congestion, decreasing vehicle standing time and maximising transport efficiency. According to the report, three quarters of Londoners are already taking part in some sort of car sharing, or are considering it. London’s younger generations (aged 25-34 years old) have the most positive attitude towards car sharing (66% in favour), while men are more likely to use a car sharing service compared to women.
Cities for humans
Lynk & Co wants to disrupt the car industry and challenge the idea that cars are possessions rather than a shared mode of transportation. If there are fewer cars, cities could be built for humans instead. Citizens could enjoy greener, more vibrant, and inspiring urban environments. When surveyed, almost half of Londoners said they would remove parking spaces in favour of more green spaces. The company aims to create more space for people in cities by changing public attitudes towards car ownership. “With cars parked
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FUTURE CITIES
Amsterdam
The capital of the Netherlands is famous for canals and bicycles, but heavy car traffic can still be found snaking its way alongside larger waterways. Imagine if these roads were replaced with green spaces and wide walkways. There would be more room for open-air cafes and cars could be replaced with trams and micromobility options, such as bikes, e-scooters
London
Imagine London with large, safe areas for pedestrians, and protected mobility routes for cyclists and e-scooter users. The area around the Bank of England could see busy roads replaced with a large pedestrianised area and an integrated performance space outside The Royal Exchange. Meanwhile around Trafalgar Square, traffic could be replaced with trees to improve air quality and provide shade in the summer
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FUTURE CITIES
96% of the time, our cities have a lot of unused potential,” says Alain Visser, CEO at Lynk & Co. “I feel motivated by the results of the survey, and I’m excited that the people of Europe agree with our mission of more accessible, open, and green cities. It’s time to reclaim our human space.” Henri Moissinac, co-founder and CEO of European micromobility provider Dott, agrees with this vision. “Our cities can be transformed if we think about transport differently,” he says. “Supported by the right infrastructure, efficient, safe and affordable travel is possible without needing cars.” Across Europe, more people are beginning to choose shared e-scooters and e-bikes to travel around city centres. According to Dott’s research, the majority (58%) do so to save time, and commuting is the most popular reason to use (41%). Riders believe their choices can positively impact the city, with 41% saying their main motivator is to reduce congestion. Around one third (32%) say they would travel with micromobility more often if there was more safe infrastructure available. n
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FUTURE CITIES
Rome
In front of Rome’s Altare Della Patria is a congested road, imagine if this was replaced with an open air public cafe where people can sit and admire the famous architecture. Meanwhile, the area surrounding the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and the Museo della via Ostiense could be filled with shaded eating areas, surrounded by plants and greenery. Both areas could be redesigned with safe provisions for micromobility users
Stockholm
Imagine if the busy, multi-lane road carriageways beside the Stockholm canal were replaced with large areas of greenery and pedestrian footpaths. Asphalt could give way to an open-air swimming pool and social seating area, with a view of Stockholm City Hall. Fewer cars in this area would improve air quality and make other transport options safer
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melting the
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On the following pages you'll find information from leading companies who are delivering smart mobility solutions for 2023. It's your directory to the technology that will help to build better transport networks
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INFRASTRUCTURE NEW REGULATIONS |
Meeting new green standards
As the EU sets its sights on carbon neutrality by 2050, so transportation infrastructure providers will have to adhere to tough new standards. Here 3M’s Rik Nuyttens tells you what you need to know Words: David Smith
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revolution is unfolding on European roads. Not only do the bloc’s 27 countries have to build infrastructure to combat climate change, but they must also adapt to rapid technological progress and prepare for higher levels of automation. The European Green Deal, which aims to make the European Union the world’s first carbon-neutral region by 2050, will have a big impact on procurement policies as municipalities are forced to take carbon impact into account. The regulations that govern the purchasing of construction products and services are being refashioned to take environmental impact into account. “As part of the Green Deal, the EU wanted to revisit the existing Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and add green criteria to assess carbon footprints,” says Rik Nuyttens, regulatory affairs manager EMEA, for 3M, the multinational supplier of road technologies. “The tenders already have
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to be written in a neutral way without specifying product X, Y or Z for asphalt, concrete, or traffic lights. But this is a new environmental dimension.” There are draft proposals for the adapted CPR and a final vote is expected in March 2023. The reformulated CPR will set out new environmental, functional and safety product requirements for construction products and list general sustainability standards. For manufacturers there will have to be a declaration of conformity with regulations and a declaration of performance. “When looking at two different solutions, road owners will be required to work out the cradle-to-grave carbon life cycles. That means
considering the manufacturing process, installation, the transportation footprint if it’s come from China, or Alaska, as well as waste products, durability and maintenance,” says Nuyttens. “If there are two options for traffic signs and the panel under the reflective film is made of either wood, or recycled plastic, road authorities will be obliged to assess the difference.” Suppliers like 3M will have to show a certificate showing the environmental footprint of the product. As a global corporation, 3M has been proactive by setting the same ambition of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 as the EU Green Deal. “Understanding the current impact of our products and processes on the environment is crucial. Innovation will
Understanding the current impact of our products and processes is crucial. Innovation will be required, but we’ve taken a lot of steps already
Rik Nuyttens, regulatory affairs manager EMEA, 3M
| INFRASTRUCTURE possible to reduce CO2 in the environment and have a negative footprint. It’s up to road owners to accept this new classification,” he comments.
IMAGES: BLUE PLANET STUDIO/ADOBESTOCK, 3M
How do you price carbon?
be required, but we’ve taken a lot of steps already,” comments Nuyttens. Within the transportation safety division, 3M has almost fully shifted away from manufacturing processes that generate VOC (solvent-based gases). In addition, the adhesives used on the back of the reflective sheeting for 3M traffic signs are solvent free. With road markings 3M produces highly visible and durable tapes. “Ease of application, low maintenance and durability, will simplify and reduce the frequency for road works. Avoiding congestion during road works is another bonus preventing pollution and accidents,” Nuyttens says. The updated CPR will not only demand a calculation of carbon production, but also require analysis of other environmental impacts, including human, air, land and aquatic toxicity. “Road owners will have to consider the total environmental footprint, such as whether or not there are ozone-depleting compounds used in the road signs, traffic
lights, guard rails or road markings.” Fortunately, tools exist to make this seemingly complex process easier to manage for municipalities, he says. “In the Netherlands, for example, the industry has created a classification system for traffic signs. It has different categories of certification depending on the carbon footprint per m2. It’s also
Main: A green, clean city of the future Top: 3M is already limiting solventbased gases in traffic signs Above: 3M markings are durable and readable by ADAS
Municipalities have traditionally followed a ‘lowest price wins’ policy, however, what they should be following now is a MEAT (most economically advantageous tender) policy. Calculations on price will now have to be based on full life-cycle costs. “Dutch road authorities have produced a formula, for example, to work out the carbon footprint of a kilometre of road markings. They’ve converted everything into an economic value to make comparisons easier. You need to include all aspects of environmental impact and toxicity. It’s a convenient method of working out a cost in euros for each unit,” Nuyttens says. “When calculating according to the MEAT principles, a product that is cheaper but only lasts a year could lose out to a more expensive one that operates for several years. Durability is key. The tools are emerging to make these ‘best value’ comparisons but it will take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but there is no time to waste!” A useful concept for municipalities struggling to work out the MEAT in the new era could be pay-for-performance deals, he says. Rather than paying a provider to apply road markings without any further responsibilities, municipalities would demand long-term guarantees. “Rather than a product, you’d purchase a service, or performance,” Nuyttens adds. “The contract would say, ‘These lines should be visible for 15 years’. And you monitor them and if you close for repairs, the provider pays a penalty, or receives less money. We’ve seen these contracts emerge in Ireland and Germany. It’s a way of moving on from simple lowest price type of procurement.” ■
Safer through automation
Alongside its carbon reduction aims, the EU’s Third Mobility Package is a set of legislative proposals that aims to make Europe’s roads safer and prepare the infrastructure for greater automation. “The Third Mobility Package is the foundation for higher levels of automated driving,” Nuyttens comments. “And the first step is to have safer roads and safer cars as part of a full safe system approach.” As part of its drive for greater road safety, the EU has pushed the automotive industry to adopt
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), but to allow such systems to work optimally, it’s also essential to upgrade road infrastructure. Making road markings as visible as possible has a double benefit. “Improving road maintenance means not only that ADAS systems become more reliable, but also traditional drivers have greater visibility and feel safer,” Nuyttens says. “The more we achieve a synergy between advanced cars and better roads, the better. It is a crucial stepping stone to safe, automated driving by more autonomous cars.”
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INFRASTRUCTURE SIGNAGE |
87%
Clear signs
The percentage that dew can temporarily reduce the retroreflective performance of a sign by
A new protective overlay film ensures the readability of traffic signs and prevents the effects of dew Words: Aaron Means, senior manager, Global Traffic Segment & Digital Printing Solutions, Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions, USA
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raffic signs provide guidance and warnings for drivers. Due to their importance, they must be legible to drivers in all weather conditions, day and night. There are several temporary weather phenomena that can have a severe effect on the legibility of traffic signs on the road. A challenge in many regions, especially in northern Europe, is increased moisture that appears on cold signs in the form of dew. Dew is water droplets that appear on exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than it can evaporate, resulting in the formation of water droplets deposited on the surface. Road users can typically
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Above: Under poor weather conditions, critical signs become difficult to read because of the effects of dew
expect to encounter this while driving at night during the autumn and spring months. But in some climates, it can appear all year round. Studies have shown that dew can temporarily reduce the retroreflective performance of a sign by up to 87%.1 Since dew droplet deposition is typically not uniform across the sign face, it creates dark patches that affect the sign’s legibility. Driving at night already poses significant safety challenges, so for drivers, when signs are not legible because of dew droplets, the safety risk increases exponentially. To add protection to the sign, and prevent the effects of dew, a premium protective overlay can be applied to the surface. If the sign face does not have an anti-dew overlay, the dew droplets will
affect the retroreflective performance of the sheeting by scattering the light rather than sending it back to the light source and driver.
Protective film technology
Avery Dennison is excited to introduce its new OL-1200 Anti-Dew overlay to its line of premium overlay films. The company has different types of film chemistries designed around the features you are looking to add to a finished sign. There are two common premium overlay film chemistries. The Anti-Graffiti film, OL-1000, has a hydrophobic surface that repels liquid that comes in contact with it. This prevents paint, markers and stickers from adhering permanently to the sign face, but as a result, any dew that forms
| INFRASTRUCTURE
Left: This side-byside comparison of protective overlay performance shows the performance of OL-1200 Anti Dew Film when moisture interacts with the film. The left side is covered with OL-1200 and maintains its retroreflectivity and legibility. In contrast, the right side does not have the Anti-Dew overlay, causing the retroreflectivity to be compromised
will take the shape of a round droplet of water that sits on the surface and doesn't coalesce with the droplets around it. This film includes many benefits, including graffiti cleanability and extended durability, but it does not prevent the negative effects caused by dew due to its hydrophobic properties. The Anti-Dew film, OL-1200, has a hydrophilic surface that attracts and reduces the contact angle of the water. As the dew droplets are flattened on the surface, they will join together, forming a thin sheet of water that spreads across it. When this happens, light can enter and return, with minimal scattering, ensuring that the sign functions night and day. This results in the traffic sign maintaining a consistent appearance and retroreflective performance.
technology of the TrafficJet Print Systems enables you to produce betterperforming, more creative traffic signs. When we talk about traffic sign specifications, you don't expect room for creativity or customization; however, creativity and compliance are achievable with digital print technology. To add to community identity, you can easily add a multicolor municipality logo to street
Below: The left side of this sign shows water droplets flattened on the surface where OL-1200 is applied. The right side does not have an anti-dew film, so the water remains as unique droplets
name signs, now covered by the 10-year custom colour warranty. Digitally printed traffic signs are a smarter choice for the environment. Avery Dennison values products and solutions that focus on the long-term health of its business, planet, and communities. It develops products with sustainability in mind, from the materials it uses, to how they're constructed or recycled at end-of-life. Longer-lasting, higher-performing traffic signs are a better choice for motorists and the environment. Avery Dennison is a leading manufacturer of retroreflective sheeting, films, and digital print solutions. The company’s mission is to improve road safety around the world with high-quality products and solutions for every environment. A top priority for retroreflective sheeting is legibility and retroreflective performance. ■ References 1. Eric D. Hildebrand, “Reductions in Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Caused by Frost and Dew,” Transportation Research Record 1844 Paper No. 03-3931 (2003): 79-84
High durability and performance
The entire line of premium clear protective overlays from Avery Dennison provides UV protection to shield the signs from the sun's harmful rays, and OL-1200 is no different, with up to 12 years of UV protection, as is specified by EN12899/1 or the EAD requirement, OL-1200 provides 10 years of anti-dew performance, whereas many other anti-dew overlays lose their anti-dew properties quickly, long before the UV protection warranty comes to an end. Longer-lasting traffic signs not only help to deliver a sustainability benefit but also reduce the maintenance burden and replacement costs. Pairing OL-1200 Anti-Dew protective overlay film with the digital print 2023 | Intertraffic World
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INFRASTRUCTURE SIGNAGE |
The sustainable revolution
4.5 billion
The approximate weight in kilograms of all the aluminium traffic signs in the EU
The production and yearly replacement of aluminium road signs in the EU is costly and detrimental to the environment. A new, completely natural alternative will help European countries meet their sustainability goals Words | Aliaksandra Pirazhenka, brand manager innovations, HR Groep Streetcare, the Netherlands
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he European Union (EU) has approximately 1.35 billion traffic signs, which equals three signs per citizen. About 5% of these signs are replaced yearly, equating to around 67.5 million signs. Traffic signs have an average dimension of 0.5m2 and use approximately 3.5 kg of aluminium. This means that there is about 4.5 billion kg of aluminum in all traffic signs in the EU. Yearly replacement of aluminium signs requires 250 million kg of aluminium. Bauxite, the natural source of aluminium, has been on the EU’s list of Critical Raw Materials (CRM) since 2020. The EU only produces about 10% of its total aluminium requirement, while its demand for aluminium is growing for applications in renewable energy, batteries and electrical systems. Furthermore, aluminium production has an incredibly high environmental impact, while recycling aluminium loses -15% of aluminium in dross per cycle. What if we could replace all aluminium traffic signs in the EU with a 100% bio-based, CO2-negative, fully recyclable alternative? HR Groep Streetcare aims to do this with its Natural Traffic Sign (NTS). NTS is the world’s first 100% biobased, CO2negative and recyclable traffic sign and support structure that can adhere to the same quality standards as traditional sign solutions.
A sustainable alternative
NTS consists of residue hemp fibres and a 100% fossil-free, non-toxic binder. It is a 100% plant-based composite of which the raw materials are locally grown,
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based resins. HR Groep Streetcare and Plantics are considering developing pole made from 100% natural fibers. The traffic sign and support structure are a co-development of HR Groep Streetcare and Plantics’ superior natural materials. NTS is an example of climate-neutral production and material applications. The production of the support structure and panels take place fully automatically based on green energy. Meanwhile, the natural appearance is reflective of the pure plant-based materials. The object works in harmony with its surroundings. After a technical lifespan of at least 20 years, the carrier is compostable following EN13432. The retro-reflective foil can be mechanically separated from the carrier.
Why go natural?
Above: Millions of traffic signs are replaced yearly, causing a high environmental impact
harvested and processed. The pole can be considered as a single system with NTS. For its manufacture, the same resin (glue) is used. This pole is made of noncommercial fiberglass and can be completely recycled at the end of its life. Fiberglass can be reused for new products, just like resin; something that is not possible with traditional fossil fuel-
NTS is a high-quality, circular and CO2negative product that is an excellent alternative to aluminium signs. Bioresins are safe, and most raw materials are available on an industrial scale in Europe. NTS is light in weight. The carrier and support construction combination carries the CE mark and achieves an environmental cost indicator (ECI) score сlose to zero. The result is a strong, high-quality, circular, and CO2 negative traffic sign with a natural look and feel.
Key benefits of NTS: • •
NTS is 100% bio-based and made from locally produced, renewable materials. It is fully recyclable, both reusable and biodegradable, under regular outside conditions.
| INFRASTRUCTURE Left: A natural traffic sign look and feel using foil Right: NTS and pole, rear view Below: Installation of the first NTS pilot at the end of July in North Brabant, the Netherlands
• • •
•
Significant decrease in required energy for production. 30% lighter than aluminium signs, making production and handling easier. Twice as many signs per truckload because weight is currently the limiting factor. This equals a 50% reduction in costs and CO2 emissions for traffic sign transportation. No more aluminium is needed for signs throughout the EU, increasing the amount of aluminium available for renewable energy applications.
Eco technology
NTS is made by impregnating a hemp fibre mat. It can also be made or supplemented with other (local) biomass with a patented, 100% bio-based thermosetting resin. Subsequently, the mat is heated and compressed into shape. After cooling, the wax hardens, resulting in a 100% biobased fibre-reinforced composite sign. For the support structure, hemp fibre is saturated with the same thermosetting resin and wound over a rotating steel mandrel (filament winding). After hardening, the mandrel is extracted, resulting in a hollow, firm, 100% biobased profile. The recycling process of NTS consists of two steps: first, removing the sign face using a heated cutting wire, which can then be recycled just like regular PVC. Then, the rest of the sign is melted down, after which the components are separated into new raw materials to create a new NTS. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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INFRASTRUCTURE ROAD MARKINGS |
Optimised road maintenance
Constant innovation has led to the development of efficient and effective, purpose-built machinery for line marking maintenance and removal Words: Joshua Piedra, content manager and designer, Hog Technologies, USA
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hroughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Hog Technologies has continued to strive for innovation, making improvements to its Stripe Hog, Thermo Hog, Mini Hog, Epoxy Hog, and Pre-Melter machines. The company has also been working on developing safer and quieter methods to grind, groove, and rumble with its Grinder Hog and Rumble Hog machines. Hog Technologies’ Stripe Hog machine is now used in more than 80 countries worldwide. For six consecutive years, it has won Roads & Bridges magazine’s Gold Award for pavement marking removal. The Stripe Hog uses 2,750 bar of water pressure, to achieve removal rates of up to 2 linear km per hour. The Stripe Hog features simultaneous removal of parallel markings, rapid removal of single and continuous lines, and cleaning and rejuvenation of markings with its paired vacuum recovery that allows for the application of new markings in as little as 15 minutes. The Stripe Hog is ideal for pavement marking removal, road retexturing, surface preparation, oil/spill clean-up, airport rubber removal, marking rejuvenation and barrier wall cleaning. The machine is available in PTO enginedriven and auxiliary engine-driven options, on a skid, or in a trailer. The Stripe Hog also has several attachments. First is the Hog Tusk, a blasting head that also uses polycrystalline diamond (PCD) grinding teeth. You can grind only, water blast only, or perform both functions simultaneously. When using both, the
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Above: The Mini Hog is a rideon option for thermoplastic or 3M Tape applications. Perfect for crosswalks, car park marking, and other small jobs that require a tight fit Right: The Thermo Hog uses heated oil to evenly heat the melter, allowing for quick start-up and instant shutdown. Using temps that never exceed 260°C (500°F) it can melt thermoplastic from 8,000 to 24,000 lbs/hr
PCD teeth grind the marking down to the surface while the 2,750 bar water jet nozzles remove the rest of the marking beneath the surface. This method uses half of the required water and removes markings twice as fast. The Triple Spray Bar features three 30 or 40cm spray bars under a single blasting head. This is ideal for road
retexturing and rubber removal. The Stripe Hog SH24 can use up to three Triple Spray Bars for an ultra-wide blasting path.
Pavement marking
The Thermo Hog circulates heated oil through the melter, covering the entire surface area. Since the surface is evenly
| INFRASTRUCTURE
thermoplastic into a separate application, heated, a Thermo Hog can shut down vehicle or device. It is the ideal solution instantly without waiting for the for smaller jobs such as parking lots, thermoplastic to settle and cool at the crosswalks, and other road bottom. This also allows the Thermo marking applications. Hog to achieve start-up times The Mini Hog comes of around one hour. with a ribbon With heated oil, applicator that can the temperature in the lay single or double kettle never exceeds lines. Line widths 260°C (500°F), are available in resulting in no 10cm (4in), 15cm scorched or (6in), 20cm (8in) charred material and 40cm (16in) versus traditional The time it takes the sizes. The kettles, which can Stripe Hog to apply new different widths get as hot as 1,930°C road markings are achieved (2,000°F). The kettles through opening offer capacities from one or a combination 1,814kg (4,000lbs) to of knives on the 7,257kg (16,000lbs). With two ribbon application. kettles per truck, you can house up to 14,515kg (32,000lbs) or thermoplastic and melt them at rates up to 10,866kg Grinding-grooving-milling (24,000lbs) per hour. The Rumble Hog is a three-in-one The Mini Hog machine can melt solution using one rear-mounted cutting thermoplastic and apply it to the unit. As a single machine operated by pavement without having to feed the one person, it can grind pavement
15 minutes
Above: The Epoxy Hog is a plural component truck that can lay epoxy or polyurea markings. It uses only one glycol pump with tight temperature control and recirculation
markings, cut grooves for inlaid markings and cut rumble strips with optional packages for banana cuts and sinusoidal rumble cuts. Hog also manufactures the Grinder Hog GH2, a two-headed grinding truck with heads that can extend outward up to 91cm (36in) from the chassis. The cutting drum features PCD grinding teeth that are available in full round, double round, triple round, and flat for different profile finishes. The Grinder Hog GH2 also features low speed control up to 8mph (13km/hr). With its small form factor, the Grinder Hog GH2 does not require a CDL license to operate. It is available in a three-head and four-head version as well.
Surface cleaning
The Surface Hog is built on an Isuzu NRR or comparable chassis allowing it to fit into tight areas. Using 500 bar pressure, the Surface Hog can clean and prepare surfaces including porous asphalt. The machine uses a water reclamation system for a three-to-fourhour runtime. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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INFRASTRUCTURE SIGNAGE |
Sign sustainability Advances in sustainable sign technology will help protect the environment and save lives Words: Karen Koelma-van Wetter, export sales director, Triplesign, Sweden
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he global economy is growing, and the world's cities are growing even faster. By 2050, an estimated 70% of the world's population will live in cities. At the same time, the number of vehicles is expected to increase dramatically from about one billion in 2010 to an estimated two billion in 2035. Traffic continues to increase and so does the variety of vehicles (e-bikes, e-mopeds, e-skates, scooters). All these vehicles on the roads are already causing congestion, logistical sub-optimisation, and environmental pollution. The environment and climate change are currently high on the political agenda. Governments are often required to take sustainability and environmental impact into account when coming up with new solutions. When it comes to current traffic problems, we see increasing complexity. In cities, in particular, it is a challenge to efficiently use the little space that is available and to give all road users enough space to get safely from A to B.
Intelligent signs
Many smart-city concepts are being developed to tackle the challenge of optimising the available space for traffic, and motorised traffic is often banned from the city centres. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and variable message signs (VMS) are used to improve traffic flow and increase safety. Currently, the most used VMS is the energy-consuming LED variety. However, there are many situations where the more sustainable 1W Triplesign solution can be used instead. The solution can be implemented by national and regional road authorities, as well as small communities. Examples of current installations are school zones, market day traffic redirections, daily closures for traffic during office hours, warnings for construction zones or approaching trams and trains. But the signs can be used for many more applications. When used in school zones or for regular closures, the
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Right: Example of a market day redirection sign operated by a web interface Opposite: Example of a school sign operated by a calendar
signs can be operated using a yearly calendar, only displaying the warning when needed. In the case of warning at construction zones or approaching trams and trains, a sensor can be used to operate the sign, warning the traffic of danger ahead. Signs can also be operated via a web-interface from a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. The signs’ low power consumption has many advantages, making it possible
Zero emissions
In comparison with the most commonly used LED VMS, a Triplesign VMS comes at a considerably lower cost and carbon footprint. When we compare a full colour, full matrix LED VMS with a Triplesign VMS, accounting for a 25 year lifespan, the difference between a 1m² sign can be up to €50,000 (US$52,000). This comparison takes into account purchase price, installation costs, maintenance costs, replacement costs and costs for power consumption. The power consumption of an LED VMS is around 400W/ hr. So if the sign is showing a message eight hours a day, the power consumption is 29,200W after 25 years. With current electricity prices in Europe, this adds up to €9,782 (US$10,170), A Triplesign VMS will use 1W/hr (using a solar panel and battery there will be no cost, but if you calculate with the same price per kWh, this will be €196 (US$204) after 25 years of operation).
to install them in rural or remote areas where there is no power supply. The signs function on solar power with a small battery in the frame. As the signs can be operated wirelessly there is no need for excavation for cables and installation can be done at low cost at any location. This makes it possible to warn drivers about potential dangers anywhere.
Signs for nature
Accidents with wild animals crossing the road are very common around the world. More than one million crashes between motor vehicles and large animals such as deer occur every year in the USA, for example, causing approximately 200 human deaths, 26,000 injuries, and at least US$8 billion in property damage and other costs. Warning drivers about crossing animals will increase awareness and may help save lives (humans as well as animals). In many cases, animals have a preferred spot where they cross the road. Sensors or cameras can be used to detect animals. This information can then be connected to an intelligent road sign that will activate when animals are close to the road. Another major safety issue for drivers is the weather. Looking at most winter driving statistics, it is evident that storms, rain, fog, snow and ice on the
| INFRASTRUCTURE components out of the frame, and roads represent a considerable traffic sliding new ones in. This creates hazard. Warning drivers about a practically new sign with fog, slippery roads or heavy little effort and low cost. rainfall - and reducing With Advanced the speed limit during Driver Assistance these road conditions Systems (ADAS) - can be done with emerging, Traffic Sign a Triplesign VMS Recognition (TSR) in a simple, costThe proportion of technology is used by effective way. the world’s population various car suppliers. that will live in cities Research has shown Reliable signs that a continuous In addition to its by 2050 (prismatic) VMS has exceptionally low power better readability than consumption, the discontinued VMS (LED), Triplesign system is very because flickering in the LED VMS reliable and sustainable, with makes it difficult to read. To improve the minimal maintenance requirements. A message is always displayed, even when readability of LED VMS you need even more power. Another issue is that a very there is no power available. On the other quick change of message can be missed hand, LED VMS always need power to display a message. In the event of a power by the TSR system, which in general reads symbols better than text. The failure, a backup facility is required. Triplesign VMS constantly displays The patented modular system enables a clear message making it compatible all active components of the hardware to with the TSR technology. be exchanged without changing the Triplesign VMS can make frame structure. Apart from a yearly a significant contribution to improving inspection and cleaning, no regular maintenance of the hardware is required. traffic safety and traffic flow, without negatively impacting the environment, After 20 years the active components can at a low cost. ■ simply be exchanged by sliding the old
70%
Triplesign – A sustainable solution for increasing traffic safety
Lower speed when raining
Slippery path warning
About Triplesign A solar powered prismatic traffic sign Only 1W power consumption! Plug and play installation Basically maintenance free Reliable – Will always display a message Expected lifetime of +20 years 90%-70% cheaper installation- and running cost compared to LED Best readability for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems 1064481_ITW_Triple Sign System AB.indd 1
Animal crossing warning
Variable Speed
Ice Warning
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2023 | Intertraffic World
INFRASTRUCTURE RETROREFLECTIVITY |
Easy analysis
Modern smartphone technology, combined with lightweight hardware, is making it easier and more convenient to measure the retroreflectivity of road markings and signage Words: Gustavo Felipe Paolillo, engineer, Easylux Retroreflectometers, Brazil
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etroreflectance is the main quality indicator for the performance of road signage. It is important to ensure minimum levels of retroreflectance are being met, even in night-time and wet conditions. Easylux Mini retroreflectometer technology is the best way to measure this. When choosing a retroreflectometer, users should take into account the ease of
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Above: The Mini is an external beam retroreflectometer, certified to EN1436
2.1kg
that will become handling the unit obsolete within a few and how it years and cannot be manages data. The weight of the replaced. These factors Traditional Easylux Mini end up becoming retroreflectometers problems in an are large and heavy, retroreflectometer increasingly connected and they need a and dynamic world, making computer to transfer these old devices inappropriate data. Some of them may and inconvenient. also include built-in cameras
| INFRASTRUCTURE
The Mini retroreflectometer from Easylux has been designed to be small, convenient and easy to handle. It requires minimum space in the marking truck and speeds up the processes of loading and unloading. All benefits provided by the reduced size of the instrument are enhanced by the ease of obtaining and managing data. The Mini can be fully controlled by a mobile application, providing great convenience in managing, organising, grouping, sharing measurement data or obtaining high quality photographic records. Currently, mobile phone cameras combine large sensors, resolution that can exceed 100 megapixels, an advanced imaging processing algorithm and special lenses for taking photos in macro mode. All these factors make it possible to obtain good photographs of the pavement structure, road marking surface and details of glass beads. These photos are combined with the retroreflectance values, so that a single photographic record allows for complete enables users to generate organised documentation, rich in complementary information, such as photographs, temperature, humidity, CIE chromatic coordinates and GPS data. The ease of sharing information offers a new work dynamic, facilitating management of large volumes of data. The Mini retroreflectometer eliminates the inconveniences of large and heavy traditional instruments and turns the mobile phone into a powerful tool for managing measurement data. ■
Below: Smartphone photos are combined with the retroreflectance values, so that a single photographic record allows for complete analysis of the signage
CONVENIENT AND SMALL Use your smartphone to take readings, manage data, share results and take macro pictures. Get out of the jurassic.
E A S Y L U X RETROREFLECTOMETER
+55 11 3438 3448
1052948_ITW_Easylux Retroreflectometers.indd 1
vendas@easylux.com.br
11/11/2022 14:14
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ANPR |
Optimised ANPR for better detection results
While on the surface it may seem to make financial sense to cut costs by monitoring multiple lanes with a single ANPR camera, it comes at the cost of detection rate and accuracy Words: Adaptive Recognition, Hungary
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ith budgets getting tighter and tighter, many road authorities are seeking to cut the cost of their automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, by covering more than two lanes with a single camera. In fact, it is becoming increasingly common for authorities to want to cover up to six lanes with a single camera. In reality, monitoring multiple lanes with a single ANPR camera comes with significant challenges. There are two ways to mount an ANPR device. The first option is to fix the camera on a gantry above the highway in a so-called overhead configuration. You can also set the
Below: Distortion can be a problem when covering multiple lanes with a single wideangle lens
camera on a pole beside the road. This is called transversal configuration.
Overhead configuration
Used in highway and motorway applications, in overhead configurations, the typical camera position is in the middle of the lane, above the road, on a gantry. The main challenge here is image resolution, especially if we want to cover six lanes, or a width of approximately 21m, with a single camera. For adequate plate recognition, the minimum character size should be 16 pixels. This can be translated to 2 pixels per centimeter in the case of most European plates (for US plates, the pixel number is less by 20-30%, as characters are thinner).
Based on a 2 pixels per centimeter requirement, the horizontal resolution should be at least 4,200 pixels, which implies the need for a 10-megapixel sensor at the very least, in ideal circumstances. Circumstances, however, are hardly ever ideal: some degree of distortion is inevitable with the wideangle lens used in overhead cameras. The image may get blurred, distorted, and fade closer to the sides. These affect ANPR quality negatively, resulting in misread plates, false positive readings, or missed vehicles. Factoring this and other variables in, you would ideally need a camera with a minimum resolution of 13 megapixels. While such high-resolution cameras do exist, they are significantly more expensive than most plate recognition cameras. And they still do not necessarily deliver on another essential requirement for successful ANPR, which is a high frame rate. A higher resolution camera, therefore, is certainly not the right choice when cost optimization is a factor. On top of that, additional lights must be provided to illuminate the area the camera should cover. The overall system cost could be much higher, while the results are poor.
Transversal configuration
This configuration is typically used on city roads, motorways, and highways when budget or physical constraints do not allow for a more expensive and labour-intensive overhead installation. Here, the camera is mounted on a pole by the side of the road. If you wish to cover multiple lanes from this position, your main challenge will be the shadowing effect. Vehicles blocking each other out from the camera view results in a significant decrease in
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approximately 7m away from it as it hits its view. In the case of a single camera Min. recommended watching six pixels per lane for lanes, this distance will be effective ANPR 60m for vehicles travelling in the farthest lane from the camera. Taking sharp images simultaneously at 7m and 60m distance will be difficult, or the answer is a significantly more expensive high-resolution camera and even more costly lens system. The problem still stands in less extreme cases, where a single camera would only cover four lanes instead of six. Finally, lighting remains challenging in a transversal setup as well. Light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. For adequate Above (top): The illumination at a 60m distance, the light shadowing effect causes vehicles to should be 3,000 times stronger than what block each other is necessary for 7m. That’s why we use from the camera’s multiple cameras on a pole with view synchronized lights that do not interfere Above (bottom): with each other. Three cameras
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the detection rate, which directly translates into a loss of income. Trigger devices such as multi-lane radars capable of tracking more than 100 moving objects on six lanes seem like a solution to this problem, but only at first sight. Merely following a vehicle does not equal taking images fit for vehicle identification. The radar might capture each passing vehicle, but the rest of the system - the optics, the ANPR – still
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faces the deal-breaking problems mentioned above. In conclusion, with any technology available on the market today, a singlecamera system that can capture vehicle plate data of every passing vehicle on six lanes is unrealistic. To this comes the question of depth of field in the image. With a camera tilted at an optional angle for ANPR (~20°), the vehicle in the closest lane will be
Top tips for traffic monitoring using ANPR cameras:
cover six lanes of traffic in a transversal configuration
Below: Adaptive Recognition’s Vidar ANPR camera reliably captures vehicle images from two and up to three lanes
A sound investment
For the above reasons, if detection rate and accuracy are essential for your project, investing in cameras specially developed for ANPR, calculating with one camera per two lanes, is a sound plan that will produce returns. n
The minimum image resolution should be at least 700 pixels per lane or 1440 pixels per lane (in an HDx camera). Adaptive Recognition’s Vidar ANPR camera, specially developed for highway traffic monitoring, offers three and five-megapixel resolution. It reliably captures vehicle images from two and up to three lanes and accurately processes plate data, even in the case of special plates. Unlike fixed focal lens cameras, the zoom lens of the Vidar Smart models enables users to set the cameras according to the distance needed. Use the overhead installation instead of the transversal position. You can minimize missed events (due to blocked view) and distortion. If the overhead installation is not an option, install cameras on both sides of the road. In the case of a six-lane highway, cover four lanes with two cameras installed on a pole on one side and the remaining two with one camera on the other. Make use of your dedicated ANPR cameras’ synchronized and focused illumination features. The Vidar, with embedded ANPR engines and built-in triggers, can auto-adjust the brightness for odd and even frames simultaneously. Without additional illumination, it can take ANPRcompatible pictures of reflective and non-reflective license plates.
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ITS |
Step by step There is no quick fix to achieving an effective advanced traffic management system. Rather, the process involves granular implementation of custom-built modules Words: Marko Glad, Telegra, Croatia
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ost traffic agencies in the world experience very similar problems in terms of traffic management. They have inherited a variety of assets (such as traffic lights, variable message signs, CCTV, vehicle detectors and road weather information systems), that are of different generations, different ages and different capabilities, which are all manageable in different ways. Traffic agencies have the need and obligation to maintain and use these assets for effective monitoring, traffic management and incident management. Over the past 10 years, larger agencies have tried to buy city-wide and statewide platforms through large and expensive contracts. The aim has been to find comprehensive solutions that would enable them to start a new, advanced era of traffic management. Such endeavours have often ended in silent
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disappointment because suppliers did not deliver what they promised. This should not necessarily be surprising, given that suppliers are promising to deliver something that has never been made before. Anyone who recognizes themself in this description, either on the supplier side (system integrator), or on the user side (traffic agency), can be assured that they are not alone.
A natural solution
In practice, it has been shown that grandiosely designed traffic management projects generally fail or only partially succeed. Furthermore, they also often result in loss – financial loss, loss of time, loss of motivation and loss of faith in a positive outcome. Another way has proven to be more sustainable because it is more moderate and natural. It is based on granular,
modular system construction. The process is slower. It requires greater systematicity and flexibility of the integrator and patience of the agency. The process is both more controllable and simpler for the agency to adopt. The training and ability of the agency staff grows organically with the introduction of the new system, and the overall traffic management process becomes better and more efficient over time. To enable this kind of realisation, the end user must first be willing to adopt a gradual, modular approach. Next, the technology supplier or integrator must be able and willing to approach this type of implementation. The implementation methodology must also support this approach. Each step in the implementation process must be clearly coordinated and controllable. Finally, the technology with which it is realised must be suitable.
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT IT/network expertise gives the provider the ability to design and implement communication and IT systems for a variety of ITS requirements. The number of ITS Implementation expertise, technologies that can be meanwhile, means they have the ability to delegate integrated into Telegra’s when multiple contractors topXview traffic are involved, such as setting management system responsibility boundaries, and defining interfaces and test methods. The ultimate benefit is the ability to customise the project, that is, to connect the agency’s needs with implementation on a specific software platform. It requires professional and technological experience to guide the client through the process. The system must be customised to each client’s business process (integration - physical, data, protocol, subsystem interaction level, incident and traffic management methods, reporting) It is important to adopt a modern, open and flexible software technology environment for the granular implementation of integration and functional units. Modularity, as one of the basic characteristics of software platforms, is manifested through separate modules - each module may or may not be part of the system delivered for a specific traffic centre. The modules can be customised according to the needs of the project. A system’s highly modular and distributed architecture provides the possibility for incremental implementation and system scalability. New devices and functionalities can the system being integrated. This easily be integrated, by adding new facilitates in customizing software modules to the system or reconfiguring solutions for efficient integration existing modules. This way, organisations and management of real systems (city, can implement their primary operations tunnel, traffic). first, and then extend the system Suppliers and integrators should gradually in the future. exhibit multidimensional software integration competencies, including A patient approach communication, data integration and The large cost and time spent in the functional visualisation. Communication implementation of physical traffic competencies are manifested through systems often mean that traffic agencies the provability of implemented are tempted to implement grandiose communication interfaces, of which software systems in control centres. there are dozens in the ITS industry. However, from experience, such projects Data integration competencies enable the often do not achieve the desired results. integrator to recognise which data should Agencies that have opted for a more be integrated and how the data can be patient approach have been able to avoid Above: Telegra is an used further to fulfil the traffic agency’s unsuccessful investments, and have built intelligent transport systems (ITS) goals. Functional-visualisation their systems on stable foundations. Now technology provider competences enable everything that has they have well-integrated technologies that develops, been integrated and processed to with no limits on planning future delivers, and converge in a single, ergonomic graphical upgrades, both with new technologies supports software user interface (GUI). and new functionalities. n ITS solutions IMAGE: @STOCK_ADOBE.COM
50+
The granular process
Transparency among stakeholders from the very beginning is essential to determine the best fit of each granule, each module, clearly and unambiguously. It is important to address the value for each stakeholder, define it transparently, and confirm it before the start of implementation. Discussions should include every requirement, all risks, time components and technical details. Suppliers and integrators of granular systems should have competence in the interdisciplinary nature of ITS projects. They should have a strong physical/ hardware background (connectivity, network, interfaces) to ensure the correct interpretation and integration of physical technologies that have been implemented over several years by various contractors. Multidisciplinary knowledge also helps with empirical understanding of the technology, processes and limits of
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABILITY |
Smarter, safer, greener From clean air zones to traffic flow management and environmental initiatives: Yunex Traffic gives road authorities access to a wide range of innovative solutions to make transportation in cities more sustainable Words: Markus Schlitt, CEO, Yunex Traffic
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he climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The change is driven by numerous factors, but the transport sector is one of the biggest sinners: 20% of global emissions can be attributed to mobility. In Europe, the figure is even 30%. Traffic congestion and air pollution are part of everyday life in cities around the world, harming both people’s health and the environment. Solutions are needed to decrease traffic emissions and make mobility more sustainable. Yunex Traffic delivers solutions that minimise environmental damage and air pollution caused by road traffic and preserve the quality of life in our cities for generations to come.
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Above: Yutraffic Fusion adaptive traffic control enables planners to control signaling systems for all road users so that traffic flows optimally and sustainably
ITS for sustainable mobility
For cities to remain attractive in the long term, it is necessary to reduce traffic and pollution. Switching to other modes of transport is a first step. However, it can’t be the only one. For sustainable mobility, it is important that the capacities of roads and traffic routes are used in a holistic, forward-looking and needsoriented manner. This is where intelligent transport systems (ITS) come into play. Be it clean air zones or environmentally friendly traffic management: ITS helps transport authorities make their road networks and vehicle fleets smarter, safer, and greener. There are many examples of ITS
technology having a positive impact on the ecological footprint of road traffic as well as for road users and transport operators. But three solutions stand out due to their enormous impact and proven success and are therefore worth a closer look.
Adaptive traffic control
Working in close partnership with Transport for London (TfL), Yunex Traffic is developing Fusion, the next generation adaptive control solution. By drawing on data from a variety of sources and transport modes, Fusion optimises signalised junctions and pedestrian crossings based on all road users’ requirements. All with the environment in mind. First results from London show that Fusion can reduce delays by more than 13% and stops by 10%. The impact on congestion was particularly significant, with Fusion reducing this by 20% to 60%.
IMAGES: YUNEX TRAFFIC
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
99%
The proportion of the world’s population that breathes polluted air
blocks, ETM allows authorities to orchestrate traffic in a way that reduces travel time, individual fuel consumption, and thereby emissions. ETM has already proven to be effective in reducing pollutant emissions through active traffic control. A study by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) concluded that ETM systems are capable of reducing up to 22.4% of PM2.5 emissions, 7.1% of PM10 emissions, 17.3% of NO2 emissions, and 15.2% of CO2 emissions.
Source: WHO
Greener traffic management
According to recent World Health Organization (WHO) figures, 99% of the world’s population breathes air that exceeds WHO guideline levels. The good news is that 6,000 cities in 110 countries are now measuring air levels and want to take action. One area they are taking a closer look at is road traffic. After all, cars and other vehicles emit a large proportion of the emissions that pollute our air. What can cities do about it? For example, they can orchestrate traffic based on the needs of the environment. And that’s exactly what environmental traffic management (ETM) can do. ETM enables road authorities to target and optimize traffic flow based on five main building blocks: Realtime traffic and environmental monitoring, detection of traffic anomalies, air pollution forecasting and interrelationships between traffic and air pollution. By combining these building
Clean air zones
Poor air quality is damaging to our health and has a negative impact on quality of life in our cities. Many cities are therefore working on solutions to improve air quality. One solution is clean air zones (CAZ), which reduce trafficrelated emissions in cities. Targeted and effective, CAZ are designed to drive behavioural change, discouraging the use of older, higherpolluting vehicles in towns and cities. Each CAZ solution is tailored to meet the needs of each individual town or city, with the size of the zone, the classes of vehicles included, and the charging rates being the key variables. Results show that CAZ schemes deliver both immediate and sustained results. In London, roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) have dropped by 43% since 2017. The longterm benefits of low emission and clean
Above: With the help of intelligent traffic detectors, the city of Wiesbaden in Germany measures and optimizes its air quality and adjusts traffic control accordingly Below: In the first 10 months of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, CO2 emissions were reduced by 12,300 tonnes.
air schemes are helping cities become cleaner, healthier, and less congested.
The time to act is now
Fewer traffic jams, fewer CO2 and NO2 emissions, cleaner city air: Intelligent transport systems and responsible traffic management can make an enormously important contribution to reducing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. Solutions like the ones described above can significantly accelerate the change towards sustainable and climatefriendly urban mobility and regulate traffic in such a way that everyone wins: public transport, car drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and everyone who is otherwise micro-mobile. The main winner will be the environment. The solutions are available, the technology is so as well. So, cities and municipalities should start to make climate protection a top priority, acknowledge that road traffic infrastructure is a strong lever to manage the climate crisis – and work together to make mobility more sustainable. ■
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ITS |
Cutting-edge ITS
Innovative roadside cameras and ANPR technology help communities and authorities to improve road safety, reduce emissions and enhance traffic efficiency Words: Marcus Mensel, head of marketing & communications, Jenoptik Smart Mobility Solutions Division, Germany
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oad authorities are always looking for new ways to make mobility in their city safer and more efficient. One way to achieve this is through state-of-the-art photo enforcement technology, which can positively impact driver behaviour and enhance safety. Examples include speed and red-light cameras, as well as many other enforcement applications. Advanced technology can also help roadway operators manage traffic flow, emissions, congestion and tolls. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems capture, analyse and help to act against public safety threats, such as serious organised crime and
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Above: Jenoptik’s innovative solutions to enable safer and smarter mobility Left: Kevin Chevis, exec. VP, Jenoptik Smart Mobility Solutions Below: Dr Stefan Traeger, president and CEO of Jenoptik
border violations through the use of real-time predictive data analysis and video analytics. All these applications need to be supported by a powerful back office that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse the data collected in real time and reports hazard alerts, rule violations and other anomalies. As cities become smarter and mobility becomes more autonomous and connected, Jenoptik in turn wants to make future mobility smarter, safer and greener. “We have a vision of enabling brighter futures with the power of light,” says Jenoptik’s group president and CEO, Stefan Traeger. “We want to drive the future
of mobility and enable people to get from A-to-B in more sustainable ways. And we believe long-term economic success is only possible if we can contribute to making the world a better place.”
Working towards Vision Zero
Equipment and systems that improve road safety are important. But that alone is not enough. Today, traffic cameras must fit into modern infrastructures, contribute to sustainability goals and offer flexible options for a wide range of technical applications. One example is Jenoptik’s new TraffiPole: this new housing system has an award-winning modern design, is sustainable, quick to set up and offers many options for integrating the latest traffic monitoring technologies. TraffiPole’s highly functional double-
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT wall design enables efficient air circulation, eliminating the need for air conditioning even in very hot climates. This special design helps to significantly reduce power consumption and thus reduces CO2 emissions of up to 1.74 tonnes per year. In addition, TraffiPole is made entirely of recyclable aluminium. For these special sustainability features, TraffiPole was awarded the Intertraffic Green Globe Award in 2022. “Six years ago, our employees would tell you we make speed cameras and redlight cameras,” comments Kevin Chevis, executive vice president for Jenoptik Smart Mobility Solutions. “But now, there’s a realisation we need to do things to make the world a safer, better place. Clients want infrastructure to look good on the street – and, as a responsible company, we want to reduce our carbon footprint,” he adds. With first installations underway, TraffiPole is set to become prominent among roadside housings, especially in areas with hotter climates where its sustainability features will be able to live up to their full potential. TraffiPole has now been made even more flexible to enable it to accommodate more than just one non-invasive measuring system with camera and sensor for accurate speed measurement across multiple lanes or red-light detection. The newly designed twin-head variant can be twisted steplessly to monitor even more lanes. In a configuration with 180° twisted twinhead, TraffiPole can be installed in the medial strip of a road to monitor both directions. Other functionality such as ANPR with the Vector ANPR camera, as well as additional sensors for emission measurement are available as options.
Superior video analytics
Jenoptik provides state-of-the-art ANPR cameras that can be used for a multitude of road safety as well as civil security applications, such as combating organised crime and terrorism, securing borders, monitoring suspect vehicles or protecting public places. These AIenhanced ANPR cameras monitor vehicles and evaluate data in real time, securely and accurately. The real-time analysis software turns up the accuracy of the technology, arming authorities with the most accurate number plate read possible – even if the plate is dirty, from a different jurisdiction or obscured. In 2022, Jenoptik launched its full range of video-based cameras at Intertraffic, meeting the highest demands for a wide range of applications in road safety, civil security and
commercial use. Three different camera models including its new entry-level compact camera GardoVia, the high performing and established Vector camera, and its new premium range camera NexoVia, suitable for the most complex and challenging imaging tasks. All cameras share a highly compact and functional design ensuring quick and easy set-up and operation. High image quality, powered by the latest processor technology with impressive on-board computing power leads to exceptional capture and read rates and ultra-fast processing time, covering multiple lanes of traffic. GardoVia is an all new, compact and highly efficient camera module. Using the latest graphic processor unit and running powerful deep learning (DL)
Above: Tobias Deubel, vice president of global sales at Jenoptik’s Smart Mobility Solutions division, overseeing the first installations of TraffiPole Below: All-new video-based camera NexoVia for a wide range of complex applications
software tools, GardoVia delivers cost effective ANPR capabilities in an easy to install and operate package. Fixed and motorised zoom lens versions can be used in a huge variety of applications. The new Vector camera is the latest in a successful family of powerful integrated ANPR cameras. Motorised zoom lenses and camera resolution options provide a flexible package that is successfully used in thousands of operational systems around the globe. DL software tools provide an ANPR read performance of up to 99% capture and read rates across three traffic lanes. NexoVia is Jenoptik’s most powerful and capable camera, benefitting from an advanced graphic processor unit and the highest resolution image sensors with motorised zoom lenses. Powerful DL and video analytics tools enable NexoVia to carry out complex and challenging imaging tasks with ease, providing a platform for all current and future mobility needs. Jenoptik’s powerful data management solutions turn data into knowledge with automated data processing and real-time analytics. The high-performance backoffice software using DL and AI features ‘make’, ‘model’ and ‘colour’ detection and advanced video analytics for monitoring moving vehicle offences such as illegal turns or yellow box violations.
Flexibility and efficiency
As an end-to-end solution provider, Jenoptik supports customers with the provision of roadside equipment and software, including integration, installation and maintenance through to full-service operation of our solutions. All service models are tailored to maximise customer benefit through highest possible flexibility and efficiency. “Our clients today want more than just technology,” comments Tobias Deubel, vice president global sales at Jenoptik’s Smart Mobility Solutions division. “They want performance and a full range of services. We provide many of our solutions as a service, and this model has proven itself in a wide variety of international projects. This revenue model, charging according to use, requires an open and trusting relationship – and we work hard on those relationships.” With innovation as the driving force, Jenoptik is a reliable partner whose intelligent solutions are constantly evolving and helping to make roads and communities safer, reduce congestion and emissions, and meet the challenges of future smart mobility. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SENSORS |
Making roads safer and cleaner An advanced sensor system improves road safety by enabling quick and easy identification of flat, under-inflated, mismatched tyres Words: Tyler Haichert, senior design engineer – sensors, International Road Dynamics (IRD), Canada
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he Tire Anomaly and Classification System (TACS) is a game-changing technology that is revolutionising the way commercial vehicle enforcement agencies operate. TACS has been in use since 2017, and it’s already identified over 800,000 tyre anomalies, making it one of the most effective technologies for commercial vehicle safety screening. TACS uses IRD’s VectorSense technology to measure and analyze tyre contact patch data from vehicles as they drive over in-road sensor arrays. VectorSense can identify unsafe tyres before they lead to accidents or damage property, saving lives and money. TACS is a product of IRD’s advanced R&D team, which has been developing new technology for commercial vehicle safety for over 40 years. The TACS system uses VectorSense tyre footprint sensors to collect data from the tyres of vehicles as they pass a detection point on the road. This information from the sensors is analyzed in real time to provide information on tyre anomalies so that dangerous conditions can be flagged.
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Above: Tire Anomaly and Classification System (TACS) installations in the Netherlands
Enforcement agencies can use TACS to identify flat, under-inflated, mismatched tyres, and more. The system can even alert officers when they need to conduct a secondary inspection of the vehicle’s tyres. TACS is a valuable tool for law enforcement because it helps officers identify vehicles with unsafe tyres and remove them from service. Poor tyre condition is also a key indicator that commercial vehicles have other violations of safety regulations that affect roadworthiness. The system can categorize tyres based on whether identified anomalies are considered ‘dangerous’ (posing immediate safety concerns) or ‘suspect’ tyres that are still enforceable under local regulations but may not pose an immediate concern. This system serves as a check for commercial trucks, ensuring that they are safe and in compliance with legal standards. It can be used during roadside inspections or at a port of entry, when police departments want to ensure that vehicles entering their jurisdiction meet all safety regulations.
VectorSense technology is also available as a standalone product for advanced data collection, weigh-inmotion, and remote real-time monitoring via a web-based interface.
Moving towards Vision Zero
There is a clear and direct relationship between safety and tyre pressure and condition. Data from deployments of TACS in Europe shows the trend that 1-1.5% of commercial vehicle traffic have a tyre identified as being an immediate safety hazard. Early identification and remedy of these issues by either enforcement personnel or by a driver information system reduces commercial vehicle safety incidences. Not only do improperly inflated tyres reduce control, affect stability, and increase stopping distances on vehicles, there are further issues that can arise from tyre debris. Tires with no inflation pressure will eventually catastrophically fail and leave debris in the travelling lanes that could lead to other traffic incidences. TACS delivers the needed information to identify and resolve these issues
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Netherlands. This system concentrates on condition management and providing drivers and fleet The proportion of operators with vehicles on roads in the decision-quality Netherlands that have information. It is estimated improperly inflated that more than 60% tyres of vehicles on the roads in the Netherlands have improperly inflated tyres. Finding these inefficient tyres and informing enforcement agencies or drivers so they can fix the tyres can lead to a significant impact on emissions reductions. The link between transportation, infrastructure damage, and GHG emissions is often not directly identified. Road construction and repair are significant contributors to carbon emissions, with an estimated 50 to 100 tonnes of CO2 per kilometre of road being rehabilitated with a standard overlay. Damage to infrastructure due to weathering and wear is inevitable, but delaying the damage resulting from Above: The catastrophic failure overloaded vehicles and tyres is essential of a tyre can create to operating with the environment in debris that is mind. Whether it is an overloaded truck hazardous to other or an overloaded tyre resulting from an drivers adjacent flat tyre on a vehicle, identifying Left: A tyre and removing these infrastructurethat is next to damaging vehicle conditions contributes a mismatched diameter tyre to preserving and extending the or underinflated roadway’s life expectancy. tyre will do more Improper tyre inflation leads to damage to the road increased tyre wear, increasing layers particulate emissions. Research has shown that tyres produce almost 2,000 times more particle pollution than is produced by modern tyre exhausts and that particulates are a major source of the microplastics in the oceans. Any step that can be taken to reduce these emissions is a win for the environment.
60%
proactively. The system provides a wide range of tyre-related data for fleet managers, drivers, and law enforcement.
TACS and the environment
Similar to the link between tyre condition and safety, the operational efficiency of a vehicle with improper tyre pressures is greatly affected. Monitoring, identifying, and notifying drivers of tyres in this condition allows for not only early detection of potential safety issues,
but also delivers the data needed to proactively address efficiency issues. Tyres that are underinflated for the load being carried, for example, result in increased rolling resistance and increased fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. TACS has the ability to measure, identify and categorize tyres in this condition as ‘inefficient’. This feature has effectively been deployed as a part of a driver information system in the
Moving beyond enforcement
Commercial vehicle enforcement agencies have found TACS to be one of the most effective technologies for commercial vehicle safety screening, as the system provides accurate results that are verified by vehicle inspections and lead to placing unsafe vehicles out of service. Expanding the use of TACS will benefit DOTs and road operators by identifying inefficient tyres that do not meet the threshold for enforcement. Screening for these tyres will improve transportation efficiency and reduce environmental impact. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT WEIGH-IN-MOTION |
Perfect partnership
Combined expertise and an effective weigh-in-motion solution have successfully ensured the safety of a small, ageing bridge in Austria Words: Christoph Klauser, business development manager, traffic solutions, Kistler, Switzerland
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here’s something special about bridges. Many of them become beloved symbols of the cities or nations where they stand. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco for instance, Australia’s Sydney Harbour Bridge, or the three Bosphorus Bridges linking Europe and Asia in Istanbul, Turkey. Many are graceful and elegant – but they still manage to carry unimaginably heavy traffic loads, 24 hours a day, year in, year out. Perhaps because they combine beauty with strength, people often like to describe them as “marvels of modern engineering”. And it was not by chance that the European Central Bank chose bridges as the theme for its first-ever series of euro banknotes – “to symbolise communication among people”. Large or small, majestic or modest: all bridges have one thing in common. They depend on constant maintenance
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Above: The railway bridge in Austria is now protected with the KiTraffic Statistics WIM system from Kistler
supported by accurate monitoring to ensure that people and vehicles can always pass over them safely. Bridges are built to last – so many of them are getting on in years. London’s Tower Bridge was completed in 1894 and still carries no less than 40,000 vehicles every day. Repairs must be carried out well before deteriorating conditions prevent the flow of traffic, or even put safety at risk. And, as the Genoa bridge disaster in 2018 sadly reminded us, the worst-case scenario of a collapse must be prevented at all costs. So it’s no surprise that bridge monitoring and maintenance has become a highly-developed science. One company that specialises in this complex technology is Revotec zt, a young Austrian civil engineering practice that has close ties with the Technical University of Vienna. Founded in 2014, Revotec collaborates with major infrastructure companies throughout
this Alpine country in the role of system integrator, with a particular focus on railway bridges. Projects frequently involve fatigue assessments and vibration tests, for example on steel supporting structures that are excited artificially with electromechanical shakers. Revotec also provides support for industrial companies with machine foundations, vibration protection and isolation, and in many other areas.
Effective monitoring
Revotec recently completed a project that illustrates many of the problems facing all bridge operators – and in this case, the Vienna-based engineers provided a solution based on state-of-the-art monitoring technology that can be applied worldwide. The challenge: how to survey and safeguard a sensitive, ageing road bridge above a section of railway line deep in the Austrian countryside.
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Kistler, a Swiss-based provider of The bridge is crossed every day by many measurement technology. “We added trucks carrying heavy loads of timber the axle load measurement with the from a large sawmill. weigh in motion (WIM) system “When the project began in from Kistler in May – and January 2020, there was that installation was already some visible completed within damage to the bridge, one day,” Vospernig with several cracks continues. in the supporting “Thanks to the structure,” data acquired, comments the local Michael authorities were Vospernig, one The number of vehicles that then able to of Revotec’s two cross London’s 129-year-old penalise founders. “On Tower Bridge every day overweight behalf of vehicles so as to Austrian Federal prevent any further Railways, we overloading of the installed the strain bridge,” he adds. gauges for measurements of the supporting structure in March 2020.” The importance of WIM As their partner for the traffic WIM systems – such as the KiTraffic monitoring solution, Revotec chose Statistics solution chosen for this project
40,000
Above: The KiTraffic Statistics WIM system is a costefficient solution for recording axle loads and overall weights of vehicles traveling on roads Below left: Bridge monitoring by Revotec on behalf of Austrian Federal Railways: installing two rows of Lineas sensors for KiTraffic Statistics Below right: The Lineas sensors for the KiTraffic Statistics WIM system are installed slightly below the road surface and are coated with a special grouting compound to ensure a long lifetime
– are used worldwide to collect and process traffic data without impacting traffic flow. They help solve the problem of excessive strain on bridges, roads and other traffic infrastructures by supplying reliable real-time data about actual loads. This enables operators to schedule their maintenance accurately, while authorities can prosecute offenders and prevent violations. Alternatively, WIM can detect overloaded vehicles before they travel across a bridge, therefore access can be restricted. The Kistler WIM system now ensures reliable classification of vehicles on the bridge, identifies overloaded vehicles accurately, and monitors changes in the bridge’s condition. “The system is efficient to use, and CSV export makes it simple to merge the data with the supporting structure measurements,” Vospernig comments. “Thanks to the high quality and reliability of the data, this method could well be applied to other bridges.” WIM technology holds vast potential for the future. “Demand for data-based systems is growing. Going forward, automated systems to measure supporting structures and axle loads should allow real-time condition monitoring and predictive maintenance,” Vospernig adds. Thanks to the combined efforts of Revotec and Kistler, the small bridge in the heart of Austria is now safe for all users and can look forward to many more years of operation. It may not be as famous as the Golden Gate or Tower Bridge, but it is an excellent example of the many benefits that WIM technology can deliver for bridges large or small, anywhere in the world. ■
2023 | Intertraffic World
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TOLLING |
The modern approach to automated tolling Lidar-enabled automated tolling enables real-time data capture across all lighting and weather conditions for improved accuracy and better revenue capture Words: Baris Sarac, director of business development, Europe ITS and Smart Mobility, AEye, USA
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s the world evolves to become more automated and efficient, transportation information systems are following suit. With cities expanding and populations growing, traffic management has never been more important, and tollways are a critical tool to optimize traffic flow – ensuring people and goods move safely. Traditional tolling methods have severe drawbacks. Tollbooth cash collection, manual processing and speed reduction to accommodate outdated technology increase wait time, cause traffic buildup, add to emissions and, let’s face it, aggravate tempers. Automated tolling is a critical improvement, but current technologies, including cameras, radar, and loops, have significant shortcomings that inhibit overall system performance. Cameras and radars often struggle to detect vehicles reliably in low light or adverse weather conditions and misclassify two-axle vs. four-axle vehicles. They are unable to provide highly accurate depth information, lack the resolution needed to accurately classify objects at range and have difficulty tracking vehicles when lastsecond lane changes occur prior to entering a tolling area. To put it simply: cameras, radars and loops are unable to meet today’s challenge of optimizing traffic flow while ensuring people and goods move safely. These very real perception sensor challenges are being addressed by lidarenabled automated tolling, in which reliable, real-time data capture across all lighting and weather conditions improves accuracy and enables more informed decision-making while avoiding revenue loss.
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Right: AEye 4Sight M + perception monitoring six lanes of incoming traffic. The lidar is the main sensor gathering vehicle data and information. It also triggers cameras and radars for precise license plate information with zero misses Below: AEye 4Sight M sensor mounted on Intetra tolling gantry, with camera and radar sensor integration
AEye has introduced a softwaredefined sensor, 4Sight M, which leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to better locate, identify and track objects over time. By moving the complexity from the hardware to the software, the sensor can
customize its scanning capabilities, tailoring its output to applicationspecific requirements. That translates into a single lidar sensor providing all traffic counting and classification data to controllers and doing so with greater accuracy than existing inductive loop and above-ground detection systems. At the same time, 4Sight is specifically designed to complement the use of existing cameras, radars, and loops in automated tolling, bridging the gap between the applications of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. In September 2022, AEye partnered with Intetra, a manufacturer and end-toend solution provider for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, to develop and deploy a groundbreaking lidar-based tolling solution in Central Asia, powered by AEye’s 4Sight Intelligent Sensing Platform. Intetra manufactures hardware and develops state-of-the-art in-house software solutions for public and private operators to optimize energy-efficient and climate-friendly systems that monitor and manage complex traffic and mobility challenges. Working with various operators, Intetra heard a common theme – while inductive-loop tolling technology has advantages in being below ground, that also makes it costly and disruptive to install and maintain. Furthermore, inductive loop technology does not reliably capture vehicles traveling at high speeds or making quick lane changes when going through toll booths – a capability gap that leads to revenue leakage. As an example, Istanbul’s highway sees thousands of cars every day. Vehicle capture must be 99.9% accurate, or
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US$90m
The amount that could be saved by toll operators if the lowest quarter of performers could improve operations to match the best quarter
operators must pay a penalty to compensate for the lost revenue. According to KPMG’s 2019 worldwide toll benchmarking study, “there is more than US$90 million that could be saved by toll operators if the lowest quarter of performers could improve operations to match the efficiency of the bestperforming quarter.” The study also reported that 39% of toll collection systems are five years or older. As these systems age, some operators are looking to upgrade to new technology that increases efficiencies and reduces revenue leakage. To meet the needs of its operators, Intetra required a solution partner with a cost-effective application that could provide accurate, real-time detection and generate actionable and precise data to support a modern approach to automated tolling. Attracted to its software-defined and adaptive 3D sensing technology, Intetra partnered with AEye to develop a suitable solution. “The software-defined and versatile nature of AEye’s technology made partnering with them a no-brainer for us,” comments Recep Bahar, Intetra COO. “With the help of AEye, we’ve been able to successfully create an incredible automated tolling field solution that communicates between two devices, creating usable output for the controller. This technology will not only make a difference to our customers but also makes a positive impact on the industry as a whole.” The old inductive loop systems required cutting into the pavement, rerouting traffic, and re-asphalting for installation and maintenance. Inductive loop technology costs thousands of dollars for installation and maintenance
alone. AEye and Intetra’s lidar-based automated tolling system is mounted on gantries or traffic poles and is updated over the air via software, making the lidar-based system much faster, easier, and less costly to install, upgrade and maintain. Furthermore, an open SDK ensures flexible integration and low maintenance cost. Using a single architecture, the solution provides data for up to six lanes of traffic per sensor, collecting information such as vehicle speed, trajectory, type, classification, tagging, dimensions, and timestamp, without false or missed detections due to adverse weather conditions – a significant improvement over current systems. Furthermore, the system is highly versatile regarding sensor height, pitch angle, and types of data extracted.
Above: Overview of Intetra tolling gantry. One camera and radar needed per lane, while only two AEye 4Sight M sensors are covering six lanes of incoming traffic Below: Two AEye 4Sight M sensors covering six lanes of traffic
“We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished so far with Intetra,” says Baris Sarac, director of business development, Europe ITS & Smart Mobility at AEye. “We are matching up these technologies to provide solutions never seen before in the market. This is only the beginning of what we can and will achieve together, improving and optimizing the infrastructure around us with smart ITS solutions.” Automated tolling is the first of many ITS applications that AEye and Intetra plan to collaborate on together. Looking to the future, Intetra will deploy this automated tolling solution globally in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and other geographical regions around the world, expanding into other ITS areas, including tunnel management and city traffic management. ■
2023 | Intertraffic World
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SENSORS |
One for all and all for one
A single lidar-based sensor solution can be used for multiple violation control applications Words: Nathalie Deguen, sales manager – speed enforcement department, Parifex, France
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oad fatality rates are still worryingly high and safety continues to be a big concern. While we have seen some improvements due to the implementation of automatic fixed-speed enforcement systems, the number of accidents is still increasing in urban centres. Pedestrians and cyclists are the most affected. Part of the solution is to improve traffic management and provide better solutions for urban areas. Parifex has developed a selection of non-intrusive roadside control tools.
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Above: The Parifex Nano-cam portable sensing solution to manage road traffic safety
The company has been involved with the development of innovative road safety and traffic management solutions, doppler and lidar-based systems, for more than 30 years. At present, some 400 Parifex solutions are deployed in France and 200 additional ones are to be installed by 2020. Parifex’s latest development is a highperformance, multifunctional detection and ranging tool that can be used in any environment. Nano-cam is ideal for intelligent transportation, advanced traffic management, vehicle profiling,
speed enforcement and many other applications. This ultra-light and compact lidar-based equipment combines several functionalities, resulting in rapid, continuous and accurate detection and ranging at 360°. Indeed, Nano-cam detects all static and moving objects (i.e., pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles), and tracks and gathers all the following information for each target in real-time: dimensions, direction, speed, distance, classification. It can monitor multiple spots at a time, for example in a large car park. It
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The Nano-cam comes with software that provides a user-friendly application programming interface for Windows. This sensor can be easily integrated to many applications (smart parking, smart city, autonomous vehicles projects, security), enabling integrators to make the most of the cutting-edge technology while providing high flexibility. Parifex also uses the Nano-cam as a speedometer in a speed control system that performs multi-offence detection: red light and railroad crossing; speed, lane-related (reserved lanes for taxi or buses) and tailgating violations; obstacle detection; and vehicles driving against the flow of traffic (wrong-way drivers).
A recognised and proven system
crossing, for example). Once the information is received, the autonomous vehicle adapts its speed, or stops. Nano-cam can also be used as a speed enforcement mobile system. It is very light and easily movable with auto-calibration, which makes it very easy to use.
Above: The Parifex Nomad urban speed trap Below: The Vigie double-sided 3D-lidar unit
The LNE (legal metrology institute in France) has been convinced by the performance of the Nano-cam as a speedometer and has certified the sensor for three applications (used with the Parifex Vigie, as a standalone Nanocam and integrated in the Nomad, as an urban speedtrap). This makes Nano-cam the first speed enforcement system including a 3D-lidar sensor to be registered in compliance with the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML). ■
Advantages
With a single sensor, Nano-cam performs the same functionalities that would normally be The Nano-cam’s done by a multitude of field of view different equipment, such as cameras, induction loops, and radars. This technology also offers many advantages compared to video or radar technology. Benefits include: • Higher accuracy • 3D shapes • Precise dimensions • A large field of view (360°) • Longer range • Object recognition • Good performance in extreme weather conditions (rain, snow, dust) • Immune to lighting variations (during daytime and at night) • Rapid data acquisition time (measuring frequency of 20hz)
360°
can also be used to help enforcement, if equipped with number plate detection or vehicle type recognition. It can further be used for other ITS purposes such as surveillance and traffic management (smart city initiatives). Parifex has provided the Nano-cam for an important project in France involving autonomous vehicles. In this case, it acts as additional eyes for vehicles. Installed on roundabouts, it covers all the blind spots and communicates to vehicles in advance of any danger there might be (pedestrians
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT WEIGH-IN-MOTION |
Reliable HS-WIM access for all
New MicroStrip Sensors make high-end strain gauge-based WIM feasible for all traffic data applications Words: Leonardo Guerson, WIM product manager and application engineer, traffic and enforcement, Intercomp Company, USA
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igh-speed weigh-in-motion (HS-WIM) systems provide the most valuable information that can be collected from a roadway. HS-WIM data enables us to evaluate the real load demands over roads and bridges. This information can be used for understanding where, when, and how overloads happen most frequently and severely. For many years, high-density HS-WIM data collection demanded a level of investment that pushed road owners away from the most accurate and reliable sensors in the market. This often led to situations where the traffic inputs were overestimated to ensure adequate service. But the days of estimating may soon be over, as Intercomp introduces its new MicroStrip Sensor – a high-end sensor developed specifically for traffic data collection applications.
A complex task
A weigh-in-motion (WIM) system that can count, classify, and measure the axle loads of heavy vehicles is the most complete and versatile method for traffic load data collection. However, obtaining reliable vehicle weight data with HS-WIM
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Above: This data collection site in Qatar represents a typical HS-WIM site with two rows of Intercomp Strain Gauge Strip Sensors
systems, while keeping costs down, is a major challenge for road owners. Budget restrictions have made low-end sensors a popular option for large-scale applications, but they are often not reliably accurate and have limited durability. This results in a high replacement rate, and increased operating costs. Low-end sensors often result in a functionality that is referred to as ‘enhanced classification’ – when the systems generate a good dataset of uninterrupted vehicle counts and classification, but there are no expectations of weighing accuracy. The design and maintenance of road infrastructure are often based on estimates of traffic loads because accurate, site-specific weight data is rarely available. The practice of general estimations can result in super (or under) dimensioning or ineffective monitoring. When dealing with large-scale assets such as roads and bridges, a more comprehensive use of high-accuracy HS-WIM may result in considerable savings in resources. The cost-effective and highly accurate MicroStrip Sensor was developed to answer these problems. The MicroStrip
Sensor is lighter, lower profile and more economical than Intercomp’s standard strip sensor.
Sustainable asset management
The MicroStrip was built based on the vision that every roadway could make effective use of accurate, reliable, and uninterrupted vehicle weight information. Raising the number of data collection sites in a road network increases the chances of having a dataset that accurately reflects reality. A highdensity traffic dataset, with accurate vehicle load information, is the basis for a successful road asset management programme. Knowing the actual vehicle load demands based on accurate weight data provides an unprecedented level of knowledge that can be the key to designing and maintaining pavements and bridges, and for monitoring the potential overloads that travel through the road networks.
High-quality data
The Microstrip Sensor fulfills the need for a reliable and accessible HS-WIM sensor. Intercomp’s research team invested two years in developing a sensor
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Left: With a single pair of Intercomp Strain Gauge Strip Sensors, users obtain improved accuracies for gross vehicle weights and axle weight Below: A Uruguayan infrastructure company uses Intercomp’s Strain Gauge Strip Sensors to collect information on overweight vehicles at high speeds
that consumes fewer strain gauges and less metal material but is comparable to a high-end sensor in terms of accuracy. The result is a sensor that consistently meets classes B(10) and B+(7) according to COST 323 Standard, with a lower profile and reduced acquisition costs. The MicroStrip sensor is built with the
the point of weighing, and GaugeSense technology means no positional sensitivity. This not only increases accuracy, but also means the sensors require less-frequent calibration, even in climates with large temperature ranges. With a low-profile height, these sensors are fast and easy to install, resulting in minimal disruption to traffic. High-quality data, longer sensor life, and lower ownership costs can benefit all WIM operations, with less downtime, fewer labour requirements, and other costs associated with sensor replacement. The MicroStrip was developed to make high-end HS-WIM accessible to all roads and revolutionise the way road assets are managed today. ■
same GaugeSense strain-gauge load cell technology that is used for road enforcement applications around the world, providing premium accuracy and robustness. The MicroStrip sensor includes a built-in temperature gauge, which allows for temperature compensation at
A BETTER WEIGH
OIML Certified Scales & Sensors
LP788™ Portable Scale
Strain Gauge STRIP SENSORS
LS-WIM® Weigh-In-Motion Axle Scale
LTR788™ Dual Wheel Load Scale
intercompcompany.com
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCALES |
Sustainable weighing With minimized energy consumption, a long lifespan and a light footprint, Haenni’s scales are a sustainable solution to mobile weight enforcement Words: Marcia Otter, business developer, Haenni Instruments, Switzerland
20 years The average lifespan of Haenni scales
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he Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy health, justice, peace and prosperity. Haenni Instruments, the Swiss manufacturer of portable wheel load scales, shares the same goals and applies them to the sector in which the company operates. Mobile weight enforcement helps to increase the security of the road network and protect the road infrastructure. It
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also ensures fairness in the transportation sector by preventing overloaded vehicles having an advantage over others. Additionally, it enables interaction between drivers and traffic officers, making it possible to educate the drivers about vehicle loads and road user safety. Finally, it helps to minimise CO2 emissions, as overloading increases emissions by more than 70%.
Environmental sustainability
Haenni scales have a very long lifespan: an average of 20 years. When used correctly, they can last even longer. One scale was in operation for 43 years by the
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Far left: Overloading vehicles can increase their CO2 emissions by over 70% Below far left: The WL 108 works for at least 120 hours on only two hours of charge Left: Haenni scales can be easily carried by any adult
cantonal police in Wallis, Switzerland. Advanced technology and a robust design ensure many years of reliable weighing, minimising waste and decreasing the need to ship spare parts for defected scales. The scales are designed to have mostly replaceable and reusable parts, with minimal metal and
electronic waste. Whenever possible, the parts are standardized. Another very important factor that attests the sustainability of Haenni products is the supply chain. Most Haenni suppliers are located in Switzerland. This minimises shipping and storage, as well as emissions and
energy usage. All of the company’s products exceed the requirements to be qualified as ‘Swiss made’. With regards to energy consumption, the WL 108 electronic scale can operate for at least 120 hours on only two hours of charge. Meanwhile, the WL 101 scale is totally mechanical and requires no energy supply at all. With a low profile (17mm), it uses a light levelling material that is easily transported. It is also easy to drive onto, which means that drivers don’t need to accelerate as much, minimising emissions. Light and easy to handle, with no component of a standard system weighing more than 20kg, Haenni scales can be handled by any person, of any gender. The risk of incidents and health injuries is minimal. Haenni stands for gender equality and safety at work, providing safe and reliable working tools. Around 60 Haenni representatives spread across five continents guarantee that sustainability continues locally. Most have represented Haenni for more than one generation. Whenever possible these representatives are trained locally, to guarantee that equipment is correctly operated, to avoid damage and to ensure a local repair, if necessary. ■
Swiss Q ua
Sustainable weighing.
lit
y
More about HAENNI: www.haenni-scales.com
1052666_ITW_HAENNI Instruments AG.indd 1
HAENNI Wheel Load Scales Very long life cycle. Very low consume energy. Local suppliers. Minimal and local maintenance. Little metal and electronic waste.
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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SENSORS |
30
The number of years motorists in Germany collectively spend stuck in traffic every year
ANPR meets data protection
Smart solutions using ANPR and hashing technologies ensure secure processing of sensitive traffic data
Words: Jan-Erik Schmitt, CEO, Carrida Technologies, Germany
E
very year, Germany experiences almost one million kilometers of traffic jams and motorists collectively spend around 30 years stuck in traffic. It is undisputed that a traffic turnaround is urgently needed. This is the only way to prevent cities and conurbations from collapsing.
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Above: The Carrida Software recognises number plates, as well as advanced traffic data, via AI
There are also ecological consequences and wasted resources to consider. Nevertheless, the importance of individual mobility is enormous. Achieving this balancing act requires smart technologies. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) provides the perfect basis for a smart solution, and enables comprehensive traffic statistics to be collected and utilised in real time.
Safe and efficient
The use of time stamps and number plate data recorded by ANPR sensors, as well as additional information, for example
on vehicle type, make and model, makes it possible to collect comprehensive data on the actual traffic situation. However, this procedure is subject to stringent data protection requirements. They can be fulfilled, when intelligent ANPR sensors reliably record the number plates of all passing vehicles and immediately replace the sensitive data on the edge device, using a hashing process with a unique, non-reversible identifier. This ensures that the data is stored and processed anonymously. Carrida has implemented this hashing process in the latest version of its ANPR software engine. The processing, i.e., the reading of number plates and the recognition of vehicle type and category, takes place directly on the smart sensor, so that only small amounts of data need to be stored or transmitted. With a network of smart traffic sensors, travel time measurements for individual vehicles can be performed between two or more sensors. For this, Carrida supports MQTT to publish
| TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT results and images. The protocol enables connection to additional IoT devices and integration into networks. With this functionality, a system for path time measurement can be configured from several ANPR sensors or the ANPR data can be integrated into complex overall systems. To further improve data security, public key authentication for FTP actions and certificate-based authentication for HTTP data transmission are implemented.
Multiple applications
The possibilities and application areas of ANPR technology and smart city solutions are not limited to the collection of traffic statistics: ANPR and timestamp recordings can be used to detect and process routes taken by individual vehicles, for example, for fully automated calculation of a route toll or to calculate average speed for law enforcement applications. Artificial intelligence and big data analyses additionally help to observe trends and developments and to initiate appropriate measures for traffic planning and management. Therewith, the data helps to reduce congestion and traffic pollution, and improve the general quality of life in cities.
With ANPR and hashed number plate data, it is possible to intelligently monitor roads. At the same time, identifying vehicle type, make and model enables authorities to restrict access to areas depending on the vehicle class. ANPR can also be used to find, share and manage parking spaces, booking a parking space for a specific time or checking whether the registered vehicle is parked there. Or, as in the case of Apcoa Parking, to enable ticketless access to parking facilities using Carrida’s technologies. In addition, numerous other applications are conceivable or have already been implemented, from smart speed displays with insertion of the recognised number plate to gratifications for particularly environmentally friendly driving behaviour.
Below: One software architecture can go from edge-device to PC or smartphone: Carrida runs on any hardware
mobile devices running Linux and Android. The software recognises number plates from all countries and can thus be used worldwide. Carrida also offers the software in combination with a specially developed and directly readyto-use ANPR sensor or as a construction kit for individual devices. ■
Easy integration
Carrida offers the ANPR library as software for easy integration into any stationary or mobile device. It can be implemented easily, quickly and cost effectively and supports all common camera types. It can be installed and used on PCs running Windows or Linux as well as on ARM-based devices and
LPR Software for Smart Cities Advanced Traffic Statistics Travel Time Measurement Privacy-compliant Processing Hardware Independent IoT Traffic Sensors powered by CARRIDA drive new services to forecast & manage traffic, to reduce congestion & pollution and to use spaces efficiently.
Our LPR Software Engine is easy to implement on any hardware. It provides reliable reading results and compliance with security & privacy standards.
Find the perfect LPR solution for your project! www.carrida-technologies.com 1063596_ITW_Carrida Technologies GmbH.indd 1
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SAFETY ROAD STUDS |
Guiding lights
New road stud technology helps to improve crosswalk safety by refocusing the attention of distracted drivers and pedestrians Words: Fernando Afonso, CEO, Sernis, Portugal
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he urban mobility paradigm is changing and smart cities have to keep up with this change. In urban areas, there are a lot of distracted people on the roads, either talking to others or looking at their phones instead of paying attention to their surroundings. While fatal car accidents have declined in recent years, pedestrian deaths are on the rise. The principal reason for this increase is the fact that pedestrians and drivers are overly confident in their ability to multitask. Distracted driving is a well-established
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Above: The SR-Crossled-S installation model. This model is installed on the top of the white crosswalk lines, creating a homogeneous illumination of the crosswalk
problem, but the issue of distracted walking is relatively new. Each year, more and more people are injured and killed as a result of using their phones while walking or crossing the street.
The danger of distraction
Distracted driving is defined as any activity that draws your focus away from safe driving, such as chatting or texting on your phone, eating, and drinking. You cannot drive safely unless you give your full attention to the task of driving. Any non-driving activity is a possible distraction and raises your chances of an
accident. The most dangerous distraction is texting. According to the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA), sending or reading a text message takes your attention away from the road for five seconds. That’s long enough for a car moving at 55mph to drive the length of a football field. Most individuals are aware that distracted driving is a serious issue but distracted walking is becoming a significant cause of personal injury. Distracted walking accidents are so widespread that the National Safety Council (USA) included them for the first time in its annual injury statistics report in 2015. In a 2012 study of Seattle’s most hazardous junctions, researchers discovered that about one-third of pedestrians approaching these crossroads were seen chatting on their phones, texting, or listening to music. Jack Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at The Ohio State University, and a research team from the university examined data on pedestrian-
| SAFETY
The SR-Crossled-S is installed on the car accidents, pedestrian falls, and other top of the white crosswalk lines, creating injuries caused by distracted walking a homogeneous illumination of the and hypothesised that up to two million crosswalk. It is perfect to alert distracted injuries could be caused each year when drivers when they are approaching a people walk while texting or talking on crosswalk. It also has a low profile, so their mobile phones, even when they as not to disturb traffic flow. The are hands-free. SR-Crossled-S was designed Another unexpected to have a minimal impact of distracted impact on the walking was aesthetic of the revealed in road scheme and research urban design. Its conducted by application in old the University historic towns of British and city centres Columbia. The average amount of time increases the They warned you are distracted for, when safety and that driverless visibility of automobiles sending or reading a text crosswalks at may be misled message while driving night while also by distracted conserving the scenic pedestrians’ Source: NTHSA character of the streets. actions and therefore Its simple design blends very be less able to stop and well with the urban environment. avoid them. The SR-Crossled-S may be also used as a decorative street lighting fixture for Improving crosswalk safety urban illumination, enhancing the The SR-Crossled range of road studs surrounding landscape. from Sernis is a promising technology designed to reduce crosswalk accidents related to distraction. Warnings on the Ready for the road sides of the road (SR-Crossled-L) and The SR-Crossled range have robust and tops of the white cross lines (SRlong-lasting structures, and are certified Crossled-S) can redirect the attention of to European Standard EN124, class distracted pedestrians or drivers back to D400. Tests have demonstrated that after the crosswalk, helping to avoid accidents. applying five preloads of 2/3 of the test The SR-Crossled-L must be installed force (266.3kN), the load was raised to on both sides of the road between the 400kN. After applying a force of 400kN sidewalk and the crosswalk. It is ideal for alerting distracted pedestrians when they are approaching a crossing. It changes from red to green – according to the pedestrian-crossing traffic lights, informing pedestrians whether it is safe to cross the street or not. The large, illuminated area has a great visual impact, making it almost impossible for pedestrians to overlook it. SR-Crossled-L has a low profile (flat on the ground), ensuring that it will not cause any danger to pedestrians.
Five seconds
Above: Warnings on the sides of the road (SR-Crossled-L) and on top of the white crosswalk lines (SR-Crossled-S) can redirect the attention of distracted pedestrians or drivers back to the crossing, helping to avoid accidents Below: SR-Crossled-S and SR-Crossled-L models
for 30 seconds, the SR-Crossled showed no evidence of cracking or fracture and resisted the corresponding maximum force of the specified class. Both solutions are completely waterproof. Furthermore, there is also anti-skidding treatment on the product to prevent motorcycles and bikes sliding on the product surface. The installation procedure is quite simple, and maintenance is less expensive and timeconsuming than alternative solutions, minimising disruption to traffic flow throughout the installation process. The structure of the SR-Crossled products enables quick and easy maintenance and replacement of the electronic module in the crosswalk, without the need to drill holes and remove the entire device from the ground. This is critical in this sort of application since it takes out the need for road works. The SR-Crossled-L and SR-Crossled-S are both topped with a stainless-steel alloy and polycarbonate – providing high strength and allowing them to be used in any type of traffic application. The standard mode for the SRCrossled road studs is a steady light, but other modes of operation like flashing or sequential are available with an external controller. Similar to the regular road studs developed by Sernis, SR-Crossled-L and SR-Crossled-S can be controlled with PC500. The wired system can be powered by electric or solar energy. It has a very low power consumption. ■
2023 | Intertraffic World
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PARKING TICKETLESS TECHNOLOGY |
No strings attached
Innovative wireless and paperless solutions make access to parking smart, flexible, profitable, and environmentally friendly Words: Yoseph Antopolsky, head of marketing and international relations, Technoso Control Systems, Israel
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ost of us can barely remember the time before digital technology transformed the way we do our banking. It seems like we have had ATMs, tap-and-go EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale), and smartphone banking apps forever. Technoso is spearheading a similar revolution in the car park industry. Technoso provides wireless, ticketless parking solutions for life in the 21st century. The Israeli tech start-up produces a flexible, scalable, cloud-based car park management system that eliminates the need for paper tickets and hard-wired infrastructure, saving car park operators time and hassle, while increasing their revenues.
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Above: Technoso’s wireless and ticketless parking access and revenue control system
Better the more they see
By far the most popular system installed by Technoso is its ticketless line. The outstanding performance of this system is due its AI-powered license plate recognition (LPR) camera technology, which becomes more efficient with every license plate read. The cameras register the vehicle license upon entry to the car park, and again at the exit. The cloudbased parking management system (PMS) then calculates the fee and the driver’s nominated payment platform is charged, a digital receipt is issued, and they are on their way without delay.
The brains of the outfit
Technoso’s parking management system, BlueP, is a web-based operating system
that enables parking operators to manage and control their car parks from anywhere in the world. A userfriendly, customisable dashboard enables management to remotely monitor multiple sites and optimise occupancy and revenues. The built-in flexibility of the PMS is a crucial benefit for managing complicated sites such as mixed-use car parks with multiple companies sharing the parking space with short- and long-term parkers. Powerful integrated business intelligence (BI) tools are customisable to every car park and operator and provide data to facilitate detailed forward planning or to accommodate new technologies, such as electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
| PARKING
Reliability
70%
The increase in traffic flow when using Technoso’s ticketless technology instead of ticketed systems
The 100% cloudbased system and server kit communicate via a multiple GSM SIM system with built-in, failsafe redundancy. The system is also fully protected against power outages. Technoso’s wireless solutions eliminate the costs of hard-wired ticketing terminals and staffed ticketing booths by locating all the necessary wireless communication hardware in a single server kit, usually in the exit terminal. This increased flexibility and modularity reduces installation costs and raises profits. Because of its wireless technology, all the elements of a Technoso system, including the entrance/exit terminals, LPR cameras, barriers, and automatic pay stations, are ‘plug-and-play’. This not only greatly reduces installation time and cost, but also enables more installations to be completed in less time. Moreover, the system retains its flexibility into the future. Hardwired infrastructure becomes a burden if the car park needs to be reconfigured or
repurposed. It may be prohibitively expensive to dig up and reuse cables, so this valuable establishment asset is wasted. For example, if the parking lot needs to be relocated, the Technoso components can easily be removed and reinstalled at the new location in next to no time. This is of particular benefit in the case of short-term leased parking spaces or for temporary ‘pop-up’ parking lots. Maintenance costs are also targeted for savings. Paper ticket printers are notoriously unreliable and require frequent repair and restocking with paper. Technoso’s ticketless systems eliminate this cost forever. Technoso’s focus on flexibility extends to the parking lot end-users. Customers can nominate their own preferred payment platform. When paired with the ticketless entry technology, this creates a truly contactless user experience. Digital QR code coupons and instantly downloadable digital receipts complete the easy-flow parking experience.
Above: Technoso’s digital discount management solution allows for a fully paperless experience
Green credentials
Technoso is mindful of its environmental responsibilities. Not only does removing paper tickets improve the customer experience and reduce maintenance costs, but it saves trees and reduces chemical waste from printing ink, too. Additionally, customers no longer have to worry about lost tickets, and the car park remains free of this litter.
Future-proofing mobility
Parking exhibitions and associations are switching their titles and topics to mobility, rather than just parking, which is becoming a single piece of a larger puzzle that includes smart cities, micromobility, EV charging, and much more. To stay competitive in this new market, integration with external systems is a must. With Technoso’s open API, integrating with 3rd party services such as parking guidance, reservations, hotel management systems, and EV charging is easy. Being a cloud-based system means that over 95% of troubleshooting is done remotely, upgrades and updates happen automatically, operators can remotely control multiple car parks, and of course, the system is fully GDPR compliant. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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PARKING TICKETLESS TECHNOLOGY |
Park smart
Parking at the Claremont Quarter in Perth has become easier and more efficient, with a new ticketless system that leverages ANPR and a sophisticated e-commerce platform Words: Sheldon James, Phillip Veldten and Johann Bülow, Designa, Australia
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laremont Quarter is a luxury retail and residential development in Perth, Australia. The complex boasts 129 stores and has 78 apartments. Its car park houses approximately 3,500 vehicles each day. The joint owners of Claremont Quarter, Hawaiian Property Management and Queensland Investment Corporation recently appointed Designa Australia to provide an integrated e-commerce and ticketless parking installation at the complex. The owners wanted to improve the user experience and customer journey using modern technology with digital information capabilities that has a stateof-the-art look and feel. The goals were to improve traffic flow in the complex and maximise parking revenue using e-commerce capabilities. Designa responded with its new Connect series range of hardware, the Designa HS Business e-commerce platform and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to
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Above: The Designa Group has recently completed an integrated e-commerce and ticketless parking installation at a retail and residential development called Claremont Quarter in Perth, Australia
eliminate the need for tickets and transform the Claremont Quarter parking environment for the future.
A tailored approach
With Designa’s comprehensive yet modular design, the company was able to tailor a solution to suit Claremont Quarters’ complex requirements, which involves four major parker categories: transient, pre-paid fixed daily rate, postpaid fixed daily rate, and residents and permanent ‘tariff-free’ parkers. The parking facility includes seven segregated areas, each with a pre-defined parking tariff or access control limitation, according to these categories.
Gate and pay system
Registered and anonymous Claremont Quarter parkers can quickly access their designated parking area and pay associated parking rates with a ‘windows-up’ experience. Designa’s gated ticketless technology provides the possibility for free-flow control parking
solutions, and price changes, in combination with a fast, fully integrated number plate recognition system. System performance has been monitored during peak periods. The results show that the time from vehicle recognition to commanding the barrier to open has been brought down to 1,100 milliseconds. In convoy traffic, this means barriers are not even fully closed before opening again for the next vehicle. However, they still provide full recognition accuracy. This hugely improves the customer parking experience and maximises vehicle throughput in the complex. Furthermore, efficient payment capabilities at the award-winning ‘Pay’ pay-on-foot stations (with touchscreen and plate search technology) is also possible. The Pay areas are strategically located at guest pedestrian concentration points or via fast and efficient ‘tap and go’ equipped Slim Lane 600 devices at all outer vehicle exit points for transient and pre-paid registered parkers.
| PARKING
entering the vehicle number Centre management, plate, any time or price tenants and partners can discount can be applied provide customers with to the trip in progress. parking discounts Mobile payments using Designa’s are also possible via online validation The number of any web-enabled tool, accessible via milliseconds it takes from device before any web-enabled leaving the complex. device or the vehicle recognition to Designa Coupon barrier opening at QR code generator Displays & boards Claremont utility. All pay As part of Designa’s stations and Slim exit connect series hardware, Quarter devices are equipped with customers can generate a barcode scanning device to marketing revenue and read a pre-printed or electronically interact with their parkers right at issued parking discount coupon. Using the start of their journey using digital the online validation tool and simply information displays and media
1,100
Above left: Congestion at barriers, either on external roads or inside parking garages, are things of the past with the Designa Gated Ticketless solution Above right: Fast and efficient payment capabilities at one of the award-winning “Pay” pay-onfoot pay stations (with touchscreen and plate search technology) Left: Nested resident parking areas form part of the integrated parking management control system
controllers. Claremont quarter specifically opted for this feature. All outer entry lanes are equipped with 47cm (18.5in) high-resolution media displays currently used to promote campaigns and welcome customers to the facility as they enter. The recognised number plate number is also displayed for each parker on entry. Media controllers are also used to drive larger 127cm (50in) variable rate boards strategically located at the main general entrance points around the facility.
Nested parking
Nested resident parking areas also form part of the integrated parking management control system. Incorporating different access control and price change locations is always a challenge. At Claremont Quarter, residents can now enjoy ‘windows-up’ access through the transient parking areas to their designated apartment blocks on the development’s east and west sides. Designa’s software solutions manage and control this nested process very accurately.
E-commerce platform
Access control/ price change locations
1. PIP 2 (via Level 3 to 4) – Resident East Level 4 parking – 1 x entry, 1 x exit (gated) 2. PIP 1 (via Level 2) – Mixed use – 2 x entries, 1 x exit – free flow 3. PIP 1 (via level 2) – Level 3 to Level 4 - Free flow entry/exit 4. DOWN – Basement – 2 x entries (gated) 5. UP – Multi Storey (Level 2) –1 x entrance, 2 x Exit (gated) 6. PIP 2 (via Level 3 to 4) – Staff Level 4 Parking – 1 x entry, 1 x exit (gated) 7. PIP 2 (via level 2) – Resident West – 1 x entry, 1 x exit (gated) 8. Down – Basement West – 1 x entry, 2 x exits (gated)
Meanwhile, Designa’s e-commerce platform allows for a self-administered parking subscription and management platform for all parker categories. Whether users are purchasing payas-you-go, fixed term or direct debit parking access, an easy-to-use, autonomous web-based platform is integrated with the ticketless solution. Furthermore, Designa has additional modules to choose from, such as pre-booking, marketing and loyalty programmes, and B2B interfaces for deep integration with third party e-commerce platforms and portals. ■ 2023 | Intertraffic World
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SMART MOBILITY 5G |
Digital revolution
New COM-HPC server-on-modules make it possible for the transportation industry to use modular 5G cells for real-time communications Words: Zeljko Loncaric, product marketing manager, congatec, Germany
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eal-time capable 5G cells with integrated edge servers are a key enabling technology for digital transformation, opening a plethora of new opportunities for the industrial internet of things (IIoT), logistics, transportation, and railway wayside infrastructure applications. However, to be able to process data in real time and with low latency in harsh outdoor environments, such solutions need to be specially hardened. For this purpose, the world’s first COM-HPC server-on-modules that are designed for operation outside air-conditioned data centres are now being launched into the field. Digital transformation of the logistics and transportation world requires fast real-time networks, yet laying cables everywhere is not always possible. The real-time capable 5G standard is therefore a real revolution, as it enables reliable wireless distribution and processing of massive amounts of data in real time and, importantly, over longer distances than with a wireless local area network (WLAN). And since both stationary and mobile devices can use the 5G network, connecting entire warehouses, container ports, depots as
Right: Industrial 5G cells can have extremely diverse tasks. Server-onmodules, which make 5G network and edge computing performance scalable, enable OEMs to cost efficiently scale the performance of small cells that are barely larger than a pizza box Below: Custom carrier boards can even be designed for 5G cells in lamp posts
well as railway wayside installations becomes possible. For such use cases, 5G can manage a large density of networked devices and offers short response and latency times in the millisecond range. With network slicing, 5G also opens the possibility of creating independent virtual networks that are logically separated by a single physical network. Finally, 5G also provides the foundation for the introduction of cloud-native architectures which, with 5G-based edge computing, become real-time capable fog servers that can communicate wirelessly with all kinds of devices.
Private 5G infrastructures
The opening of the 3.7-3.8 GHz frequency range to private mobile networks means that 5G can be used and privately operated by a wide variety of campus networks. The scalability of these private infrastructures and the compatibility of 5G with previous mobile communications standards, which can also be expected for future generations, also offer high level of investment security. More and more companies are therefore establishing their own private, on-premises 5G networks to run business-critical applications and to digitize their processes – a trend that is expected to intensify in the coming years according to a recent study by MarketsandMarkets. Such private 5G networks are usually built of highly compact small cells or femtocells. Servers for such 5G small cells are about the size of a pizza box.
Robust 5G edge server tech
In such installations, the edge server infrastructure behind the 5G microcells should ideally be provided directly in or at the base station/radio access network (RAN) infrastructure by deploying virtual network functions (VNF). The advantage of a shared hardware platform is that both cloud edge server
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| SMART MOBILITY
Left: Server consolidation at the industrial 5G edge: Up to 20 cores can host a variety of 5G NVF and industrial real-time applications
functionality and network function virtualisation (NFV) can be deployed together in the centralised unit (CU). The cells require integration of all necessary hardware to generate and process the 5G signals. This forms the physical interface between the 5G radio network and the digital baseband. In addition, the server performance required for the individual edge server functions also needs integrating. Since functions can vary from application to application, a modular design approach using server-on-modules is recommended. In this case, the application-specific functions can be realised on the carrier board – including, for example, implementation of the 5G radio logic with appropriate expansion modules. With server-on-modules based on the new PICMG COM-HPC standard and featuring the new Intel Xeon D processors, developers can gain access to a performance class that was previously unattainable for harsh environments. These rugged modules can be operated in the extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C, are designed for long-term availability, and offer special protection against electromagnetic interference as well as shocks and vibrations. To provide the necessary performance, such modules feature up to 20 cores, up to 1 TB of memory on up to 8 DRAM sockets at 2933MT/s, up to 47 PCIe lanes per module in total and 32 PCIe Gen 4 lanes with double throughput per lane, as well as up to 100 GbE connectivity and support for time-coordinated computing (TCC) and time-sensitive networking (TSN) to
enable real-time communication between devices. Further significant performance increases are expected to be on offer in the future with the release of new modules. Additionally, the COM-HPC specification will also be extended to include functional safety. Modules supporting this functionality could then be used as central controllers for autonomous intralogistics vehicles such as tow tugs, unit load carriers, forklifts, assembly line vehicles or pallet trucks. This will make it possible to provide precertified computer modules that make it easier and faster for customers to realise new safety applications in many transportation applications.
Below: Applicationready samples of the server-onmodules are now available, including suitable rugged cooling solutions for the given processor TDP. On the software side, the new modules come with comprehensive board support packages for Windows, Linux and VxWorks, as well as the RTS hypervisor
The all-in-one solution
The new COM-HPC server-on-modules revolutionise edge server design in three respects: Rugged server designs featuring the new Intel Xeon D processors can be implemented in the microcells of private 5G networks without additional air conditioning. This as well as support for the extended temperature range makes the new designs suitable for use including outdoor and mobile applications in the logistics sector. The world’s first COM-HPC server-onmodules provide significantly improved performance and scalability, offering massively higher memory bandwidth with up to 20 cores and up to 8 DRAM sockets. Besides this industry first, they also enable deterministic real-time in the industrial IoT. This makes them the ideal basis for building customized 5G cells with integrated edge server technology as an all-in-one solution. For 5G network administrators, the new modules also offer a set of highquality, application-specific server features: For business-critical designs, these include powerful hardware security features such as Intel Boot Guard, Intel Total Memory Encryption - Multi-Tenant (Intel TME-MT) and Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX). Comprehensive remote application server (RAS) functionalities support remote hardware management functions such as IPMI and Redfish, for which there is also a PICMG specification that ensures the interoperability of such implementations. ■
2023 | Intertraffic World
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SMART MOBILITY SENSORS |
Lidar – the next big thing for smart cities? Major cities around the world have already made advanced efforts towards smart city solutions. These can further be advanced with lidar, due to its high precision, versatility, ease of use and accessible price Words: Raul Bravo, president and co-founder, Outsight, France
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apidly growing populations in metro regions across the world have created new and pressing difficulties, such as increased road traffic, traffic-related deaths, higher carbon emissions, and security concerns in crowded public places. These factors have highlighted more than ever the urgency and importance of using smart city technologies. Smart cities are defined by their ability to use real-time information to know what events are happening, understand patterns, and respond faster to the circumstances. This real-time actionable information is provided by a network of sensors and applications that convert raw data into insights and alerts. In fact, the worldwide smart city market is expected to reach US$2.86 trillion in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 20.64% between 2022 and 20261, fuelled by increased global urbanisation and rising technology spending on smart city efforts.
Right: Crowded city centres need smart city technologies to keep citizens safe Below right: Lidar technology does not capture any personal information
can detect objects at distances of up to 300m)3, these sensors can also be installed discreetly, allowing for unobtrusive monitoring. As a result, cities can protect personal information and use security resources effectively while ensuring the protection of their inhabitants.
Lidar benefits
Vehicle and pedestrian flow monitoring have the potential to make our cities smarter and safer by providing insights that allow them to better allocate resources, optimise energy, cut emissions, and reduce accidents. However, to be impactful, flow monitoring requires precise perception and situational awareness. Here is where lidar (light detection and ranging), is considered among the most prominent technologies, thanks to its intrinsic properties. Unlike existing 2D-based perception technologies, such as cameras, the 3D data from lidar produces highly detailed, accurate spatial measurements (lidar mapping accuracies can go up to 1cm horizontal and 2cm
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Improved accessibility vertical)2 and works in a range of environments and contexts, such as during the night or in direct sunlight. Another key concern for smart cities, solved by lidar technology, is privacy. When deployed at scale, lidar offers an important nontechnical advantage: no personally identifiable information is ever captured. Because of their extended range and comprehensive coverage (lidar
While lidar has traditionally been thought of as an expensive technology, it is now evolving to become smaller and less expensive as lidar companies are removing many of the moving parts in hybrid solid-state and solid-state sensors. These new sensors have great potential for widespread adoption by combining elevated detection ranges, similar to mechanical spinning lidars, with lower costs, ranging from US$1-5k.
| SMART MOBILITY Another common drawback of lidar technology is related to the complexity of working with its output RAW data, especially when you have to combine many lidar units in different orientations and positions, sometimes even from different manufacturers. There are 3D lidar data preprocessors available on the market to solve this issue. The first preprocessor, the Augmented Lidar Software, was launched by Outsight in 2019 and is now a highly popular lidar solution since it can be used with any lidar unit. Outsight’s preprocessor not only turns raw data into manipulable data, independently of the sensor complexity, but it can also give information related to the volume, trajectory, and even the classification of objects identified within or outside of designed zones, making it much easier and faster for developers to implement their own smart city applications, such as triggering events in real-time or feeding dashboards. Lidar preprocessor technology is extremely versatile and applicable to many smart city use cases: from smart tolling systems to traffic monitoring and vulnerable road users (VRUs) tracking, passing by pedestrian safety in road
1061396_ITW_Outsight.indd 1
Left: Lidar performance versus price evolution in the past 50 years Below: Augmented Data Software Visualization with different streetlamps being spotted
intersections, security systems in crowded spaces, and road asset mapping. As a recent example, Outsight has recently supported a power generation and supply major company to map all its streetlamps. In another case, Outsight has provided a system to identify VRUs in a busy US city centre with high accuracy requirements. Outsight has also prepared a solution to identify different classes and track objects close to tolls for one US state department of transportation. Major cities around the world, such as New York City, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Singapore, have already made advanced efforts in smart city solutions, making room for many others to
replicate their best practices. In this scenario, there is no doubt that lidar solutions will be used to fasten this implementation thanks to its high precision, versatility, accessible price, and ease of use with the right preprocessor. ■ References: 1. ResearchAndMarkets.com, “Global Smart City Market (By Application & Region): Insights & Forecast with Potential Impact of COVID-19 (2022-2026)”, May 2022 2. Vectornav, LiDAR mapping 3. Forbes, “The LiDAR Range Wars - Mine Is Longer Than Yours”, May 2021
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SMART MOBILITY EV CHARGING |
It’s electrifying
A smart charging solution brings efficiency and sustainability benefits to the public transport sector Words: Antonio Marqués Moreno, director of technology and innovation, Grupo ETRA, Spain
T
he current climate emergency requires substantial reductions to the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. In Europe, for example, the European Commission has presented the European Green Deal and the EU Cities Mission, which aim to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society with a resourceefficient and competitive economy. The goal of the EU is to reduce greenhouse gap emissions by 55% by 2030 and become climate-neutral by 2050. These ambitious objectives cannot be met without addressing the emissions generated by transport and mobility. Currently, road transport is still responsible for 11.9% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In Europe, transport emissions represent 25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions and, what
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Above: ELECTRA uses AI and digital twin technology to decarbonise public transport
not to mention its is worse, they have profound climate increased over benefits. In 2018, recent years. As buses, trams and a result, green, metros in EU sustainable and The percentage of cities carried smart mobility greenhouse emissions some 50 billion efforts are attributable to road passengers, required to replacing 36 billion protect our planet. transport in Europe annual car trips, or In recent years, 100 million daily car much focus has been trips. Investments in put on the combination public transport and getting of renewable energy and more people to use it can cut electric cars as the silver bullet emissions from the transport sector by to address the decarbonisation of over 50% in the next decade. mobility. This is indeed a powerful tool, which still has a lot to offer. However, this alone is not enough. Scarcity of raw Optimising public transport materials, energy and urban space make ELECTRA combines the scale and public transport essential to reduce capacity of public transport with the full congestion and improve urban mobility, greening potential brought by renewable
25%
| SMART MOBILITY
electricity. It is a smart tool that applies artificial intelligence to optimise the operation of electric bus depots. This technological solution enables the charging process of a large bus fleet to be optimised. This is very challenging when you consider that a large number of
buses - all of them requiring significant amount of power – need to be available for service, and therefore charged, almost simultaneously. During this smart charging process, several elements are taken into consideration. These include:
Above: Checking the operational status and charging level of each vehicle is easy with ELECTRA
• The energy cost: Costs for e-bus fleet operators are minimised. This is achieved via tools such as peak shaving – to reduce the peak power limit - or peak shifting – to favour charging during periods when electricity is cheaper. • The use of green electricity, either self-generated or from third parties, is maximised, in order to effectively reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet operation. The intelligence brought in by ELECTRA is not just on the energy side of the equation; it is connected to the operations side as well. In this way, public transport is decarbonised, but without sacrificing quality of service to the passengers. This is achieved by integrating the scheduling of the charging of the fleet with the service planning and scheduling carried out to feed the AVL system. This enables integration of both business processes, making is possible to achieve greener, more efficient public transport with a better care of passengers - and the planet. ■
www.grupoetra.com
@grupoetra
1063907_ITW_Grupo Etra.indd 1
www.linkedin.com/company/etra
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2023 | Intertraffic World
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ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Index to advertisers
Find out more about the companies in this issue
2023 | Intertraffic World
117
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Avery Dennison (page 19)
3M Transportation Safety Division (page 2)
Every day the 3M Transportation Safety Division works to maximise roadway visibility and reduce long-term costs all while conforming to some of the most rigorous government standards. For 80 years, 3M has been applying science to push the boundaries of traffic safety. The mission at 3M Transportation Safety Division is to help bring families home safely. It is committed to improving road safety, protecting vulnerable road users, and also driving positive impacts on the environment. 3M is proud to design the systems, services and high-performance materials that will help create a safer future for drivers everywhere. Contact details:
Tel: +32 476 838 641 Email: trafficsafety.uk@mmm.com Web: www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/roadsafety-uk/urban-safety-mobility/
Avery Dennison reflective technology has been making highway and street safety solutions bright with prismatic signs for nearly 100 years. It is one of the preferred suppliers to professional sign shops worldwide and services the traffic and safety market with one of the industry’s most comprehensive ranges of reflective sheeting. The pursuit of its vision has aligned its businesses into a focused, customer-driven company that specializes in materials science. Its in-depth pool of expertise and global scale enable it to deliver insights, innovative products, and intelligent solutions to customers all over the world. Contact details:
Tel: +1-877-214-0909 Email: reflective.orders@averydennison.com Web: https://reflectives.averydennison.com/en/home.html
Carrida Technologies (page 103)
Adaptive Recognition (page 43)
Established in 1991, Adaptive Recognition (ARH) designs, develops and produces solutions based on AI-assisted computer image processing technology. The company is known for Carmen, a globally recognized, highly versatile ANPR software, as well as state-of-the-art ANPR cameras and other hardware created explicitly for new and existing traffic and security systems.
Carrida Technologies, based in Ettlingen, Germany, is a provider of LPR software solutions for access control, parking, fleet management, smart cities, traffic management, security, law enforcement and toll collection. Carrida provides solutions for the industry, from in-house developed Carrida software to complete systems with electronics and enclosures. Contact details:
Tel: +4963312599795 Email: info@carrida-technologies.com Web: www.carrida-technologies.com
Contact details:
Tel: +36 1 201 9650 Email: requestinfo@adaptiverecognition.com Web: www.adaptiverecognition.com
congatec (page 55)
AEye (page 59)
AEye’s unique software-defined lidar solution, the 4Sight Intelligent Sensing Platform, enables dynamic transportation and mobility applications that save lives. 4Sight with its adaptive sensor-based operating system, enhances perception by focusing on what matters most; delivering faster, more accurate, and reliable information. Contact details:
Tel: +1 925 400 4366 Email: its@aeye.ai Web: www.aeye.ai
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congatec is a rapidly growing technology company focusing on embedded and edge computing products and services. Its high-performance computer modules are used in a wide range of applications and devices in industrial automation, medical technology, transportation, telecommunications, and many other verticals. Backed by controlling shareholder DBAG Fund VIII, a German midmarket fund focusing on growing industrial businesses, congatec has the financing and M&A experience to take advantage of these expanding market opportunities. congatec is the global market leader in the computer-on-modules segment with an excellent customer base from start-ups to international blue-chtip companies. Contact details:
Tel: +49-991-2700-0 Email: info@congatec.com Web: www.congatec.com
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Designa (page 33)
Designa Verkehrsleittechnik is a world market leader in fully automated parking systems and is represented in more than 60 countries. With a holistic product concept, Designa offers smart solutions for complex parking management requirements, from classic large systems with hundreds of devices to free-flow and cloud software for the smart city. Each system is carefully tailored to specific needs – for airports, hotels, shopping centres, universities, hospitals, or even entire cities.
Haenni Instruments (page 101)
Haenni Instruments’ mission is to provide the best solution for mobile weight enforcement. OIML-certified and known as the thinnest on the market, Haenni scales are light, robust and they live long. With a variety of types, sizes and ranges, Haenni scales can be used in a range of different applications. Contact details:
Tel: +41 31 506 5400 Email: info@haenni-scales.com Web: www.haenni-scales.com
Contact details:
Tel: +49 (0) 431 5336-0 Email: info@designa.com Web: www.designa.com
Hog Technologies (page 68)
Easylux (page 81)
Easylux develops innovative, small, and lightweight retro-reflectometers powered by AA batteries, designed for people that do not want to carry heavy devices on the road.
Hog Technologies manufactures solutions for the roadway and airport industries. Solutions include vehicles to remove markings and rubber deposits from surfaces, thermoplastic pavement marking, grinding, grooving, and rumble strips, hard surface cleaning, and hydro demolition. Contact details:
Tel: 1-772-214-1714 Email: sales@thehog.com Web: www.TheHog.com
Contact details:
Tel: +55 11 3438 3448 | +55 11 2564-4868 Email: vendas@easylux.com.br Web: www.easylux.com.br
HR Groep Streetcare (page 13)
Grupo ETRA (page 115)
ETRA is an international industrial group providing turnkey solutions and services in the fields of traffic, transportation, smart lighting, energy efficiency, security, water management and communications. The company covers the whole value chain, from technological research and innovation, to development, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and operation. ETRA combines innovative technologies with a pragmatic approach, providing advanced, environmentally friendly solutions and services for both smart cities and technological infrastructures. Contact details:
Tel: +34 9631 34082 Email: grupoetra@grupoetra.com Web: www.grupoetra.com
HR Groep Streetcare is engaged in the production, delivery, and installation, as well as the registration, analysis, and management of traffic signs and related facilities in public places. The company acts in line with legislation, standards, and global goals. Moving towards mobility and climate control agreements is essential to the HR Groep Streetcare’s mission and vision. Contact details:
Tel: +31 (0) 70 399 85 11, Email: info@hrgroep.nl Web: www.hrgroep.nl
Intercomp (page 99)
For more than 40 years, Intercomp has provided superior-quality portable and in-ground weighing systems, along with the highest levels of customer satisfaction, for a wide range of industries. Its static wheel and axle scales and dynamic weigh-in-motion systems are designed with the most innovative technology in the world. Contact details:
Tel: +1 763 476 2531 | +1 800 328 3336, Email: info@intercompcompany.com Web: www.intercompcompany.com
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ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
International Road Dynamics (page 47)
International Road Dynamics (IRD) offers a growing portfolio of services and solutions, bringing new technology to transportation planning, operations, and management. Its global team of enthusiastic, engaged individuals delivers and deploys integrated technical solutions to solve unique and challenging transportation problems. Contact details:
Tel: +1 306 653 6600 Email: info@irdinc.com Web: www.irdinc.com
Jenoptik (page 27)
Jenoptik’s Smart Mobility Solutions division provides photonics-based, innovative, and sustainable solutions, including technology and services for road safety, public security, and road user charging. As an end-to-end solution provider, Jenoptik supports its customers with the provision of roadside equipment and software, including integration, installation, maintenance, and financing models through to full-service operation of its solutions. The company’s strong global presence and installation base is supported by a reliable partner network. With innovation as its driving force, Jenoptik is a world-leading enabler for smart mobility, with intelligent solutions and services constantly evolving to help make roads, journeys, communities, and the environment safer around the globe.
Outsight (page 113)
Outsight develops real-time 3D lidar perception solutions. Its mission is to make lidar-based spatial intelligence become plug-and-play so it can be used by application developers in any market. Outsight believes that accelerating the adoption of lidar with easy-to-use and scalable software will contribute to making a smarter and safer world. Contact details
Tel: +33186953583 Email: julie.bourdinot@outsight.tech Web: www.outsight.ai
Parifex (page 17)
Parifex is one of the main providers of stationary speed enforcement system in France and has been providing the Ministry of Interior for the past 30 years. Its research on the 3D lidart technology has led the company to develop high performance innovative solutions for the ITS market. Contact details
Tel: +33 1 39 20 80 63 Email: info@parifex.com Web: www.parifex.com
Contact details:
Tel: +49 2173 3940-0 Email: traffic-solutions@jenoptik.com Web: www.jenoptik.com/traffic-solutions
Kistler (page 41)
Kistler is the global market leader for dynamic pressure, force, torque, and acceleration measurement technology. The company has more than 20 years of experience in the weigh-in-motion quartz technology. It is based on piezoelectric measurement, which Kistler first applied in its invention of the charge amplifier some 60 years ago. Today, Kistler employs around 2,200 employees at more than 60 locations worldwide. Contact details:
Tel: +42 1232 272 655 Email: Kristina.Palffy@kistler.com Web: www.kistler.com
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Sernis (page 61)
Sernis is a Portuguese company that manufactures and supplies a wide range of high-quality road safety solutions. Its efforts in continuous research and development have been recognized and awarded several times worldwide. It is a leading road studs specialist. The company also develops and manufactures flexible bollards, ITS, LED signs, controllers, and VMS. Contact details:
Tel: +351 253 300 440 Email: sernis@sernis.com Web: www.sernis.com
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Swarco (page 5)
Swarco improves quality of life by making the travel experience safer, quicker, more convenient, and environmentally sound. The Austrian traffic technology corporation provides a large range of products, systems, services, and turnkey solutions in road marking, urban and interurban traffic control, parking, public transport, e-mobility, CCAM, and offers an integrated software suite for the Livable City. Contact details:
Tel: +43-5224-5877-0 Email: office.ag@swarco.com Web: www.swarco.com
Triplesign (page 79)
Triplesign is a market leading manufacturer of sustainable VMS signs. The company has provided prismatic sign solutions globally since 1998. The Triplesign is the ideal solution when requiring reliable and sustainable VMS in traffic environments, at low cost. For example, they can be used for traffic re-direction on highways and bridges, warning signs at roadworks, tunnels open or closed, variable speed signs, etc. The solar standalone sign consumes as little power as 1W. Without the need for cables, no excavations are required. At a cost of 70-90% of that of an LED sign, more lifesaving information points can be installed, exactly where needed. Contact Details:
Tel. +46 8 6267350 Email: info@triplesign.com Web: www.triplesign.com
Technoso Control Systems (page 35)
Technoso Control Systems specializes in manufacturing and developing parking access and revenue control systems. The company is a world leader in ticketless parking access solutions with one of the only wireless options on the market. Technoso aims to bring smart, flexible, user-friendly parking systems to every car park regardless of size. Contact details:
Tel: +972 3-729-9991 Email: sales@technoso.co.il Web: www.technoso.co.il
Vitronic (page 25)
Vitronic’s core competency in the traffic technology sector is to monitor vehicles. With more than 30 years of expertise in traffic technology, Vitronic is the ideal partner for customized solutions on an international scale. For future mobility concepts Vitronic is working on using existing traffic infrastructure to control and optimize traffic flows as well as increasing road safety. Contact details:
Tel: +49 611 7152 0 Email: sales@vitronic.com Web: www.vitronic.com
Telegra (page 124)
For more than 30 years Telegra has been operating as a leading supplier of advanced traffic management systems (ATMS). The company is a manufacturer of premium DMS (NextGen), video analytics (XAID) and ATMS software (topXview). Telegra has an in-house software development team and expertise for the on-time delivery of integrated software solutions as standalone systems, robust middleware, and complete platforms. Contact details:
Tel: +385 1 33 88 500 Email: info@telegra-europe.com Web: www.telegra-europe.com
Yunex Traffic (page 7)
Yunex Traffic is a global leader in intelligent transportation systems, offering the broadest end-to-end portfolio of solutions for adaptive traffic control and management, highway, and tunnel automation, V2X and road user charging. As the only provider that can meet all regional standards, its intelligent mobility solutions are used in major cities around the world. Contact details:
Tel: +49 (89) 7805-0 Email: contact@yunextraffic.com Web: www.yunextraffic.com/global/en
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LAST WORD
a tolling point and you’ve got a GPS beacon ping, it doesn’t really play well. But if you see the guy’s vehicle passing through and there’s a picture of his mug from the side profile. You’re like, ‘Yeah, I think we’ve got you.’ So I think the camera-based stuff is always going to be necessary. The police also use them as a way of finding fugitives. I’ve had cases where the FBI would subpoena video from certain areas because they think a perpetrator had passed through there.
Tolling times
What are the differences between tolling technology in Europe and the USA, and why do we see these?
GPS-based tolling is common in Europe, but I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody to supplant RFID in the USA in the near term, because of the politics and the amount invested in this long-standing and wellembedded technology. Plus, it’s a technology Christopher Melton, independent consultant and managing that works. With GPS there are challenges with multiple transponders in a vehicle, not only partner at Big Sky Partners LLC, recounts stories from his years the vehicle-based transponder but also people of experience in road pricing and predicts what the future holds carrying phones. Which device are you pinging? You get challenges with reconciliation and multiple clients being charged. With RFID the new 6C transponders were A guy was set up in What have you learned about ALPR/ANPR a revolutionary move in terms of and tolling in your career? a mall parking lot bringing costs down, because the old You’ve got to have good ALPR [in Puerto Rico] who’d 6B transponders cost up to $20. cameras, but you also need a damn print new laser-cut licence good database. For example, Now you can do them for a couple of bucks, or less. And I ran into this problem in plates. You could just go so I think that fact alone has Puerto Rico, when I worked for into the lot, find a vehicle slowed any move to another TransCore there. The challenge the same make and model was the DMV (Department of technology, because the as your own – and the costs have become relatively Motor Vehicles) database for The size the global RFID same colour, or close minor. Until the GPS guys the plates. We’d get a good market is predicted to reach really get their act together picture of the plate but then enough – and he would by 2029, up from around in terms of reconciliation on print your chosen plate for nobody knew who the plate $12bn in 2020 the back end, they’re going to belonged to – there wasn’t any 500 bucks! have a tough time supplanting record. Or it’d be a duplicate. RFID. I used to work in ALPR for It turned out a guy was set up in Q-Free in the US, and I heard 10 a mall parking lot who’d print new years ago that we were 10 years away laser-cut licence plates. You could just from RFID being a dinosaur and here we are 10 go into the lot, find a vehicle that was years later, and it’s as ubiquitous as anything. the same make and model as your own – and the same colour, or close enough – and he would print your chosen plate for 500 bucks! Is interoperability still a problem for RFID It’s not that bad in other countries but it and tolling in the USA? illustrates the importance of data as ALPR is used It’s getting better. E-ZPass has had a strong more and more. It’s getting cheaper and more influence and there are others that are starting to accurate, you’re getting better throughput on the figure out that it makes better sense to play nicely automation, so you don’t need to have as much together, because you have transient traffic that manual intervention. you want to still collect your fees from, so being able to cross-pollinate more easily has really been a benefit to all of these agencies. Will tolling always need cameras or will There’s still some resistance to national other tech take over? interoperability. The hard part is the reconciliation, If you’re using GPS or RFID for tolling I think because each state has its own business rules for you’re always going to need a redundant pursuit of violators. And the fine structure is technology, so you’re going to have to have different as well. So that makes for very cameras in certain spots. And we tend to be challenging efforts for collection on the back end. visual creatures, so for evidence they are They’re getting better. But it’s been messy. ■ important. If you want to prove someone passed
$16bn
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