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May/June 2023 | www.itsinternational.com

International &

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ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND URBAN MOBILITY

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Private lives

How well is the ITS industry protecting customers’ data?

Also…

V2X “We’ve got a really serious public health crisis on our roadways” Control room tech sector prepares for disruption Big vision: Teledyne Flir’s Middle East deployments

North AmericaEdition

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CONTENTS

Contents

May/June 2023

05 COMMENT

36 CONNECTIVITY

The connected vehicle revolution has begun… but it’s not moving fast enough, thinks Alfredo Escribá, chief technology officer of Kapsch

06 NEWS DIGEST 08 CONTRACTS & DEALS 10 INTERVIEW

40 BIG DATA

“I’m an engineer: I’ve been in the translation business for a long time now,” says Cota’s Joanna Pinkerton

If customer data is not protected then the journey towards better public transport is likely to be delayed, warns Alexis Suggett of Cubic Transportation Systems

15 MICROMOBILITY Georgia Yexley of Loud Mobility looks at what UK micromobility can learn from others on diversity and equity

42 CONTROL ROOM

TECHNOLOGY Preparing for disruption: from the cloud to AI, big change is coming to traffic management

V2X

Vehicle to Everything tech has been given a massive boost by the FCC: Qualcomm’s Jim Misener and Andres Castrillon explain why it matters so much

45 DEMAND-RESPONSIVE

TRANSPORT The design of public and shared mobility solutions cannot be the result of top-down decisions, says Elena Ziller of OpenMove

27 INCLUSION The ITS industry embraces Pride month in a recognition of the importance of LGBTQ+ life and communities

48 PRODUCTS &

INNOVATIONS

28 VISION TECHNOLOGY As urban sprawl creeps across the Middle East and Africa, congested roads aren’t far behind. Teledyne Flir’s traffic technology is helping authorities cope

North AmericaEdition

32 DECARBONISING

TRANSPORT Climbing out of our silos will be vital to create the frameworks and networks needed, if we are serious about mitigating climate change

North America area only

NA 03 Big change in the Big Apple:

May/June 2023 | www.itsinternational.com

International FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

AND URBAN MOBILITY &

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Cover story Privacy policy

lives Privateprotecting customers’ data?

How well is the ITS industry

Image: Freezeframe71 | Dreamstime.com

but what will New York City’s congestion charging scheme actually look like?

NA 05 Settle down with your popcorn: it’s time to see what Citizen Kane can teach transportation engineers

Also…

roadways” public health crisis on our V2X “We’ve got a really serious for disruption Control room tech sector prepares Middle East deployments Big vision: Teledyne Flir’s Edition

North America

www.itsinternational.com - updated content every working day

2023

art: donaldecompany.com

Inside Inspection

FRONTAL OCCUPANTS DETECTION & COUNTING

www.tattile.com

COMMENT

“THE STARS ARE ALIGNING: IT’S A MOMENT OF HOPE”

“

People who would otherwise have been dead in road crashes will now stay alive

aligning. It’s a moment of hope. Speaking of which… June is global Pride month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Why is this important in the ITS industry? What has Pride got to do with urban traffic control, for instance? How does acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community reduce congestion? Why are we allowing what is essentially a private matter to spill over into the corporate environment? These are all reasonable questions: but they’re not the right ones. Pride is not the overtly political issue for businesses that some people take it to be. Tolerance and inclusion for all communities aren’t nice-tohaves – they’re fundamental to the functioning of successful societies. Companies and organisations, as part of those societies, are microcosms of the problems and opportunities that arise. Employing and supporting

Editor Adam Hill Email: ahill@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612062

Production Manager Nick Bond Email: nbond@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612066

Web Manager Sarah Biswell Email: sbiswell@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612078

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Design Team Simon Ward, Andy Taylder

Social Media Manager Tatyana Mechkarova Email: tmechkarova@ropl.com

Sales Director Dan Emmerson Email: demmerson@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612068 Sales Team Graeme McQueen Email: gmcqueen@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612069

Circulation & Database Manager Charmaine Douglas Office Manager Kelly Thompson Email: kthompson@ropl.com Internet, IT & Data Services Director James Howard Email: jhoward@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612070

“

here is a change in the air: the US Federal Communications Commission decision to grant a joint waiver request to deploy cellular Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology in the upper 20 MHz part of the 5.9 GHz represents a milestone. The large-scale deployment of the technology will now follow. For collisions involving vehicles – and pedestrians – at intersections, for example, V2X will be a real life-saver. Speaking to ITS International, Jim Misener of Qualcomm Technologies has the happy air of a man who knows his life’s work hasn’t just been about paying the mortgage. His efforts on V2X technology – and the efforts of many others across the ITS industry – mean that people who would otherwise have been dead in road crashes will now stay alive. Think about how extraordinary that is as a legacy. They won’t know that they have V2X to thank – in fact, they won’t know there is anything, or anyone, to thank - but that really doesn’t matter. More deployments will come. The stars are

Publisher/ Managing Director Andrew Barriball Email: abarriball@ropl.com Tel: +44 1322 612057 CEO Roger Adshead Email: radshead@ropl.com

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people from different backgrounds, with multiple viewpoints, will provide a better basis on which ITS firms can make decisions about the products and services they provide. PTV Group’s banner at the Pride event in Karlsruhe, Germany, carried a simple but powerful message: “Diversity is a fact – inclusion is a choice.” Companies will be the richer for taking this seriously. ITS

Adam Hill EDITOR @ITSeditorAdam @adamhillwriter @itseditor_adamhill @ITSInt

Have your say Email me at ahill@ropl.com

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The US annual subscription price is US$173.00. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd Street, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US Postmaster: Send address changes to ITS International, Air Business Ltd, c/o World Container INC 150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Route One Publishing Ltd, Second Floor, West Hill House, West Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2EU, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

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NEWS DIGEST

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NEWS DIGEST

Lyt prioritises a lot of signals in Salem

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CONTRACT & DEALS

Valerann's AI platform used by Openvia in Costa Rica Openvia, the technology platform of road concessionaire Globalvia, has chosen Valerann's AI platform for real-time WUDI½ F PRQLWRULQJ LQ &RVWD 5LFD 7KH /DWLQ $PHULFDQ FRXQWU\ V 5XWD KLJKZD\ LV 76.8 km long, connecting the capital San -RVH ZLWK &DOGHUD 7KH *UHHQ 5RXWH RI &RVWD 5LFDµ FDUULHV YHKLFOHV SHU day, and Lanternn by Valerann is deployed ZLWK 5XWD URDGVLGH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH PRELOH DQG ½ [HG FDPHUDV WR SURYLGH UHDO WLPH URDG WUDI½ F LQIRUPDWLRQ IRU DUHDV RXWVLGH WKH FDPHUDVµ YLVLRQ

Arizona Department of Transportation (ADoT) has selected Teledyne Flir to help stop an increase in accidents and fatalities caused by wrong-way drivers on freeways. The new wrong-way detection system is based on Flir's Cameleon ITS DQG 7UD½ 6HQVH YLGHR DQDO\WLF thermal cameras, and is currently being operated on a 15-mile corridor in Phoenix on I-17 between I-10 and Loop 101. $'R7 VD\V WKLV LV WKH ½ UVW VXFK system to go beyond detection: it also automates countermeasures to protect oncoming WUDI½ F © Oleschwander | Dreamstime.com

Oklahoma to trial Emovis pay-per-mile from July

a population of over 600,000 people, plus 10 million tourists visiting each year. The Hi-Trac CMU cyclist and pedestrian monitoring unit will collect data, distinguishing between VHYHUDO WUDI½ F W\SHV VXFK DV pedestrians, cyclists and skateboarders. The data will identify service gaps and hotspots and recommend new paths and networks, improving road safety and reducing emissions.

NJ Transit links with Uber and Lyft NJ Transit is piloting ridehail on its paratransit service Access Link. Users can opt in - on a voluntary basis - to

Gold Coast counts on cyclists with Q-Free

taking trips with Uber and Lyft "to reduce wait and trip times while maintaining Access Link prices”. Before scheduling a trip, riders must update WKHLU SUR½ OH WR LQGLFDWH ZKLFK ride-share service they want to use - or whether they have no preference. The decision to send a ride-hail vehicle will be "based upon the best available scheduling option".

Oklahoma is set to become the latest US state after Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington to explore the potential of payper-mile road charging. Oklahoma DoT's six-month pilot - called Fair Miles Oklahoma will launch in July. Drivers who volunteer to take part will have mileage reporting options, including an on-board device and telematics. The pilot will involve project management, implementation, participant onboarding, mileage collection, account management, reporting and data analysis.

Arizona picks Teledyne Flir for wrong-way detection

Yunex UTC-UX works to VPRRWK (GLQEXUJK V WUDIÀ F <XQH[ 7UDI½ F LV WR SURYLGH LWV 87& 8; KRVWHG XUEDQ WUDI½ F FRQWURO DQG 6WUDWRV WUDI½ F PDQDJHPHQW VROXWLRQV WR &LW\ RI (GLQEXUJK Council. The contract - which could run up to 11 years - for the Scottish capital's Intelligent Infrastructure Project, will enable the council to better manage its road networks. Operating from an +70/ ZHE EURZVHU 87& 8; ZLOO HQDEOH WKH WUDI½ F PDQDJHPHQW WHDP WR FRQWURO DQG PRQLWRU WUDI½ F RYHU D ZLGH DUHD

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SERNIS BEST HIGH-TECH FLEXIBLE BOLLARDS Use Flexible Bollards to form physical and visual barriers that guide vehicles, prevent access to restricted areas, regulate pedestrian and vehicular trafﬁc and improve landscaping and design.

IMPACT RESISTANT HIGH MEMORY EFFECT HIGH REFLECTIVITY

sernis.com

MADE IN PORTUGAL

“I’M AN ENGINEER: I’VE BEEN IN THE TRANSLATION BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME NOW” INTERVIEW

Joanna Pinkerton of Central Ohio Transit Authority tells Adam Hill about explaining things to non-engineers – and how a chance meeting with a US Air Force recruiter may have changed her life

oanna Pinkerton, president & CEO of Central Ohio Transit Authority (Cota) is clear about the power of mobility. “Mobility should be ubiquitous for people,” she begins. “People tend to take it for granted, it just exists. But when you do not have access to mobility, the ability to move across modes, you literally can’t live it impacts your life.” Cota is the regional public transit provider for greater Columbus and Central Ohio, serving an area with more than 1.2 million residents and looking after 19 million trips per year. Criticism of transportation in the US takes multiple forms but particular disquiet coalesces around car-centricity: for example, the interstate highway revolution of the 1950s helped drive economic success through connecting cities; but it also – the counterargument goes - split urban communities, made suburban sprawl inevitable and was a key plank underpinning social inequality. “We have a really good backbone with our transit, our highways and a lot of our infrastructure that was built based on previous generations’ models,” Pinkerton says. “And I try and remind people that our grandparents did a great job, right? There’s some really good things they did. But it’s just like a house: you wouldn’t leave it like that; it has to be updated and remodelled for modern needs.”

“

They said: ‘Think about what’s possible, and go learn technical skills to adapt to what’s coming up’ - I still remember that

“

Atrocious safety issues Safety is at the top of this list of needs. “You know, we have astounding – actually, atrocious - safety issues here in the US,” she adds. “We see where other countries, other continents, are seeing results with Vision Zero, but our Vision Zero seems to have kind of stagnated a little bit.” When it comes to how infrastructure is utilised, Pinkerton says there must be an emphasis on climate sustainability, resiliency and equity. “So if it was a good system, who was it good for? Did we have generational impacts? And if we want really true social and economic prosperity, then what tools do people need? And it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of gaps when it comes to transportation - making sure people have access to whatever it is they need. The number one issue that everyone’s talking about right now is workers. Well, how much of that is an issue that’s been caused by the fact that people don’t think transportation and housing and jobs and the way to get there doesn’t match up?”

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INTERVIEW To illustrate her point, Pinkerton says she was recently appointed to the board of engineering where she went to college. “We’re looking at the curricula holistically, so I gave the dean of engineering a perspective: roughly 25-30 years ago, I knew perfectly how to make sure the bridge didn’t fall down, the pavement would last a long time, all of these things that were really necessary to preserve life,” she explains. “But it really prioritised speed, cars, numbers - it did not look at outcomes. I never once heard about redlining in my curricula and the fact that maybe the alignment of that highway, even though people can go through faster, it did not take into consideration: do the people in this neighbourhood have access to jobs? Looking at things more holistically, based on outcomes, is really important. It’s not that what got built before was bad because it did lead to certain things - but it also has some really serious impacts when it comes to making sure certain people were included.” So how do we bring more people in? “I’ve been in engineering and tech R&D my entire career,” Pinkerton says. “And the part I’ve enjoyed the most is the collaboration of getting even early-stage R&D into the client space, and then taking that into operations and helping people understand how to translate it to what matters.”

Equity in action One of the issues that matters is equity. Parity.org, which works to eliminate the racial and gender gap in corporate leadership, recently put Cota on its list of Best Companies for People of Colour to Advance, and also named it on the Best Companies for Women to Advance list for the fourth year in a row. Only 18 organisations are on both lists, with Cota joining Nasdaq, PepsiCo, Ralph Lauren and Reddit among a select band. Under Pinkerton’s leadership, 65% of Cota’s employees are Black, while women make up more than 35% of the workforce. Added to that, 43% of Cota directors and 65% of chiefs are women. It has also established workforce development initiatives which include mentorship and job shadowing for women and minorities and tuition reimbursement for all full-time employees earning college degrees or other higher education that helps them advance in their careers. In 2022, 69% of tuition reimbursement programme participants were either women and/ or people of colour, Parity.org points out. This is proof that Cota actively attempts to ensure there is “diversity about the room”. This includes “people at different levels, maybe different genders, different race, different backgrounds”, Pinkerton explains. “It was kind of this unwritten mandate that I’ve said: ‘Take a look at the room, and if it’s too homogenous, get other people in’, and then sometimes you bring in maybe younger planners or even an executive admin who helps run the board and they ask questions, they question

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everything: ‘Why are we doing it that way?’ So you can look at the problem statement from more perspectives. And what that has done is - and I’m an engineer, so I think I’m allowed to say this - instead of having all the engineers making the decisions, doing their ‘bubble-speak’ [to other engineers], when there’s other people in the room they learn how to ‘translate’ [for nonengineers]. I’ve been in the translation business for a long time now - even getting high-level professors and research experts, in my previous roles, to communicate to an automotive supplier to say: ‘This is what it will do for your customer’ instead of: ‘This is how the switch works’. If you start with people, you will always have a better product, a better discussion. I think you bring people in by normalising it for them.” Whether those conversations on transit and transport, for example, have reached a wider audience is debatable. “There doesn’t seem to be a public understanding right now that transportation is in crisis when it comes to deaths and pollution,” she muses. “So I think, again, back to translating for them, like why it’s important to them.” Decarbonisation agenda Since transportation is responsible for around a quarter of all carbon emissions, decarbonisation is a huge issue for the sector. Cota is supporting the City of Columbus’ own climate action plan, which itself commits to a 45% reduction in emissions by 2030 to meet a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. “We’ve actually looked at our procurement cycle, and everything from vehicle maintenance, and capital maintenance of facilities, and we have made the commitment that we’ll be carbon neutral by 2030,” Pinkerton says. “This doesn’t just mean rolling stock, but Cota’s entire operation, including buildings. A lot of that is initial investment in electric vehicles, and making deals with power companies who are doing generation from alternative renewable sources. That’s a big shift because - especially in Ohio - most fuel comes from coal, but there’s a lot more ability to access wind and solar right now.” This is significant. Cota has made progress, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per vehicle mile by 11% since 2013, and cutting PM2.5 per vehicle mile by 73% over the same period. But the agency’s own Sustainability Report from last year acknowledges: “As Cota pursues its current plans to transition the bus fleet to electricity, it is important to note that for EVs to be zero-emission, their electricity consumption must be paired with renewable electricity.” Going back to the gender equity issue, she says: “I think we’re on our path, but I do think that the conversation opens the door.”

Cota is supporting the City of Columbus’ climate action plan © ITS INTERNATIONAL MAY/JUNE 2023

INTERVIEW

‘Think about what’s possible’ Pinkerton can remember exactly when she decided she was going to be an engineer: it was at school in the late 1980s. “Yeah,” she laughs. “Seventh grade!” It was down to having a model to follow: every Thursday, her history teacher would bring in external guest speakers to the class. “So you’re really impressionable, right, at age 12? I remember the bank coming in and showing us how to write a chequebook – but then pick out what car you want to own, create a household budget, and then what kind of job you’re going to have to have, what kind of money you have to make, to support that lifestyle.” The light was really switched on in her head when a speaker from the US Air Force came in. It’s a truism that defence technology tends to run in advance of commercial deployment – an important point for Pinkerton’s career story,

Cota runs buses and paratransit vehicles

ITS International was speaking to Pinkerton at the ITS America 2023 Conference & Expo, where she was speaking on a panel specifically about actions which can be taken to ensure diversity: “And when we’re talking about diversity, we’re talking about diversity of thought, of different lived experiences. Because a lot of what you’re seeing now is ‘Okay, we made the first right step, we brought people into the room - but then how do you actually put it into action?’” Cota is proof that practical steps can be taken. ITS America’s MobilityXX initiative seeks to boost the number of women in the transportation industry by 10% over the next 10 years. “We took the MobilityXX challenge to heart two years ago, my board authorised it and we have made almost 4% progress of our 10% in that two years,” says Pinkerton. “And a lot of that has to do with looking at everything from your hiring practices, to your mentoring practices. We also are now embedded in the high school systems in the communities we serve - because this doesn’t magically happen. You look at the numbers, [there are] more women going to college, more women going into trade school, everybody wants more diversity in their companies. We need to start younger: we are a big believer in getting young girls in, people who don’t have access, who don’t have models so they don’t think: ‘Oh, I can do that. I could be an engineer, or I could get into the tech space’.”

as it happens, as she listened in that classroom. “So they were saying: ‘There’s so much technology coming that you don’t even know about’.” She pauses. “So think about free GPS, free internet, free cell phone - they knew this existed. They said: ‘So we’re going to need engineers’. We happened to have a really strong math programme in my school system.” Pinkerton was in a “very small town” with “really high poverty rates”. “So these, characteristically, are kids you would think: ‘They’re not going to have opportunities’,” she continues. “But I think something like more than 25% of my graduating high school class went into engineering.” She laughs again: “Extraordinary! Somebody needs to find that history teacher! And that Air Force recruiter. You know, they didn’t come in and say: ‘Military is your only option’. They said: ‘Think about what’s possible, and go learn technical skills to adapt to what’s coming up’. I still remember that.” ITS Getting more women into the transport sector involves looking at organisations’ hiring and mentoring practices

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If we want really true social and economic prosperity, then what tools do people need?

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MICROMOBILITY

The mobility sector has a ‘shared responsibility to fix the issue of underrepresenting and – worse - underserving huge portions of the population’

Micromobility in the UK can deliver public good Georgia Yexley, founder of Loud Mobility, looks at the lessons on diversity, equity and inclusion which can be learned from the US and wider – and explores why it is a vital component for industry growth in the UK

hen delivering a speech on the importance of gender parity in micromobility last year (spoiler, we’re more than half the population so it’s legitimately stupid not to care), I finished up by politely requesting that a senior white man in the industry pick up the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) slot next time around. We already have plenty of leaders in mobility, and the data shows that most of these leaders are indeed white men. The recent Diversity in Cycling report from The Bicycle Association spoke to the fact that "women make up

49% of the UK workforce. Yet in the UK cycling industry, just 8% of workshopbased roles, and 19% of customer-facing roles, are occupied by women". It’s you chaps I’m speaking to again: turns out, it’s just as much your responsibility to tackle DEI as those of us in the industry who are referred to by identity rather than roles. The call to action is a shared responsibility to fix the issue of underrepresenting and – worse - underserving huge portions of the population. Micromobility is unarguably successful when stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors are pulling in the same direction. The industry has made huge strides on safety with

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this mindset. Progress on technology, data capture and operations has come through collaborating on achieving best possible outcomes. Despite rich evidence of the benefits of collaboration, and drawing on others’ expertise, this approach has not yet been applied to efforts to broaden participation. Increasing access There is an experienced, informed, well-practised, evidenced and data-rich global well of knowledge, that we in the UK are choosing to miss out on. If you’re an operator, transport authority, advocacy group or consultancy, and are short on ideas to improve the equity

MICROMOBILITY

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An intervention that looks like good DEI practice to one group may not address another in the slightest

(and was far more relatable) than you might assume. The current requirement for driving licences to use shared e-scooter services in the UK is significantly exclusionary: 76% of White people have a licence – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups; compared with 53% of Black people – the lowest percentage. In the UK, great efforts are being made, largely by individuals in each sector. The recent research published by Akwesi Osei and Rachel Aldred, You always think about what other people be thinking: Black men and barriers to cycling in London, ought to be required reading for all involved in active travel. The title alone shines a light on the reality of what it is to be racialised and moving in the UK. Being ‘multiply marginalised’ Layer in intersectionality, and a search for scientific and/or academic work that seeks to understand the experiences of those who are ‘multiply marginalised’ (a term that’s stuck with me from equalities designer and DEI changemaker Natasha Trotman), and the failure to act becomes starkly evident. Several UK cities have proudly announced significant funding wins to deliver their active and sustainable transport goals. The recent capability rankings from Active Travel England champion those cities which are, seemingly, willing to act. There’s a growing recognition across the industry and its collaborators that DEI is

a vital component for industry growth. I recently joined the independent advisory board for the aforementioned Bicycle Association of Great Britain’s three-year project to push for Diversity in the Cycling Industry. Many significant organisations have signed the pledge. But it has to mean more than just a DEI statement in companies’ policies and a tweet or two on the value of BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) staff and their lives. If these commitments and promises are not connecting with the communities they claim to be interested in serving, then something is wrong. And until we start unpicking that, we’ll stay surprised when the everyday experiences of people in these groups are shared. There’s an abundance of organisations, in each sector, well placed to participate in, lead or just propose a collaborative approach to establishing such investment into equitable programmes. Collaborative bodies for regional transport authorities, such as the Urban Transport Group, have called for more flexibility in regulation, to test new approaches. Perhaps this recommendation can go further and highlight the need to look at the current regulatory framework and who is being excluded from participation. There are also many more membership and grant-fuelled organisations and charities

and social impact of your services, open up those mental borders. Let’s start with our friends in the US. Last year the Better Bike Share Partnership, which was formed to “increase access to, and use of, shared micromobility systems in low-income and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, or people of colour] communities”, funded 10 programmes focused on providing historically underserved groups access to micromobility. The funding was from a collaborative body, the JPB Foundation, set up by the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the PeopleForBikes Foundation. Importantly, JPB is not exclusively focused on dispensing funding; it has also created an abundance of research and resources in order to share knowledge and best practice. Most recently the Arrested Mobility Report has been widely circulated among micromobility folk. It highlights: “For Black Americans and other people of colour, travelling by foot, bicycle, or e-scooter can be fraught with obstacles and risks that reflect structural racism and White supremacy. Together, these obstacles form a framework of arrested mobility: a set of transportation-related policies and practices across jurisdictions that limit mobility, opportunity, and access for Black Americans and other people of colour.” BIPOC communities in the US certainly face unique barriers and structural challenges - though for many people of colour in the UK, reading this report was not as shocking

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Raising the volume: more voices are needed on diversity, equity and inclusion

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MICROMOBILITY

that reach cross-sector - such as ForuMM or CoMo UK which have the insight, expertise and network to push this forward. It's a task for the many, and there's enough work to go around. Bold commitments A number of consultancies, banks and investors stand to greatly benefit from the growing micromobility industry – and many of them launched DEI manifestos in the spotlight that was the Black Lives Matter movement. Some make bold commitments to supporting, and sometimes even explicitly mentioning funding, historically underserved communities in the climate action and sustainability space. If those companies are reading this, I’ve got a long list of introductions I’d be delighted to make. In the UK, we are blessed with a rich tapestry of grass-roots community organisations, advocacy groups and charities working exceptionally hard to make a positive impact. But thanks in part to the politically stoked ‘culture war’ in the media about sustainable and active transport, campaigns and organisations are often forced into rooting themselves in somewhat binary expressions of identity in order to make progress. An intervention that looks like good DEI practice to one group may not address another in the slightest. This fractional approach to address the industry via identity politics has the potential to keep us in the realm of vague commitments and small-step actions that look decent on a press release, all while continuing to fracture the third sector’s collaborative power. Yet this power of the many is a necessity to enact the significant systematic shifts

Short-sighted cuts The Walking and Cycling Coalition, made up of private and third-sector organisations, has called for this decision, described as ‘a backward move for the economy’ to be reversed. It seems there is still a way to go

ABOVE: Investment in cycling infrastructure has helped Ecobici grow in Mexico City BELOW: Many organisations launched DEI manifestos in the spotlight that was the Black Lives Matter movement

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Accessible funding Collaborations such as the Disabled Citizens’ Inquiry, delivered via partnership between Transport for All, Sustrans and funded by Motability, are testament to tangible, impactful output being achievable from properly

needed to deliver the social, health and environmental benefits of sustainable transport.

funded and collaborative approaches across sectors. There are indeed opportunities for grant funding, though if you’re a young start-up, community group or even an already-stretched team managing a complex micromobility service, Horizon or UKRI funding applications might be a bit of a stretch. We’re in desperate need of low-barrier, accessible funding routes that progress a cohesive and attainable mission for improving DEI, social value and public good in our transport systems. We urgently require long-term strategic direction and guidelines from a national level and investment into the skills and resources necessary for the awareness, ownership and delivery of local decarbonisation, clean air and place-making ambitions that intersect with progressing equitable sustainable transport systems. Active Travel England (ATE) is investing £32.9 million to create a ‘national network of experts’. Let’s see what that can do. It’s a big step forward to invest in developing the public sector as joint value creators in reaching these impact goals. However, it’s overshadowed by shortsighted cuts recently made to the national active travel budget. The UK Department for Transport’s own analysis shows that active travel investments have an expected ‘benefit-to-cost’ ratio of £5.62 for every £1 spent. This ratio means the budget cut could end up costing £2.1 billion to the British taxpayers in the longer term.

MICROMOBILITY before we are all singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to the value of sustainable transport. But it’s not only the US moving at a greater speed than the UK. Mexico City has made significant investment into cycling infrastructure that has been shown to correlate with the steady growth of local bike-sharing system Ecobici. A 2021 report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions and the University of Leeds, funded by UK government, said: “Looking to the future, Mexico City has announced an 80/20 approach that will dedicate 80% of spending to walking, cycling and mass transport options, and only 20% to private vehicles”. The European Parliament continues to make big leaps in pro-cycling policies that explicitly aim to grow the industry across its territories.

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Micromobility is unarguably successful when stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors are pulling in the same direction

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Benefits of diversity Piles of evidence show that diverse teams and companies simply do better. Moreover, if you want to procure a shared mobility system, or operate one in the UK and Ireland, you ought to put at least 10% of your efforts into delivering social value. The Social Value Act 2012 requires the public sector to ensure that the money it spends on services “creates the greatest economic, social and environmental value for local communities”. It’s worth noting that efforts supporting the expansion and adoption of shared services will very likely also support private adoption. If regulation is right-sized we may also see the rapid development of new innovations and vehicles. For shared operators to be competitive and financially viable, the economies of scale and value propositions must deliver tangible social value and public good to remain in operation. Shared micromobility companies will need to decisively reject the ‘move-fastbreak-things’ sensibility and move towards long-term sustainable growth. We didn't go from a horse and cart to a Tesla in a few short years – so why would we expect this of an entirely new class of vehicles commercialised though hugely varied business models? The value proposition of shared micromobility becomes affordability, convenience, availability: no need to worry about a parking ticket or a broken window. I recognise this is a lot less exciting than being the best, first, biggest or world-changing - I can almost hear the pillow screams of micromobility founders and their unicornhunting investors… There is far more work to be done to ensure these social-value requirements are robust, realistic and legitimately deliverable. A greater understanding is needed of the frameworks and measures as core contract requirements. Equal to the bidder, the body

Georgia Yexley, Loud Mobility

procuring the system needs the right skills to support delivery, as success will often be reliant on integration with the wider public realm across transport, housing, urban development, community events, local business and more. Perhaps 10% of ATE’s expertise budget - £392,000 to be exact - could be committed to developing expertise on the delivery of social value. A much smaller investment could fund the translation of the many document-based guidelines into a digestible curriculum for easier education and adoption. It would take even less money to help the grass roots and community groups who are living it daily, to develop those skills in the sector at large. Raising the volume I have no formal credentials to consider myself a DEI expert. I am a concerned contributor in mobility, who has cultivated a good grasp of where we’re lacking. I’ve gained this soapbox through lived experience, exposure and education - owing largely to a strong belief in partnership for the betterment of the industry, and a disposition to call-out wrongdoing where I

see it. The fact that aspects of my identity qualify me as a go-to on DEI in the industry is a testament to the dire lack of investment into formal expertise. As I'm here, and on my box, it’s worth clarifying that I'm not advocating for mass hiring of DEI leads to solve the problem. Between rampant redundancies, hiring freezes, constantly moving goalposts for delivery, huge cuts to government investment in active travel, and ever more elusive legislation - it’s probably a harder hire than ever. But to raise the volume of voices from underserved communities, and to gain the many benefits of a real step-change in the identity of micromobility in the UK, we need to get everyone speaking on it, now. ITS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Georgia Yexley is a micromobility expert and inclusive active travel advocate, advising the public, private and third sectors on improving transport equity for all, through her company Loud Mobility www.loudmobility.co.uk

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CONGESTION CHARGING

North AmericaEdition

Big changes in the Big Apple New York City is falling in line with other major global cities in charging drivers for using its streets, writes Adam Hill: the Central Business District Tolling Program is on its way. Probably

ongestion charging is coming to New York City. The Central Business District Tolling Program means taking your car into Lower Manhattan is not going to be free anymore: if you’re travelling anywhere south of 60th Street (with a few exceptions for through traffic) you will be charged as much as $23 per day. Actually, it’s not happening yet – but a crucial step has been passed. In May, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York State Department of Transportation and New York City Department of Transportation released the Final Environmental Assessment for the plan and a draft 'Finding of No Significant Impact', prepared by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). While there may be yawns at this news from other cities round the world, which have had such plans in place for years now, it is a significant move: this would be the first city in the US to take the plunge on congestion charging.

Public transit Raising funds to invest in public transit – and cutting emissions and congestion – lies at the heart of the scheme. "This is about more than reducing traffic,” insists New York City mayor Eric Adams. “We'll invest in our transit system and clean up the air in the most polluted communities. Building a stronger future means ensuring progress includes everyone, and we don't push consequences into overlooked communities. This plan will serve all New Yorkers and won't leave anyone behind." Equity is a key focus, with the MTA and two departments of transportation committing $207.5 million over five years for mitigation measures largely focused on ‘environmental justice communities and populations’. This includes $47.5 million set aside for a new low-income discount and $5 million for additional monitoring of traffic, air quality, and transit station elements. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of other pressing claims for the money which

has yet to be raised: for example, truck and bus electrification. For Elizabeth Adams, Transportation Alternatives deputy executive director for public affairs: “Congestion pricing is a win for everyone — regardless of if you walk, bike, take transit, or even drive into the Central Business District.” She paints a primarily green picture of the future. “With the go-ahead from the federal government, it's time for New York State to implement congestion pricing without delay and take steps today to permanently reclaim that space from cars. Without so much congestion of our street space, we can build streets that truly serve the people of New York City — with more green space, better transit, and cleaner air." Congestion pricing Riders Alliance executive director Betsy Plum sees this as the green light for subway signal upgrades, new rolling stock and station improvements such as elevators. “Congestion pricing will also cut the gridlock that wastes an estimated $20 billion annually that families absorb in more expensive goods and services and that slows our buses down to a crawl,” she adds. And the fact that there have been bumps along the way is not lost on Plum, who concludes: “After years of delays, which transit riders are all too familiar with, the federal government has at last decided that millions of New Yorkers, commuters, and visitors to our city can have nice things after all.” ITS

Toll rates There are still some hoops to jump through: during a process to design, build, test and activate tolling equipment, a six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) is set to develop recommended toll rates along with any potential discounts, crossing credits and/or exemptions. The TMRB recommendation will be presented to the MTA Board

acting in its legal capacity as the board of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the MTA agency that would collect the tolls. Following the filing and publication of a proposed tolling structure and a public comment period, the MTA pledges to hold a public hearing before any tolling structure is adopted. The FHWA will make the final decision. It all points to a process that was mandated by the state in 2019 becoming a reality in the Big Apple sometime in 2024 – probably.

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OPINION

What Citizen Kane can teach transportation engineers Andy Boenau suggests that one of the most famous movies of all time might have lessons for our industry. And they’re all about not knowing things...

he more you know about traffic analysis, the more careful you’ll become about reforming traffic analysis methodology. The more you know about intersection design, the more timid you’ll become about innovative intersection design. It’s human nature to mentally codify something as you become more familiar with it. There are times when the best way you can up your professional game is to embrace sheer ignorance. ‘Applied ignorance’ is a significant part of my career, so I’m always

happy to hear about others who have experienced some form of success by similar means. I’m a sucker for behindthe-scenes stories about my favourite movies, screenwriters, and directors. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert used to say Citizen Kane was the greatest film of all time and there could be no competitor. Hundreds of polls and articles have been published over the years sharing Ebert’s opinion. ‘Innovation’ is the short answer to why Citizen Kane is so revered. The storytelling techniques, emotional soundtrack, and morally

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complex characters transformed the way future writers and directors approached filmmaking. This was director Orson Welles’ debut film, and he was only 24 years old when he was crafting the masterpiece. Twenty years later, he sat for an interview with BBC Monitor. Here’s one of many insightful segments. Orson Welles: I didn’t want money. I wanted authority. And after a year of negotiations, I got it. My love for films began only when we started work. © ITS INTERNATIONAL MAY/JUNE 2023

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OPINION North AmericaEdition BBC: What I’d like to know is where did you get the confidence to— Welles: Ignorance. Sheer ignorance. You know, there’s no confidence to equal it. It’s only when you know something about a profession, I think, that you’re timid or careful. BBC: How does ignorance show itself? Welles: I thought you could do anything with a camera that the eye could do, or the imagination could do. And if you come up from the bottom in the film business, you’re taught all the things that the cameraman doesn’t want to attempt for fear he will be criticised for having failed. In this case I had a cameraman who didn’t care if he was criticised if he failed, and I didn’t know that there were things you couldn’t do. So anything I could think up in my dreams I attempted to photograph. BBC: You got away with enormous technical advancements, didn’t you? Welles: Simply by not knowing that they were impossible. Or theoretically impossible. I’m no Orson Welles, but I’m great at asking big and/or dumb questions about topics

that I have no expertise in. And similar to Welles, colleagues have attributed confidence to something that’s just ignorance. Asking big ‘why’ and ‘what if’ questions is so unusual in professional planning and engineering, because these are industries with established processes and structure. • Car lane width: if AASHTO allows 10 feet, why do I keep using 12 feet? • Bike-lane width: why aren’t two-way bike lanes wide enough for two bikes to pass each other without clipping their handlebars or elbows? • Sidewalk width: why aren’t downtown sidewalks wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side as someone approaches them? • Signal timing: is there a way to time a corridor so as not to encourage speeding between intersections? • Roundabout diameter: why are we designing for optimum speed instead of optimum safety? • Streetlight type and spacing: why do downtown streets use highwaystyle lighting instead of pedestrian lighting? • Design speed versus operating speed: what if we didn’t design the road for motorists to comfortably drive 10mph faster than the posted speed limit?

Innovating from within the status quo It’s not flattering to be called a conformist, so none of us will put that in a bio. Where’s the excitement or pride in that, right? “Hi, my name is Andy, and I’m just like everyone else.” Day-to-day, transportation planning and engineering has a framework that consultants and clients work within. So while some will always be on the fringe of the industry, there is a status quo that will be maintained. And that’s fine. It’s absolutely possible to innovate an industry from within the status quo. Orson Welles did it. Welles didn’t abolish filmmaking while coming up with new techniques and styles for visual storytelling. His end goal was the same as any other director: tell a memorable story that will entertain the audience. It just so happened that he didn’t let himself be handcuffed by the status quo methodology of his peers. Example 1: What if technology helped agencies talk to each other? Transportation data has traditionally been managed using centralised databases or proprietary software systems that are not easily interoperable with other systems. This makes it difficult to share data with other stakeholders, collaborate on transportation projects or make data-informed decisions. Blockchain technology is a decentralised

The ultimate sensor in ITS. Transforming data into intelligence With traffic management centers constantly working to keep traffic moving safe and efficiently, there is an ongoing intense pressure to meet the challenges of th road. Did you know you can leverage the power of your networked devices to pr valuable insight? By combining the high-quality video from IP cameras with ITS-specific applications, the camera can become the ultimate sensor in ITS, working to turn raw data into useful intelligence. This gives TMC’s a real-time advantage to understand what’s happening on the road. Download B GSFF XIJUFQBQFS UP learn about the IP camera as the ultimate sensor: XXX BNFSJDBT DPNNT BYJT DPN USBGGJDSFQPSU

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Practise some applied ignorance in your professional career: humbly ask questions knowing you don’t know what you don’t know

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Why are we designing roundabouts for optimum speed instead of optimum safety?

OPINION

North AmericaEdition

and distributed ledger system that allows for secure and transparent data storage and sharing. You could create a secure and tamper-proof system for managing transportation data that can be easily shared with other stakeholders, regardless of the specific software or systems they’re using. Blockchain could have a number of benefits for traffic engineering, if we even think to ask the questions. For example, a traffic operations centre can use blockchain-based systems to securely store and share traffic data with emergency responders and local agencies, improving coordination during incidents or emergencies. Obviously, that would help reduce the risk of traffic disruption and improve public safety. Example 2: What if transit payments were finally secure? A benefit of blockchain technology in transit operations is the ability to create a secure and efficient payment system that can be used across different transit services and platforms. Anyone working in transit planning knows what a headache it is dealing with multiple incompatible systems. A blockchain solution could help streamline the payment process for riders and reduce the cost and complexity of managing payments for transit operators. For example, a city bus service could

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OPINION North AmericaEdition

Could we use blockchain technology in transit payments?

use blockchain-based smart contracts to automate collecting fares and distributing payments to different transit operators. Riders could pay for their fares using a digital wallet linked to their blockchain account. The smart contract would automatically verify the fare payment and distribute the appropriate amount of funds to the different transit operators involved in the rider's journey. Another potential application of blockchain technology in transit operations is creating a tamper-proof system for managing transit data. This could transform real-time data on ridership, vehicle performance and other key metrics. Example 3: What if we told different stories? Data privacy is one of the key challenges facing Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Or is it? Maybe our lack of compare-and-contrast storytelling is the problem. I don’t think it’s the acts of collecting and monetising data that keep MaaS in the shop. How do you explain the mainstream adoption of TikTok? Consider a typical reaction to zero-dollar social media versus zero-dollar transportation (the idea that you could allow the data your car produces to be sold in return for a reduction in the price of buying the vehicle): "We want to track everything you do and say and type on all your devices in exchange for showing you videos." "Oh it’s totally worth it. I can't believe this is free!"

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"We want to track your car's sensors in exchange for a free car." "Get out of here with your Big Brother schemes!" As transportation providers collect more data on riders, including their travel patterns and payment information, there’s a growing concern about how this data will be used and who will have access to it. Many Americans are understandably sceptical or wary of monetised data, particularly in the wake of high-profile data breaches and scandals. MaaS providers are going to have to ensure that the data they collect is protected and used in a transparent and responsible manner. This may involve implementing strong data security protocols, such as encryption and multi-factor authentication, to protect sensitive information from unauthorised access. It may also involve adopting data privacy policies that give riders more control over their personal information, such as the ability to opt out of data collection or choose how their data is used and shared. MaaS may work better under business models that prioritise data privacy and user control. For example, rather than monetising user data through targeted advertising, MaaS providers could offer premium services or subscriptions that allow riders to access additional features or benefits without sacrificing their privacy. But above all else, what if we got in the habit of connecting the dots for the

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Asking big ‘why’ and ‘what if’ questions is so unusual in professional planning and engineering

travelling public? I’ve conducted a fair share of unscientific polls about Big Data, and I have yet to hear someone tell me they’re aware of how the social media apps on their phone collect, share, and sell user data. There’s a huge knowledge gap when it comes to Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok. I keep hearing “I just don’t want to know.” Americans are perfectly willing to trade their data for something “free.” One opportunity for transportation professionals is to compare/contrast the type of data collected for integrated mobility and mindless videos. Now what? Practise some applied ignorance in your professional career. Humbly ask questions knowing you don’t know what you don’t know. The worst thing that happens is you learn something new about a topic. The best thing that happens is you spark a conversation that leads to a policy or infrastructure improvement. ITS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Andy Boenau is a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and consultant in the mobility industry https://urbanismspeakeasy.com

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V2X

Jim Misener (right) and Andres Castrillon: virtuous circle

“I’m a scientist, not an astrologer, but I would say the stars are aligning” The roll-out of Vehicle to Everything technology has been given a massive boost by the US Federal Communications Commission: Adam Hill talks to Qualcomm’s Jim Misener and Andres Castrillon to find out why it matters so much – and what the next steps to mass deployment are

he US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision in April to grant a joint waiver request to deploy cellular Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology in the upper 20 MHz part of the 5.9 GHz band has been welcomed by the ITS industry pretty much across the board. The move means it will now be easier to roll out C-V2X, which allows vehicles to communicate with one another and with road infrastructure.

The news broke at the ITS America 2023 Conference & Expo in Grapevine, Texas, where ITS International talked to two very interested parties. “It precipitates safe systems,” explains Jim Misener, Qualcomm Technologies global V2X ecosystem lead. “Finally, there'll be the ability for the joint waiver applicants to put into service their devices - and that's from car companies, to roadside infrastructure owner-operators, anyone who wants to operate with these rules that the FCC has given us. So that means safety starts to happen on American

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roadways sooner rather than later.” It marks a turning point in the move to use connected vehicle technology to reverse the US’s rising tide of fatalities. “We've got a really serious public health crisis on our roadways: technology can help,” says Andres Castrillon, director, government affairs at Qualcomm. “But up until this point, we haven't actually been able to deploy C-V2X to help address that concern. This is the first step in doing so. This is a really important milestone on the road towards broad-scale deployment, coast to coast.” © ITS INTERNATIONAL MAY/JUNE 2023

V2X

Industry collaboration It is just the first of many waivers that are likely to be passed or approved by the FCC, Castrillon points out. The industry collaborated on the joint waiver request, proposing specific technical parameters. “So what the FCC has done by granting this first one - which all the others pointed to – is to provide a path forward for them to move expeditiously with all of those,” he adds. “So we've got the spectrum issue addressed - at least in the near term.” What’s now needed is for the US Department of Transportation to “really step forward and utilise its authorities as a convener, to work collaboratively with industry - public and private sector - on a path forward for deployment”. V2X has involved a chicken-and-egg dilemma for a long time, Castrillon continues. “What the infrastructure folks have said is: ‘We want to deploy but we want some assurances that the vehicles are going to be there to communicate with in the future’; the vehicle folks have said the same thing: ‘We want to deploy, but we want to make sure that the infrastructure is there’. So if we work collaboratively on a national deployment plan, then both sides of that dynamic have some assurances that they make the investments and step up and invest in the technology, and there's going to be an ecosystem out there in order to deploy different use cases and to be able to communicate with other devices.” ‘Virtuous circle’ Misener suggests: “Think about it as a virtuous circle: both sides have to complete their part of the circle. But this [decision] allows this to happen.” The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) adds another dimension to the decision. “There is a historic amount of money – funding - potentially available for this too,” Misener says. “So it comes at a very good juncture for the FCC - not only to be a champion, but also to precipitate change themselves.” The fact that the IIJA was a bipartisan affair may have made a difference to a general sense that now is the time for things to happen on V2X. “I think it has helped, it has added a little bit more wind at our

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This is a really important milestone on the road towards broad-scale deployment Andres Castrillon, Qualcomm

that this would address - these are carefully chosen words - 80% of the multi-vehicle, unimpaired crash types.” Huge potential So for collisions involving vehicles – and pedestrians – at intersections, for example, V2X will be a real life-saver. “Now, will those crashes be addressed fully?” he asks. “That depends on penetration, so [we] can't predict that - but the potential is huge. And as this ball starts to roll, more and more we will realise that potential.” V2X deployment is currently voluntary, and penetration is difficult to put a number on. “But this is one reason we talked about the circle - this chicken-and-egg conundrum is hard to resolve,” Misener says. “But think about if you put a car out there, it has to have something to talk to on Day One. It doesn't have to talk to every bit of road, but maybe the most dangerous bit somewhere.” Both men are very positive about the FCC decision. “I think what we struggled with for a long time is a lack of collaboration between the different agencies that have jurisdiction over this,” Castrillon acknowledges. “It is a unique technology because it's collaborative: we need spectrum - so it's the FCC; we want to deploy it on roadway infrastructure and in vehicles – so it's Department of Transportation; and then there are some other agencies that [also] have equities. I think what we've seen, over the last year, is really improved levels of collaboration, and a renewed commitment from all involved to say: ‘We’ve got to figure this out’. You'll see overwhelming support from all corners © Nils Ackermann | Dreamstime.com

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Jim Misener, Qualcomm

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It means safety starts to happen on American roadways sooner rather than later

back, because we have this historic opportunity to utilise this once-in-a-generation funding opportunity,” agrees Castrillon. “We've got this unique window of opportunity to utilise that money to modernise our infrastructure and to deploy these types of technologies. If not now, then when? IIJA funding is over the next five years: we’ve got a window - it will close. So we need to move forward with deployments now, utilise some of that money as a catalyst for deployment.” It’s about safety, Misener says: “If you just look at the joint waiver applicants, the list that it grew to, you will see all sectors: basically, a coalition of the willing…You’ve got ready, willing, and able infrastructure owner-operators, and that starts it all.” There is no doubt that change is required. In the US at present there are around 40,000 deaths on the road each year, along with hundreds of thousands of injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated that this will drop significantly with the widespread introduction of V2X technology. “Well, I wish I had a crystal ball,” Misener smiles. “But the potential as outlined by NHTSA circa six or seven years ago, is

For collisions involving vehicles – and pedestrians – at intersections, for example, V2X will be a real life-saver

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V2X of the ITS industry that historically haven't been aligned - some wanted DSRC, some wanted to do something else. But over the last year the entire industry - state DoTs, federal agencies, and the private sector - are really aligned behind the need to deploy C-V2X now.” They are all “finally marching towards the same goal, pushing forward with deployments”. “It is a harmonic convergence,” Misener laughs. “But there are so many independent factors that affected it.” From which technology to settle on, to how to distribute the remaining spectrum, the fact that C-V2X technology has properties that are favoured by automotive OEMs – it’s hard to put a definitive finger on the question: why now? Same song sheet “We've never had this level of consensus from industry,” Castrillon says. “And so it's much easier if you're a policymaker to get behind something if the industry that's coming in to talk to you about it is singing from the same song sheet. If you're constantly hearing different messages from industry - which is what we struggled with in this issue for a long time - it's really difficult to get behind and endorse something. I think the industry alignment has paved the way for government to really get behind this, to put the past controversy behind us and say:

‘We, as government, need to reflect that alignment and support them in their efforts to deploy’. In my mind, that's the biggest thing that's changed.” Device manufacturers will be delighted, as will state DoTs who want to make future investments to improve road safety. Those companies and organisations which applied for the joint waiver can now deploy if they want to, and a host of ‘me too’ waiver applications using the same technical parameters are expected. The floodgates are open. “That will also embolden car OEMs,” says Misener. “Because they think they don't want to put a device on a car that has modest or meagre utility.” There will be a transition from where we are now to broad-scale deployment in “10-12 years”, predicts Castrillon. “This decision allows these near-term deployments to move forward tomorrow, next week, the following weeks, and start to showcase the benefits of this technology. There's a whole host of folks that we've talked to that are in ‘wait and see’ mode, and they wanted to see this initial action to make sure that the FCC was actually going to allow deployments to move forward.” This is one of the technologies that really needs everyone working on a common basis in order for it to succeed, Misener concludes: “I'm a scientist, not an astrologer, but I would say the stars are aligning.” ITS

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INCLUSION

Solidarity, celebration – and some disquiet. Support for the LGBTQ+ community among businesses has provoked a variety of responses. Adam Hill looks at the ITS industry’s reaction to Pride month

arts of the ITS industry have been vocal – particularly on social media - in support of June’s Pride month, the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ life and communities. Many big-name companies have changed their logos to rainbow colours, or put out supportive posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms with hashtags including #ridewithpride. For example, Cubic Transportation Systems said: “We are proud to foster an inclusive and diverse environment for all. This month, we honour and support the LGBTQ+ community, promoting equality and acceptance. Together, let's create a world where everyone can ride with pride!” Conduent posted: “We firmly believe an equitable and inclusive workplace - where everyone, regardless of their differences, has an opportunity to thrive and contribute their strengths - is critical to our success.”

message of equality and love in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month to riders and we’re proud to make that heard loud and clear across the metropolitan area,” said MTA acting chief customer officer Shanifah Rieara. The month is not without controversy, however, with some commentators seeing Pride as politicking or propaganda; in short, not something that companies and organisations should be promoting. As a result, some corporates in the US – Major League Baseball, retailer Target, Nascar and even the US Navy - have experienced some pushback. When Tier Mobility publicised e-scooters and e-bikes decorated with the rainbow in various European locations, one comment asked why the Pride-themed bikes were not available in Middle Eastern countries. “While we can fly the Pride flag in most countries in Europe, we respect that this is not legal in other countries,” came the measured response.

Authentic selves American Public Transportation Association said it supported “the freedom for everyone to be their authentic selves” and a variety of transit agencies have special Pride-liveried trains and buses, including New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which featured rainbow hearts on trains and Pride MetroCards at some vending machines. “The MTA is committed to delivering the

Public stance Wayne Ting, CEO of micromobility group Lime was clear about his company’s reasons for being involved. “The backlash this year against companies taking a stand for LGBTQ+ causes is more reason why we at Lime felt the urgency to take a public stance for trans rights and the rights of all LGBTQ+ people,” he posted. “I’m proud to be an openly gay CEO. And more importantly, I’m proud that standing up for equality and

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justice is core to our mission.” Other senior ITS figures have also made personal statements about Pride. In a post beginning “Move as you are”, Christian Haas, CEO of PTV Group, wrote: “At PTV and Umovity, our success depends on the talents of employees from countless backgrounds. Diversity enriches our company every day and has therefore always been an integral part of our corporate culture. Therefore, it holds immense significance for us to foster an inclusive workplace across all our global offices, where every individual can feel they belong.” He thanked his team for organising PTV’s first participation and sponsorship in the company’s local Pride festival in Karlsruhe, Germany. Better ideas Eyal Cohen, director of global business development at Optibus, said in an online interview: “I don’t think any employee can reach their personal peak if they’re not comfortable in their own skin. By creating an LGBTQ+-friendly workplace, companies can reduce stress and improve the health of LGBTQ+ employees, increase job satisfaction and create more positive relationships with co-workers and supervisors.” Cohen concludes that it makes business sense too: “A variety of perspectives put a variety of world views into one room, and you'll come out the other side with better ideas.” ITS See Comment, p5

The Middle East’s need for traffic management tech is growing

VISION TECHNOLOGY

Lands of opportunity As urban sprawl creeps across the Middle East and Africa, congested roads aren’t far behind. Hesham Enan of Teledyne Flir explains to Adam Hill how traffic technology is helping authorities to cope

hen it comes to the need for traffic management technology, the Middle East is booming. The rise of the smart cities concept is one reason for this. “A lot of projects are coming on,” says Hesham Enan of Teledyne Flir. “The customer is looking for a trusted partner department who actually has been doing this for a long time - not just on the data sheet - and that's where we come into the game.” As business development manager for the Middle East, Africa & South-east Europe, Enan has a huge area to cover. Teledyne Flir has been around in different forms for decades in these regions, and has built a reputation for delivery. There is a difference between what’s available in a brochure and what happens in real life. “I’ve seen a lot of people saying: ‘We can do 1-2-3-4-5’,” he says. “[But] when you actually do it – they don’t do it.” Enan has been with the company seven years. “When I started, the market was not

as big as now,” he says. “Right now, a lot of cities and authorities start to understand basically what they need, what they are looking for, and that was not the case seven years ago.” Back then, he says United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman had a clear idea of what was required to move forward. But now other countries see the possibilities too: “Morocco is very active, Egypt started to also to grow very much – there are two or three big projects - Turkey as well. The number of projects also is getting bigger.” Urban and inter-urban Teledyne provides two main solutions for authorities looking to improve traffic management. “The first is urban intersection control,” he explains. “We provide the sensors for the control of intersections. [Customers] are looking for a smart sensor that is reliable, that provides the needed information to the controller.” The second is what Teledyne Flir calls

‘inter-urban’. “That covers roads, highways and tunnels and bridges, where we are providing automatic incident detection. So that system is crucial in [delivering] safety and smooth traffic.” Perhaps the biggest development over the last few years has been the company’s work on detecting fire quickly. “We developed the technology through thermal imaging or thermal sensing to detect fire in tunnels - instead of waiting for the conventional system, like linear heat detectors to work after 10-15 minutes, we can detect the fire probably in less than a minute.” That emergency information goes to the operator, allowing them to save lives and infrastructure. Unlike European cities, for example, air quality does not seem to be much of a driver in the region – but reducing vehicle idling, congestion and journey times is. And as Enan points out: “This will result in reducing CO2, which will enhance the air quality. They are looking at traffic efficiency, which has very good results in

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VISION TECHNOLOGY

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Qatar has been a very interesting market for us in the last five years in preparation for the Fifa World Cup

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many different aspects.” He is based in Dubai, UAE – a city known for busy highways such as Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Expo Road. “I would say the traffic is getting better,” he smiles. Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)’s traffic management improvements prior to Expo2020 have had a positive effect on traffic flow. “That project basically covered most of the highways of Dubai with different technologies - one of them is our technology to detect incidents as early as possible. So the RTA can send traffic or any service needed to clear the road as soon as possible. All of this is presented on VMS signs around the city: where is the accident, what are the alternative routes and what is the expected travel time to reach that area. So it's very convenient for the driver right now. It's enhancing the traffic in Dubai.” Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project – to diversify away from oil revenue, to invest in infrastructure and become an economic hub, among other things – makes it potentially a big market for Teledyne Flir over the next few years. “It's not only about traffic, but about how they are doing business, construction, new urban architecture, it's a big combination coming into the market. That's the vision of Saudi Arabia and that's why traffic solutions are needed to make it as smart as it gets. So they are looking really at top-notch technology, and we have developed a lot of projects already there in

the last 10 years.” This includes almost 1,500 sensors in the capital, Riyadh, as well as in tunnels and highways in the east and west of the kingdom. “It's a very big market and we are very keen to be one of the key partners for Saudi to allow this transformation of the traffic business over time,” he says. Qatar shop window Last year’s soccer tournament, the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar was a great shop window for the company. “That’s been a very interesting market for us in the last five years in preparation for the World Cup,” Enan confirms. “We did everything: intersection control, more than 1,000 cameras for incident detection around Qatar.” His favourite project involved pedestrian detection to help smooth the way for the crowds of fans who gathered for matches in the tiny Gulf state. “We had 700 Flir TrafiOne sensors installed around the stadiums to ensure the safety of pedestrians across the intersections, so as soon as the camera detects a pedestrian, it changes the traffic lights into green for the pedestrian and blocks cars

until the flow of the pedestrian across the street.” TrafiOne also generates high-resolution data for measuring travel times to improve traffic flows, reduce vehicle idling times, monitor congestion and enhance safety for vulnerable road users. Data is accessible for further processing by the Flir ITS-IQ, a cloud-based data analysis solution. “It was an end-to-end solution, not only about just sensors,” he insists. “It was monitored by our software and integrated with the highest platform they have for ITS.” Away from the Gulf States, Turkey is a key existing market for Teledyne Flir where the company is now focusing primarily on high-end traffic management products. Its incident detection cameras already cover the length of the six-lane 4.6km 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in the west of the country, and the company was commissioned by IC 7çtaƔ-Astaldi Consortium (ICA) to put 60 ITS Series dual cameras on the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Istanbul. “We provided thermal and the visual cameras for incident detection,” he explains. While Teledyne has an increasing interest in Morocco and Egypt, South Africa is perhaps where the company has been most active. “It is one of our biggest markets in that region and one of the most developed countries in terms of traffic businesses throughout the continent,” Enan

Morocco has become more significant in the last few years

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VISION TECHNOLOGY

Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul

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The level of data that is coming from the camera right now is much bigger

product for the customer needs.” He sees artificial intelligence taking the industry into new directions – but points out that we are not quite there yet. “When people hear ‘AI’, they want everything: incident detection, licence plate recognition, you can do seat belt, or face recognition,” Enan smiles. “They don't give any limitations in the expectations, which is very interesting - but on the ground it's not that easy. Putting a camera in to do all these types of applications, let's say in terms of physical location, it's not possible that you do all of that. So AI is misinterpreted by the customers, by the end user, that it can do everything.” AI and prediction However, AI’s ability to enhance the performance of existing detection technology is considerable, Enan says.

“So if we're talking about video detection, it enhances the detection rate and the detection capabilities in a very nice way. If you're doing licence plate, then it detects it in a better way. The second point is the data: the level of data that is coming from the camera right now is much bigger. The camera can give us more information. For example, in our solution we can detect right now the direction of the car and then the counting movement, going from one way to another, the travel time - all of that we can detect through AI and through other technologies with our algorithm. So that's one of the things that AI is bringing to the table.” Prediction will be the big thing that AI brings in the near future. “Information will be sent to the controller, who will not wait for the traffic event but will take the decision before - because of some signs that will be happening on that road,” Enan says. “The cameras will detect this early enough and predict it and give this information to the controller which will take an action early enough." He concludes: “So right now, the level of data is getting bigger. In the near future it is the prediction that will be changing the game.” ITS

Intersections in Morocco Smart city initiatives in Rabat and Casablanca have driven this in Morocco, he thinks, with implementations in the last three or four years: “Right now there are two or three big projects that are rolling out, where we have sold more than 600 sensors in the last year and a half.” Egypt is grappling with its own smart city and mobility projects, including the construction of a New Administrative Capital close to Greater Cairo (the largest urban area in Africa, with 20 million people). “That's one of the projects that will be a milestone, and traffic and smart applications are one of the key elements towards the success of that,” he continues. “We are part of that through our urban and inter-urban solutions.” Enan believes that early engagement with customers and consultants to explain its products is one way Teledyne Flir gains an edge in these highly competitive, emerging environments. “That's definitely one of the main criteria to ensure the success of our solution, being there early. Everyone has this on the datasheet, right? So explaining the difference to the customer on how to choose the best solution for them, it's the most important,” he says. Competitiveness is not only about the same product competing, it’s also about different technologies – such as Lidar or radar, and it’s also, of course, sometimes purely about price. “Some people like old technologies like ground sensors, for example. You need to explain to the customer that cameras right now are working as effectively – in some developing countries, you still need to talk about that. So that's very important. Some of the customers are looking for the prices only - and that's not very easy. We position the right

Reducing car journey times is a key driver for authorities in Dubai, UAE

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says. “They know the ITS market very well, they understand it. So the traffic in South Africa is a very, I would say, mature business. In North Africa they have started to get this aspect.”

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IBTTA 91st Annual Meeting & Exhibition October 7-10, 2023 | Seattle Convention Center Program and exhibit information available

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DECARBONISING TRANSPORT

Transportation's electrifying future Climbing out of our silos will be vital to create the frameworks and networks needed to decarbonise transport, if we are serious about mitigating climate change, says Colin Sowman

t 11.9%, road transport is the world’s single biggest greenhouse gas emitter (namely carbon dioxide equivalents) and its decarbonisation is imperative in combatting climate change. The transformation will require systemic changes which will impact many national and local government departments, as well as energy providers and a plethora of small businesses. For more than a century, the internal combustion engine (ICE) has almost exclusively powered road transport. Passenger transport (predominantly private cars) contributes 60% of the emissions released - the remainder comes from freight. ICE vehicles could deliver zero tailpipe emissions by running on hydrogen but the overall efficiency would be much lower than pure electric contenders: hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFEVs) and batterypowered vehicles (BPVs). HFEVs produce zero carbon at the tailpipe but otherwise fit comfortably in the petrol/diesel footprint in terms of the refuelling network requirements, time taken to refuel, distance between refuelling and weight, while BPVs are the complete opposite. BPVs’ batteries are big, the vehicles are heavier than their ICE/HFEV equivalent and charge times are longer although they can be recharged at home, a depot and suitably equipped service stations.

BPVs are also more efficient than their ICE and HFEV counterparts. Both BPVs and HFEVs are suitable for non-intensive uses including private cars (the biggest CO2 contributor) and light vans, and both use electric traction motors. The difference is in the energy type and storage: BPVs use lithium-based batteries to store electrical energy while HFEVs carry compressed hydrogen (H2) which is recombined with oxygen from the atmosphere in the fuel cells to produce electricity (and water). In energy-density terms, lithium-ion batteries currently store around 0.250kWh/ kg while diesel contains 12.5kWh/kg of energy and petrol 12.8kWh/kg. Every kilogram of H2 contains more than 33kWh. BPVs’ battery packs are large and heavy, limiting the range of small batterypowered cars (BPCs) like the Mini which can cover 233km (145 miles) on a charge, while Mercedes’ pure electric SUV - the EQS - can cover an ICE-equalling 728km (453 miles). With 6.3kg of H2 on board, the range of Hyundai’s Nexo HFEV is around 640km (400 miles). Nonetheless, BPVs are the most efficient (see below) although the battery’s additional weight and space requirements, restricted range and longer ‘refuelling’ time mean hydrogen fuel cells are more suitable for high-use and commercial vehicles. For governments and departments of transportation, the questions are, what

can they do to guide and facilitate the decarbonisation of transport and what will be the wider consequences of the move away from fossil fuels? Fuel for thought Hydrogen can be produced in many ways including electrolysis – with nine litres of water making 1kg of H2 that would power Hyundai’s Nexo car for 100km (62 miles). Refuelling with compressed H2 takes about the same time as with petrol and diesel while, even using a fast three-phase DC charger, it still takes half an hour to boost the battery of most electric cars from 10% to 80% (even longer for commercial vehicles). As petrol and diesel are phased out, fuel stations will find themselves at the sharp end of decarbonisation and could replace each fuel pump with an H2 refuelling point with the compressed hydrogen delivered via road tanker. However, in terms of efficiency and road safety, it would (space permitting) be better to produce and store the H2 on site. This would require upgrading the electrical supply and a possible revision of national and local planning and safety regulations. To maintain ICE vehicle levels of throughput with BPCs, each petrol pump would have to be replaced by at least five fast chargers – a move that would massively increase the site’s power consumption. However, with a suitable power supply,

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DECARBONISING TRANSPORT existing service stations could provide both BPV and H2 refuelling facilities. Even with a favourable regulatory framework, this will be financially and technically challenging for many businesses. Even after such upgrades, service stations must expect a fall in business as most BPC recharging will be done at the user’s home – at least those with off-street parking. To ease this problem many local authorities are installing chargers at the roadside and in car parks and they could also consider regulatory changes allowing embedded gullies in pavements outside dwellings without off-street parking to carry power leads to BPVs. ‘Range anxiety’ hampers EV sales and deters BPV owners from making longer journeys – a problem not addressed by the slow AC recharging points authorities are installing, which need many hours to recharge vehicles. To increase BPV acceptability, especially with smaller vehicles, authorities need to implement policies that will foster a readily-available network of fast DC chargers that enable BPV drivers to reach their destination in a reasonable time. These three-phase devices draw a lot of power and a network of them will have a significant impact on electricity producers and distribution systems. The European Union’s Hydrogen Roadmap identifies hydrogen as ‘the most promising decarbonisation option for trucks, buses, ships, trains, large cars and commercial vehicles’. So even with a high-speed BPV charger network, there will still be a need for an H2 refuelling network. Due to their cost and rigorous regulatory requirements, H2 refuelling

sites are unlikely to spring up organically. In 2013, the UK government estimated 65 H2 refuelling stations would be operating by 2020 but by 2022 there were just 14 with only an estimated 300 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (mainly cars and buses) on the roads. Recently, Shell UK closed the three H2 refuelling stations it operated (citing lack of demand) and is refocusing its hydrogen refuelling business on trucks and buses. It will also install 100,000 rapid DC chargers by 2030. Research shows HFEV drivers love their vehicles but bemoan the lack of publiclyaccessible refuelling stations. Complete coverage of Britain will require an estimated 1,000 H2 filling stations but without these, few car and light commercial vehicle buyers would be willing to purchase HFEVs. To overcome this conundrum, governments could consider streamlining regulations and creating a secure long-term business case to entice private investors. Emergency services For road authorities and emergency services, the biggest challenge EVs pose is probably a fire or crash although when a BPV’s airbags are triggered, the main battery is automatically isolated, immobilising the vehicle. Early indications are that EV fires are less frequent than with ICE and hybrid vehicles but when they do catch fire, they make headlines. If they do catch fire, EVs (HFEVs have a small battery too) can cause big problems as lithium burns at around 2,000°C, gives off toxic fumes and can reignite over a period of many hours. After attending a BPC fire in Austin, Texas, the local fire department said it took 40 times the amount of water to put out the blaze than with an equivalent

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petrol vehicle. These factors will have a significant impact on the equipment carried by emergency vehicles. Colin Glenholm, MD of Autotech Training which trains staff from emergency services, advocates the use of fire blankets which are pulled over the burning EVs to starve the fire of oxygen, reduce the temperature and so extinguish the flames. Either way, the disruption (and possible road/infrastructure damage) caused by a BPV fire would be significant. Also concerning is that H2 is explosive in concentrations between 4% and 75% although it disperses far more readily than, for instance, petrol. HFEVs also have numerous safety systems to detect and stop leaks including fuel tanks that can withstand being shot at or being caught in a fire (using a controlled release of H2 to relieve over-pressurisation). In its publication A Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles in Tunnels, Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque concluded there is a 98.1 to 99.9% probability that there would be no additional hazard from the hydrogen fuel beyond the existing hazards in a vehicle crash. Nonetheless, the potential for a slow accumulation of gas in enclosed parking lots and underground garages must be considered by road, parking and building standards authorities, ferry operators and others. Consideration of regulation on acceptable parking locations, ventilation requirements and explosion-proof electrics may be pertinent. In view of the intense heat EV battery fires create, authorities may also want to reconsider the desirability of enclosed parking areas and recharging points below

Small changes to legislation, grants and tax breaks could greatly ease the decarbonisation of road transport

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Road transport is the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions

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DECARBONISING TRANSPORT

Commercial vehicles BPVs’ weight penalty can be problematic for commercial vehicles although local authorities can lead the way. For example, electric truck manufacturer Electra builds refuse collection vehicles on OEM chassis and fits battery packs sized to last the full shift. According to its chairman Sid Sadique, the trucks’ payloads are between 250kg and 500kg less than their diesel-powered counterparts although domestic waste will fill the bodies before the trucks become overweight. And while the upfront cost is higher, Sadique says whole-life costs are on a par with, or lower than, the dieselpowered counterpart - and with zero tailpipe emissions. Many cities have introduced hydrogenpowered buses and many HFEV truck trials are under way, including in Switzerland where 23 companies are using 47 Hyundai trucks that have collectively clocked up

apartment blocks, offices and shopping malls. Such considerations are leading to different treatment of BPCs and HFEVs. One example is Eurotunnel which allows BPCs on its LeShuttle service but not HFEVs. There is no ‘neutral’ on an EV and they all have regenerative braking; therefore, they cannot be towed with their driven wheels on the ground which creates challenges for breakdown and crash-recovery services. UK recovery specialist, the AA, has developed a freewheeling hub wheel that replaces the driven wheels when towing a stranded EV or 4WD or when the wheel/brakes have seized. It has also added mobile battery recharging units to its roadside assistance vehicles to get stranded EVs moving again. ABOVE: A good network of fast chargers is essential for those wanting to make longer journeys BELOW: Some 'smart' chargers are designed to work with solar panels

What about fuel duty? Many governments need to identify methods of collecting duty from EV users that are as easy to administer and proportional to road usage as taxing petrol and diesel. Imposing duty on the electricity dispensed via EV charge points may appeal but would tax any renewable energy produced by systems installed by individuals and businesses, making it a deterrent to investing in renewable energy and EVs. Furthermore, BPC owners could avoid

the duty by using slower (3kW) chargers that plug into the domestic socket and in doing so would also bypass the peakdemand management. The H2 for fuel cell vehicles could be taxed at the point of delivery as with petrol and diesel although service stations, large transport companies and perhaps farmers could become producers by installing H2 generation plants – which would increase complexity. Alternatively, a

combination of road fund licence and mileage tax (by vehicle type, weight etc.) would be relatively simple and proportional to road use, particularly as some cities are considering introducing their own ‘smart’ road-user charging system for mileage clocked up within their boundary which would compound the complexity of a national system and confuse motorists. A mileage tax system would also cope with any new propulsion variant.

five million kilometres (3.1 million miles). A UK supermarket’s trial of Electra’s 19t refrigerated HFEV truck found it saved 314kg of CO2 each day on a 335km (208 miles) round trip. With battery-powered vans the problems are more acute. Ford’s battery-powered 3,500kg L2H2 Transit van loses 370kg of payload allowance against its diesel-powered equivalent and its load floor is at least 100mm higher. Allowing battery-powered vans slightly higher axle/gross weights without requiring a higher class of driving licence or attracting higher taxes would help address this disadvantage. In poor air quality areas, authorities could set early deadlines for professional fleets (HGVs, buses, taxis, private hire vehicles…) to transition to zero tailpipe emission vehicles. This would incentivise sales, lower emissions and improve air quality without rushing to penalise private households where an EV is either unsuitable or unaffordable. Small changes to legislation, grants and tax breaks could greatly ease the decarbonisation of road transport by incentivising buyers and unlocking private equity to develop and build zero tailpipe emission vehicles and create refuelling infrastructures. Energy supply Decarbonising transport will have a colossal impact on electricity production and distribution systems but the technology could also help address renewable energy’s biggest problems: unpredictable and mismatched generation and energy storage. Most BPVs will be charged at home overnight when demand on the grid is generally lower but it often peaks between 5pm and 9pm, leading many countries to require domestic chargers to be internetconnected, ‘smart’ and pre-programmed to avoid charging in peak periods. These devices also stagger start times and ‘smooth’ the end of charging to prevent sudden rises and falls in electricity demand (especially with timed charging).

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DECARBONISING TRANSPORT

Utilising a BPC’s battery to cover power outages could be useful but would require both technology and regulatory changes far beyond the jurisdiction of DoTs. Although electrolysing water to produce hydrogen is energy-intensive and will increase overall electricity demand, production can be ramped up in periods of low electricity demand or when excess renewable electricity is available, and stored until needed. Then, in periods of high demand, production can be reduced or stopped and the stored H2 can even be turned back into electricity to cover grid shortfalls or outages. Prefabricated ‘plug and play’ electrolysers for H2 production could suit fleets and service stations: for example, the ones ITM Power builds into ISO containers use 2MW of electricity to generate up to 36kg of hydrogen per hour. That equates to 1.2MW of stored H2 energy per hour which would power Hyundai’s Nexo for 3,600km (2,240 miles), a performance roughly equivalent to a frugal ICE. BPV drivetrains are typically 85-90% efficient and after allowing 15% losses during battery charging, all BPCs would exceed 3,600km on 2MW of (dispensed) energy even in cold weather and most would do twice that distance in warmer weather (above 12°C). Trials of H2-powered jet planes are also under way as are feasibility studies of converting all domestic (and commercial) gas appliances to run on low-pressure hydrogen supplied through existing gas distribution network(s). The ongoing war in Ukraine has brutally revealed the vulnerability of centralised energy production and many countries have suffered the downside of relying on imported energy. It is incumbent on the transport sector to lead the way in a global shift away from fossil fuels but all sectors of government, national and local, need to be involved because this cannot be achieved from inside silos. ITS

Clean, yes - but green? All transport comes with environmental costs: burning a litre of petrol creates almost 2.4kg of CO2 (diesel exceeds 2.6kg) while the ‘tailpipe’ equivalent for EVs is zero and reducing CO2 emissions is key to combatting climate change. However, the way EV ‘fuel’ is created is a far greater environmental problem that can be fixed. If BPVs’ batteries are charged with electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, then the emissions simply move from the road to the power station whereas when using renewable sources, the environmental benefit is substantial. HFEVs pose a similar problem as currently more than 90% of the world’s H2 is ‘grey hydrogen’ made from fossil fuel in a greenhouse-gas-releasing process that cancels out any wider environmental benefit. Yet more environmentally damaging is using fossilfuel-generated electricity to produce H2

via electrolysis, while utilising renewable energy produces carbon-free ‘green hydrogen’. The US EPA has examined the evidence and concluded that: ‘Electric vehicles typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging’, while the EU’s Hydrogen Roadmap says building HFEVs requires ‘significantly less raw materials than batteries and combustion engines’. It is a fact that lithium mining is more environmentally destructive than oil extraction - however, lithium batteries will power BPCs for about 10 years. They can then be used in less demanding (often domestic) applications by the likes of Eaton’s xStorage Compact which can reuse Nissan Leaf batteries. Much research is also under way to devise efficient lithium battery recycling methods that do not create toxic waste.

Lifecycle GHGs for an electric vehicle and gasoline car GHG emissions (grams/mile)

Utilising renewable energy produces carbonfree ‘green hydrogen’

400 350 300 250 200

Source: US EPA

150 100 50 0

Gas car Vehicle in-use

EV with 300-mile range Feedstock & fuel

Other manufacturing & end of life

Battery

Carbon emissions from different ways of producing hydrogen Tonnes of CO2 emitted per tonne of hydrogen produced Renewable electricity

0.3

Fossil gas

Gas-fired electricity

Coal-fired electricity

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Source: Hydrogen Council and Global Witness

CONNECTIVITY & ENFORCEMENT

Connected vehicle deployments are happening – but not fast enough

We need to move quicker Connectivity requires a lot of different parties to work together – but it’s the only way to get coverage. Alfredo Escribá, chief technology officer of Kapsch, talks to Adam Hill about the value of ‘orchestrated corridors’

he connected vehicle revolution has begun… but it’s not moving fast enough, thinks Alfredo Escribá, chief technology officer of Kapsch. The ‘command-and-control’ model of traditional advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) is still with us – and doing a fine job, it must be said. But Escribá is frustrated that different, existing tech is not being fully embraced. “The industry has moved into a world where data is available and there are other ways of communicating or receiving, of generating that data, as well as communicating with drivers on the road,” he says. “We believe it is time just to start getting all this into action and helping the industry to start moving forward.” Hence, Kapsch’s ‘orchestrated corridors’, which are “trying to help the industry to move forward into achieving the value from the data, all the way up to the utilisation of connected vehicles”. He explains: “In an orchestrated corridor

we blend the traditional way of thinking on ATMS with data, new sensing capabilities, and we build capabilities to start making all this happen in the context of connected vehicles,” he says. “In many cases, the adoption of connected vehicles is so minimal in terms of usability. What we are doing with our portfolio and our solutions is to enable our customers to take the first steps into getting familiar with the essence of the technology, getting familiar with how it works, also knowing that many of the use cases still are not mature enough. Maybe yes on paper – conceptually – but not in practice.” Detecting vulnerable road users The company is involved in Melbourne’s Aimes (Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem) Intelligent Corridor project with the University of Melbourne and Victorian Department of Transport. One of the pilots there involves “a whole corridor where all these things are happening”, he says. “There is a data element, and there are

traditional road signs to communicate with connected vehicles. We are testing use cases which are very urban-oriented, meaning the key point here is managing intersections. So you can detect vulnerable road users, then you trigger alarms and warnings to the vehicles that are able to receive those alarms. A lot of the use cases are obviously safety-oriented, some of them might be meant to improve not only traffic flow but, consequently, emissions as well.” The term ‘connected vehicle’ does not necessarily mean that you need to communicate through a physical roadside unit (RSU) to an embedded on-board unit (OBU) in the vehicle, insists Escribá. “To some extent, at least in our opinion it can be as well done through communicating with a driver and a smartphone at the end of the day. We can never forget what is the reality. We need to cover everything.” While connectivity has the most impact at intersections in urban environments – for example, in terms of emergency vehicle and transit pre-emption, eliminating stop/go

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CONNECTIVITY & ENFORCEMENT

Unexpected events “What are the biggest problems that you have in highways?” he asks. “Roadworks that nobody's expecting while driving and that you could know ahead of time. Or unexpected events and queues that you're running towards? On this one, the US is a little bit behind Europe. In the US, the density of variable message signs in many cases will not allow you to provide enough information ahead of time to drivers. That could be really solved with the connected vehicle type of things that we are talking on this orchestrated corridor – the messages about where the congestion is forming, where you have the queue, and or where there is construction, are so easy to be sent to mobile applications or to a connected vehicle.” The opportunity to decentralise the process is exciting to Kapsch. “I mean, that is something that we can enable very easily from the traffic management centre,” says Escribá. “[But] these are part of the capabilities that we are enabling our customers to do: you don’t need to send these messages any longer only through your message sign you can pump it into a mobile application or into a connected vehicle. This is what we are transforming - it exists.” So far, so good. But he is adamant that more players need to come to the table to make it work. His one wish for moving connectivity forward is this: “I would love to have the [automotive] OEMs and the big mobile applications at the table, helping us to get these messages into their users. Because the rest, we can do: we are doing it right now but to make the use cases really work, we need to get the messages to the drivers. This is what I call adoption. We can build mobile applications for the

same purpose but we know that they don't have adoption. So the other actors that we need to come to the table for this to happen is the more widespread mobile applications that people use while driving, so they start making use of this information. That would be my wish.” If the OEMS “don't want to play”, then it’s a problem: “I have the message, I can send the message - but he's not picking up the message!” Escribá laughs. Extracting the value Up to now, he believes the ITS industry has talked about connected vehicles in terms of simply putting a lot of RSUs into the field. “Let’s be critics with ourselves in the industry - this is all that in many cases has been done,” he says. “‘Connected vehicle’ was translated into ‘yes, let's deploy roadside units’. I think that the big change that we are taking on is trying to get this to happen in terms of extracting the value. I can install a bunch of RSUs - but I want to have insight into how that is behaving on the one side, so I need to provide something for someone to look into that data, I need to know how users are behaving. One of the things that we are doing on this is to give customers tools as well to get access to that data and analyse our data. Why? Because I want to know when I send a safety message of any kind how the driver is behaving. Are

they doing something when they receive that message or don’t they care?” Kapsch – and by implication, everyone else in the industry - is going to have to give up something in order for all this to work: namely, access to data. “Customers will have the data and that is one of the reasons why, for instance, in two of our latest deployments in terms of ATMSs, those deliverables include a data hub, that you can pump all the data that you want into,” Escribá explains. “So it is moving this into the next step of making things happen; it is no longer about installing RSUs. Now let's move it into how we get this in reality into vehicles. The data a transportation agency collects, from our point of view, belongs to the agency. A lot of companies in the data space may try to secure the data, and own that data, and I think that is to some extent slowing down part of the deployment. So we don't think that way. You know how much proprietary protocols, lack of standardisation, has dragged this industry down for many, many years. Is that the right thing to do? Are you giving value? I don't think that value is created because you make someone your prisoner. Transportation definitely still needs to find a way of making the whole ecosystem work - we are not there yet.” Getting more coverage While he does not believe OEMs are moving quickly enough, he sounds reasonably hopeful. “It can be done today,” he says. “I think they need to get on board. And is this something that our competition should be doing? Yes, because at the end of the day you need to have coverage.”

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through intersections, protecting pedestrians and cyclists - its usefulness on highways should not be underestimated.

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Transportation definitely still needs to find a way of making the whole ecosystem work Alfredo Escribá, Kapsch

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CONNECTIVITY & ENFORCEMENT

I want to know when I send a safety message of any kind how the driver is behaving

been sold today - or the majority of the vehicles that are being sold today - have connected vehicle capabilities.” There is also the issue of political will, putting in place the means to help make this happen. For instance, the Federal Communications Commission decision on C-V2X (see p21) has gone some way to helping boost connectivity in the US. The right direction “Broadly, the role that the public sector could take is maybe finding a way to get the ecosystem to the table,” he thinks. “Trying to resolve putting them together in a way that is commercially viable for the private sector as well. Probably the public sector could take a more active role on this.” Should they attempt to enforce it, like they have done with other safety issues, for example? “ I'm not sure that would work. But I think there is more space to put the ecosystem together.” North America is further ahead than Europe, largely because of business culture, he says. “I think it's because of the agility and entrepreneurship difference between them: I think that North American business is more agile, goes moving into action and trialling

and testing, promoting some of these things. I think that their way of doing it in Europe is more thinking, it is generally speaking, slower. More than that, Europe has been devoting a lot of time on what might be the standard for connectivity, on how are we going to move forward. The European Union is helping. And providing the funding for doing some of these things, helping transportation agencies to test and do these early deployments, that is one of the best things that can be done and now it's happening. So I feel it's getting into the right direction.” Helping people to understand the options and possibilities is a major function of today’s connected vehicle pilots and deployments. “Definitely, it will help because it will really make the agencies on the one side significantly more familiar - understanding better what can be done, what cannot, and getting rid of some of their concerns today,” Escribá concludes. “So they will learn, they will see their potential. And by doing this we are paving the way and eliminating excuses on the other side of the ecosystem: ‘Yes, I could do it, but it does not exist’. No, hold on one second - now it exists, at least in these pieces of road! Please make use of it. So at the end, you need to break the loop. Hopefully, we are successful and we are contributing to break that vicious circle.” ITS

More connectivity will help vulnerable road users at intersections

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End customers – the drivers – require coverage above all. “This cannot work on one road and not on the next road I’m driving: I need to have a continuation of the same safety case and so forth,” he points out. “That's why I'm saying this is the ecosystem that needs to make a push – and that goes from our competition to other companies and other parts of the sector that need to enable this.” Obviously every company has to see a decent return from their investment from this collaboration. “I mean we are not non-profits!” Escribá laughs. “You always need to make profit otherwise, we will not exist. But yes, this affects the value chain from the data generation to the data use and whatever is in between.” Is there any area of the world where things are progressing well at the moment in terms of connectivity? “Define ‘well’,” he smiles. “It continues being slower than we would like. I think this will probably not be a surprise to anybody. I think that North America especially the US - continues moving from this point of view faster than Europe. There is more activity, more trials, more pilots that are going on - more testing on these, even some wider deployment. But it still is slow. Europe, to some extent, I would say in the last two years is waking up a little bit. There are some bigger deployments and even some procurements that are going on now. But I think, generally speaking in the industry, we are kind of slow, not moving as fast as it could be. Because remember: I think that we could not argue that every vehicle that has

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BIG DATA

Navigating the data privacy landscape If customer data is not protected then the journey towards better, less polluting public transport solutions is likely to be delayed, warns Alexis Suggett of Cubic Transportation Systems

n this digital age, society is becoming more mobile and distributed than ever before – a reality also demonstrated by the increasing importance surrounding data privacy and protection. Across the public transportation ecosystem, for instance, forward-thinking agencies are leaning on mobile applications to modernise and simplify users’ payment and rewardearning capabilities. Indeed, the way transport organisations collect, analyse and act on passenger data in all its forms has changed dramatically compared to just a few years ago.

County Transit System is being built around a SaaS-based fare collection solution. This has been designed to meet the needs of transit riders across the community, including those without smartphones or who don’t have a bank account. Enabled by this powerful backend technology infrastructure, riders can use a variety of ways to pay for their journeys, ranging from contactless cards and a mobile phone app to a dedicated smart card or cash. Elsewhere, Canada’s BC Transit, an integrated system conveying nearly 60 million passengers annually across 88 transit systems in 130 communities, is implementing coordinated payment services to improve regional customer experience. Its approach is to focus on making the travel experience safer and more convenient – a capability which is increasingly in demand across major cities and rural communities worldwide. Behind these various opportunities and challenges sits one factor they all have in common: the collection and use of data. Armed with enhanced levels of

Digital innovation’s impact on privacy Taking a step back, where does this growing requirement for data protection and privacy come from? Among the key determining factors has been the huge investment in digital transformation by transport service providers across the globe. Transport networks everywhere have embraced the benefits that the modernisation of legacy

technologies and antiquated manual processes can deliver. As a result, users have seen some significant changes in the way they consume transport services – a process many consider to be crucial for the future prosperity and relevance of the industry as a whole. But digital transformation isn’t just about efficiency and automation. It also offers a way for service providers to use contemporary technologies to significantly enhance the passenger experience, environmental performance and equality of access. In particular, the growing adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS)-based technologies is giving transport providers the tools to design and implement innovative and affordable information-driven passenger experiences. In practical terms, this has seen integrated payment solutions rolled out across a wide range of communities, with services designed to meet the needs of varying consumer demographics and requirements. For instance, in Milwaukee, US - a city of more than half a million people - the

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data-driven knowledge and insight, transport service providers have been empowered to roll out a huge range of enhanced services, innovative features and convenience. But with this increased use of customer data, it is essential that transport agencies ensure the various data cycles they rely upon are protected to prevent the risk of data loss and fraud. Clearly, organisations across the transport ecosystem will collect, analyse and use different types of customer data to meet different objectives. For instance, city authorities everywhere now routinely analyse footfall and travel trends to optimise service provision, improve environmental performance and minimise overcrowding. Similarly, ticketing processes have been changed radically by digital transformation. Until relatively recently, many passengers would still pay for their tickets with cash, meaning service providers had little or no insight into individual customer habits, let alone the ability to tailor services and pricing. Today, using a website or app to purchase tickets almost inevitably means the service provider has recorded where and when the consumer has travelled before, alongside the type of services they typically use. Given these and a range of other data-led insights, the provider can offer more targeted and personalised options, improve the speed and convenience of the purchase process and, ideally, boost the overall end-toend passenger experience. Without the ability to collect data on a passenger-by-passenger basis, almost none of this is possible. Balancing privacy, cybersecurity and expectations In today’s highly mobile and distributed communities, it’s hardly surprising that data privacy has risen significantly up the overall business and regulatory agenda. The nearubiquitous adoption of mobile apps across today’s transport networks, for instance, has led to them becoming de facto travelling tools. As more travel apps are downloaded, more user data is collected - and the opportunities and risks associated with its retention and use increase. At the same time, new and more detailed

Ticketing has been changed radically by digital transformation: but all that data goes somewhere

BIG DATA

data privacy regulations have arrived, bringing with them a greater range of datarelated responsibilities for organisations in every sector. For example, GDPR has now been in place for nearly seven years. More recently, various new regional privacy laws in the US have extended the requirements and potential penalties for organisations that misuse or fail to protect customer data. Regulatory pressure and momentum continues to grow, with privacy laws now so pervasive and important that many organisations have dedicated teams to handle all the various requirements. The growth of transit-related rewards programmes offers an interesting data privacy case in point. If a consumer uses a mobility or transportation app, they may well be offered real-time access to a range of discounts, loyalty schemes or other incentives that can add value to their experience or help build loyalty. In each case, however, the user has to agree to share some of his or her data, such as location, travel history or other details. Without this information, the service provider can’t maximise the relevance of their offers - which for today’s digital-savvy consumers has become not just a nice-to-have, but a minimum requirement. For transport providers focused on customer care and trust, this brings with

it huge opportunities but also a range of responsibilities. Indeed, any transport organisation handling customer data must implement robust cybersecurity and data protection strategies capable of detecting and mitigating the various threats they face. In many cases, transport service providers work with a wide range of technology partners to deliver integrated digital services. The inherent supply chain vulnerabilities associated with these increasingly complex networks mean that they must also look outside their own processes to ensure customer data is also properly protected by their trusted third parties. There is, however, a delicate balance to strike between the need to share data with outside organisations and locking it down so tightly that they lose the agility required to deliver the innovative digital services which customers demand. In this context, the choice of technology partners and service providers has become more important than ever to ensure that all relevant stakeholders share data privacy standards throughout the supply chain. Getting privacy on track In common with many industry sectors, transportation organisations and their customers have seen significant benefits from adopting digital technologies. There’s no doubt that today’s well-designed solutions offer improved levels of convenience and scope for continued innovation. This is particularly important for services that are looking to compete more effectively with road and air transport, to service the needs of diverse communities and to meet important accessibility requirements. What’s more, public transportation networks are also set to play a long-term role in countries focused on crucial issues such as achieving Net Zero emissions. Getting more cars off the roads and more people using less-polluting mass transit options, for instance, is a major driving force behind public sector policy. In this context, transportation infrastructure will need to see further improvement if it is to present an even more compelling proposition. Central to this objective will be how organisations approach the use of customer data – without effective policies and protection, the journey to better transport solutions is likely to be delayed. ITS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alexis Suggett is director, contracts and data protection officer at Cubic Transportation Systems www.itsinternational.com - updated content every working day

CONTROL ROOM TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE

Prepared for disruption

From the cloud to AI, big change is coming to the control room technology sector. Adam Hill asks experts from Barco, UVS and Swarco what developments they are seeing as data points proliferate

rom satnav to Waze to connected vehicles and smart infrastructure, we are now collecting more data than ever before: but how do we make sense of it in the context of the traffic control room? What are the pitfalls? In short, how much data is ‘too much’? “There is a proliferation of data, the number of sources and number of data points per source is ever-increasing,” agrees Piet Vanhuyse, segment marketing director LVX, Barco. “This abundance of data comes with

an expectation for enhanced operational effectiveness and better decision-making. Yet information overload can in certain cases have the opposite effect. When managed data is growing fast it only has value when we really build insights to learn or react faster and become more proactive. As such, data has to be converted to information for the relevant stakeholder in the control room and has to be put in the right context, i.e. do we see a shift in trends?” Vanhuyse emphasises: “The ‘sense making’ has to happen in the managing and structuring of the data without removing

possible future relevant data, meaning being biased towards certain data filters. For example, the power of social media can be strong but can also be very much biased when not validated in the correct manner.” Automation is the key to avoiding overload, says Steve Murphy, MD of traffic control room video wall specialist Ultimate Visual Solutions (UVS). “With the increase in the amount of data available to control room operators, it is necessary to provide as much automated analysis of the information as possible, to inform control room operators of required actions rather than them being

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CONTROL ROOM TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE

“

Steve Murphy, UVS the ones responsible for trying to view all the information and take the necessary decisions and the appropriate actions,” he says. “For example, in terms of the large amount of CCTV information available to traffic control rooms, additional sensors and video analytics within cameras, or their associated management system, are used to detect slow-moving traffic, traffic travelling through red signals, vehicles travelling in the wrong direction etc. These systems can automatically send alarms.” Murphy explains that UVS video wall controllers display only the relevant camera feeds and data on the video wall related to these events, thus reducing the control room operators’ workload and decision making. “They can then concentrate on managing the appropriate actions required, e.g. by alerting the relevant agencies,” he continues. “Operators still have access to a large amount of data which is provided

“

When managed data is growing fast it only has value when we really build insights to learn or react faster and become more proactive

“

With the amount of data available to control room operators, it is necessary to provide as much automated analysis as possible

by multiple disparate systems, via multiple servers.” He adds that the company has seen a “large increase” in demand for high-end KVM-over-IP (keyboard, video & mouse) solutions within traffic control room applications, allowing operators to have 2-4 operator monitors on their desk, with a single keyboard and mouse, with the KVM-over-IP solution providing access to any number of remote servers. “These can be displayed simultaneously on their screens, with multiple application windows in a single screen which are live, simply by moving the mouse into the application window,” Murphy says. “This also allows operators easy access to a large amount of data as required.” Yet with all this data to manage – and given the importance of keeping traffic moving safely – cybersecurity is a major concern. In a Barco survey of more than 1,000 control room professionals, “keeping up with intrusion, threats and cyber risks” has been identified as a key problem experienced in control rooms today. “Next to increasing threats and risks to manage, also stricter regulations on privacy and data security will have a significant impact,” says Vanhuyse. “It is key for manufacturers to not just pay attention to cybersecurity but consider this as the foundation for any product development.” Barco “meticulously followed” the Security by Design principles, he says. Cybersecurity is taken very seriously by

Piet Vanhuyse, Barco traffic control room management and their operational staff, Murphy insists. “For any installation of our video wall technology in these applications, there are very strict IT and network protocols that must be adhered to, and compliance proven,” he continues. “For example, clients will have their own software patching and updates regimes that we have to configure. We also have to configure specific windows hardening as recommended by the National Cyber Security Centre as well as specific firewall rules. This is paramount to protect the traffic infrastructure assets and ultimately the road/transport users from any dangers caused from cyber vulnerabilities.” Finally, since artificial intelligence is currently everywhere in the public consciousness, it is worth considering how AI will disrupt the control room technology market. “AI will support structuring data so that it can make sense for the operators

Barco: 'Abundance of data comes with an expectation of enhanced operational effectiveness'

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CONTROL ROOM TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE and supervisors in the traffic control room,” says Vanhuyse. “The ‘making sense’ can be AI-supported. It will not take over the human factor as the complexity and interconnection within traffic control rooms is still too high and not all events

can be written in an AI logic. Human operators still will need to understand the logic of the AI or at least why certain decisions are taken before it will go in a full automated manner. Some closed transportation loops can work in a full

automated way as is happening in ports and airports, based on similar AI application in logistics.” But, Vanhuyse concludes: “In general traffic, the most unpredictable components are the humans on the streets.” ITS

UVS: a large amount of CCTV information is available

Why Swarco is considering cloud-only deployments for traffic control software

“

Solutions running in the cloud will become cheaper, better performing, more secure and better protected

“

When Swarco developed its MyCity urban mobility management platform, the company started by interviewing more than 300 cities. “We engaged with them and we asked them what were the pain points that we need to address with our solution,” explains Michael Schuch, CEO of Swarco. “Before we started the development, we had to decide: are we going for an optimised architecture for a cloud-based solution or is it a solution that should run on-premise? It is common in our industry to have a solution running on a server in their own premises, so the city is managing its own infrastructure. In our opinion, this is not a sustainable and future-oriented way of doing things: solutions running in the cloud will become cheaper, better performing, more secure and better protected.” The upshot is that Swarco is now considering ceasing deployment of on-premise solutions altogether from 2025 onwards and just going for cloudbased solutions.

Michael Schuch, Swarco “We will continue to listen to our clients’ needs and make best-practice solutions available to them,” Schuch insists. “This will be without sacrificing individualism on important elements for the city, because every city is individual and we know that we have to keep that in mind.” The cloud-based solution makes sense from the point of view of Swarco’s portfolio. “We can do it today,” Schuch says. “But will the market change fast enough and will the cities be open to be convinced and listen to the pros and cons? That's a different story. Some customers will be more progressive, they will be

open for it. And also others will simply say: ‘No, we want to have our own control room, our own server, we want to control everything’. But I hope at some point they will also be open to seeing the benefits in having a future-ready, cloud-based solution that they maybe buy as a service on a monthly basis.” Safety and also security are major topics of conversation that Swarco is trying to address proactively, via its GoGreen initiative, where it aims – by Intertraffic Amsterdam in April 2024 - to talk to all cities which have signed up to the European Green Deal (which commits them to becoming climate neutral by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 by the year 2030). “We want to use this opportunity to talk to those cities, find out their concerns, try to give them answers and explain the benefits,” Schuch concludes. “It's dealt with in a very professional and secure way: nobody questions Microsoft if you buy it running on the cloud.”

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DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT

.HHSLQJ WKLQJV ÁH[LEOH Mobility needs change: Elena Ziller of OpenMove explains why demand-responsive transport is emerging as a hot mobility trend – and why it’s not without challenges

emand-responsive transport (DRT), Mobility on Demand (MoD), microtransit and paratransit are just a small selection of the terms currently in circulation to describe a shared transport mode that does not run on fixed lines, but instead connects and adjusts the mobility solution on offer (the transport service itself) to the demand in real time. Although the concept of demandresponsive transport is not entirely new, over the last few years it has seen a sharp rise in popularity, largely due to a combination of technological advances and users’ growing digital confidence. The increased need for a more flexible service, accelerated by Covid-19 disruption, has contributed to the implementation of mobility schemes other than those that operate along traditional fixed routes. Among the mobility options that have arisen subsequently, DRT has been one of

the most widely adopted. If correctly implemented, communicated to passengers and integrated into the broader public transport framework, DRT brings with it numerous benefits and has all the credentials to shape the mobility landscape of the future. As is the case with any transport or mobility model there are opportunities, advantages and challenges associated with DRT. Advantages of DRT Coverage DRT typically covers geographic areas and/ or hours during the day in which a fixed-line offering would be too costly to maintain. Implementing a DRT scheme means working towards transport efficiency, cost savings and increasing occupancy rates. This happens because a flexible service enables the coverage of larger areas (instead of serving solely an area with predefined stops) and more passengers who typically

do not benefit from fixed lines because pre-defined stops are too far away or are difficult to access for a variety of reasons. The basic idea behind DRT is that you have fixed lines that run every day at the same time, but of course there are times when buses might run with two people on board - which is really inefficient. What DRT does is make it more efficient by trying to combine when there is actual demand with connecting the mobility mode on offer so that you do not have empty buses running: i.e. you have buses running only when there is the need for them. The key to DRT is knowing the levels of demand in advance and adjusting the transport modes on offer accordingly. Inclusivity DRT boosts inclusiveness because it also provides services to those people that cannot rely on fixed-line services because of barriers to accessing public transport

Demand-responsive transport needs to be part of a wider mobility network – including micromobility, for instance

“

The path to a mobility paradise is littered with ‘solutions’ that were created without ever fully understanding the problems they were designed to alleviate

“

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DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT

…Meeting demand Another advantage is that full integration between DRT and public transport (including shared mobility and micromobility modes) avoids an unjustified increase in costs, saves effort and improves the ridership

“

The design of public and shared mobility solutions cannot be the result of top-down decisions but must follow a bottom-up approach

Matching demand… As an example of demand matching, a DRT scheme would see transport operators in a city hosting a Uefa Champions League soccer semi-final knowing in advance the likely attendance and the potential for tens of thousands of people (many unfamiliar with the city) needing late-night transport options. On a typical Wednesday evening there might be two buses per hour which stop near the stadium. But on a Champions League Wednesday you don’t need to rely on crowd-sourced data to know how many more buses, or taxis, to provide. With DRT you have the real demand for transport on that specific night the match is being played and you adjust and increase the mobility offer accordingly. If you need to send one bus more you send it, and if you need to send 10 buses or 20 taxis more you send them – but the key thing is you know about it in advance. A DRT scheme means that this extra demand doesn’t come as an unwelcome surprise.

ABOVE: Fixed routes will ideally run at times of high demand, with demand-responsive services offering flexibility BELOW: Taxis could also be part of a DRT offering

“

Shifting the narrative By covering larger areas and offering a flexible service where fixed-line routes have traditionally been weak, DRT - if properly integrated - strengthens traditional public transport. People who were forced to rely on private cars or to stay at home because of the limited shared mobility options in the vicinity can benefit from DRT to reach a larger mobility hub from where they can move freely. DRT contributes to modal shift and therefore helps achieve environmental targets, incentivising the widely held utopian concept of greener mobility. In order for this to happen, DRT needs to be included in a wider mobility scheme and be deeply integrated with fixed-line routes to get the most out of the different mobility options.

modes. This is especially true for elderly people or those with particular mobility needs. In these cases it is often very difficult, if not impossible, to benefit from traditional public transport modes. This could be because of the prohibitive distance of bus stops from homes – or because some buses are not properly equipped for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Travellers with such special needs often cannot rely on, and in many cases do not own, a private car.

experience. It exploits the intrinsic ability of on-demand mobility to act as a feeder service of the transport network itself. Effective intermodality enables full-scale Mobility as a Service (MaaS), which aims to tailor the mobility options available to the needs of passengers to provide freedom of movement. However, at the same time MaaS seeks to streamline the mobility scenario in a holistic way, accentuating the fundamental building blocks of the present and achieving the goals of future mobility. So, if DRT brings with it all these

advantages, why do some transportation agencies fall short in their efforts to implement this scheme, with projects being discontinued after a few months of operation? Challenges A deeper understanding If it is going to succeed – just like every other mobility scheme anywhere in the world – a DRT offering must be firmly rooted in the needs of the people who are going to use it. The path to a mobility

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DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT paradise is littered with ‘solutions’ that were created without ever fully understanding the problems they were designed to alleviate. Gauging the pressing needs of the travelling public is usually carried out via surveys or by analysing historical mobility demands. This is a time-consuming process and as a consequence is often disregarded by transport operators looking for a quick fix. Understanding what creates value for passengers, however, helps shape the transport offering correctly and secures the long-term sustainability of the implementation. Plan accordingly Once the users’ needs are clearly understood, a second key step is to decide where it makes sense to substitute or complement with DRT a traditional fixed-line service - and where the latter just has to be strengthened without changing the structure of the mobility scheme. This often involves a deep study of the geographical area, the movement patterns within it and how the mobility offer can best respond to demands.

Avoid duplication Travellers are inevitably going to have two separate apps (one for the DRT and one for public transport) or several more if we include shared mobility and micromobility. This can lead to confusion and poor user experience, both of which go against the mission to make life easier for all passengers. Riders may lose confidence in their ability to use the technology and this will ultimately hinder – or at worst even prohibit - adoption. Integration is key to success The design of public and shared mobility solutions cannot be the result of top-down decisions but must follow a bottom-up approach. Needs are not static but evolve over time, and from user to user. For this reason, DRT schemes need to be integrated into the broader public transport narrative and, consequently, the broader public transport network offering, in order to be successful. If this does not happen, the risk is that

BELOW: ‘With DRT you have the real demand for transport on that specific night the match is being played and you adjust and increase the mobility offer accordingly’

transport operators’ management staff will have challenges to effectively manage and govern their operation and successfully deliver the overall mobility scenario for their organisation. Public administrations subsidising the mobility ecosystem with taxpayers’ money are going to suffer duplication of unnecessary costs to support both public transport and potentially unnecessary DRT services and vice versa. The solution cannot be to think about a user with their DRT app booking a door-to-door service while completely ignoring that, potentially, a fixed-line bus route is just around the corner and would, in fact, perfectly serve their needs. Flexibility means being open to thirdparty systems. Being able to feature DRT, as well as other shared-ride and microtransit services, into a wider mobility network is key to implementing a future-proof scheme in which people are genuinely free to move - and can do so in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. ITS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elena Ziller is sales and marketing manager at OpenMove, a MaaS and ITS software provider based in Roveretto, Italy

Recognise the value The importance of communication cannot be underestimated. Change is often met with resistance and brings uncertainties. It needs to be clearly and effectively communicated to help people see its value. Those living in areas where a fixed-line service has been replaced by DRT may be sceptical about its benefits - but intelligent communication will help them understand that the flexibility given by DRT actually increases their

freedom of movement. This is the turning point where travellers feel confident in the new mobility scheme and ultimately defines the success of a DRT project.

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PRODUCTS & INNOVATIONS

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CERTIFICATION FOR PARIFEX 3D-LIDAR SPEED CAMERA TRIO Three of Parifex's 3D-Lidar-based fixed and mobile speed cameras have been certified for use. The mobile Nano-Cam and the fixed Nomad - designed for urban use - have been approved for speed enforcement, while the Double-Side Vigie highway speed camera has also been registered. The products control speed from 30 km/h to 250 km/h on highways, national and local roads, and in cities. 3D technology provides better vehicle identification and classification as well as optimised vehicle tracking, including in heavy traffic, the manufacturer says. They are all "highly resistant to extreme conditions and weather", Parifex adds. The Nano-Cam is a light, compact and easily transportable sensor which includes autocalibration when put on its tripod for a faster set-up. Its 3D-Lidar sensor provides 360-degree vision in order to collect real-time traffic data such as speed, dimensions, direction, and distance of all fixed and mobile objects. "This is a significant step forward for people and goods safety on roads," said Parifex CEO Paul-Henri Renard.

Tatweer smart platform aims to reduce human driving error Tatweer’s Smart Driving Test System (SDTS) is designed to minimise human errors while evaluating applicants, and to assure superior transparency in results while providing a high level of monitoring and surveillance over the driving test process. Aimed at driving schools, roads and transport authorities, police enforcement and trafﬁc departments, the SDTS captures every action a driver would take during a test trip, starting from parking, reverse and road test including seat/mirror adjustment, to speeding, lane changing, leaving safe

distances, steadiness within roundabouts, all in compliance with trafﬁc signals/signs, and much more. Tatweer automates the process to ensure a hassle-free experience

for both applicants and licensing authorities. The SDTS utilises the latest technologies in sensors coupled with AI and ADAS and is based on theoretical trafﬁc engineering foundations, enabling test assessment under real-life road and trafﬁc conditions rather than a simpler yard test. This ensures accurate assessment of drivers’ driving skills and improves the effectiveness and consistency of the overall driving test process through elimination of human errors and subjective judgment in driver evaluation. • Content produced in association with Tatweer

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KAPSCH CONTINUES V2X COLLABORATION WITH MICROSEC Kapsch TrafficCom and Microsec have partnered to provide a security package based on standard IEEE 1609.2.1, which delivers V2X-PKI security credentialing and cloud-based credential management. The end-to-end solution simplifies things for roadway operators which want Vehicle to Everything (V2X) scale from pilot to operational secure corridor solutions in urban and highway segments. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently granted a joint waiver request to deploy cellular V2X technology - which allows vehicles to communicate with one another and with road infrastructure - in the upper 20 MHz part of the 5.9 GHz band. “Secure operational services instill trust with the corridor stakeholders,“ states Steve Sprouffske, VP Connected Vehicle Services at Kapsch TrafficCom. “A simplified, integrated, and streamlined approach to security empowers roadway operators to deliver secure solutions as a normal part of their day-to-day operations.” Csilla Endrodi, board member of Microsec, comments: "We both aim to simplify and integrate essential elements required for V2X communications and related services.”

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SOLAR POWER HIGHLIGHTS SERNIS’ NEW ROAD STUDS Sernis has launched two solar road studs: SR-i19 and SR-i25. They use microcontroller technology, and only rise 9mm and 10mm respectively from the road surface: the company says they are "ideal for road delineation, bends/curves, and crosswalks among other applications". They have constant brightness during all functioning periods and can be seen up to 1km away. SR-i19 has a high light output due to its 3 LEDs for each side, with an aluminium base giving it strong mechanical resistance. SR-i25 has a stainless-steel cap that makes it ready for snowploughs, while built-in GPS technology allows

¾ DVKLQJ V\QFKURQLVDWLRQ ,W LV DOVR available in aluminium. Sernis highlights its high-performance photovoltaic solar module, with silicone-free, junctionsealing technology allowing better, faster, and cleaner maintenance. The technology

applied to both models "increases the performance of solar power studs with energy storage by battery or capacitors and protects the road stud against the deep discharge of the batteries/capacitors", Sernis insists.

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CONDUENT LAUNCHES REAL-TIME DIGITAL PAYMENT SOLUTIONS &RQGXHQW 7UDQVSRUWDWLRQ KDV introduced new real-time digital payment solutions over the RTP network to make billing and paying tolls "faster, easier and more secure”. 2IIHUHG WKURXJK &RQGXHQWµV 'LJLWDO ,QWHJUDWHG 3D\PHQWV Hub, the products could later H[SDQG SD\PHQW RSWLRQV IRU bus and rail transit operators, parking authorities and other public sector uses, such as WUDI½ F ½ QHV WKH FRPSDQ\ VD\V &RQGXHQW SURFHVVHV nearly 12 million tolling transactions every day - more than 4.3 billion annually - and VD\V LW PDQDJHV DSSUR[LPDWHO\

RI WUDQVDFWLRQV RI WKH top 10 US tolling agencies. Tolling transactions via digital payments can happen in a matter of minutes, simplifying the payment process for DJHQFLHV DQG GULYHUV WKH ½ UP says. Real-time payments over the RTP network are also LUUHYRFDEOH DQG VLJQL½ FDQWO\ reduce" administrative and processing costs – for H[DPSOH DJHQFLHV FDQ VHQG DQ 606 QRWL½ FDWLRQ WR D YHKLFOHµV UHJLVWHUHG RZQHU offering a real-time digital payment option, if there are LQVXI½ FLHQW IXQGV LQ D WROOLQJ account.

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Brazil type-approval for Intercomp's HS-WiM sensors ,QWHUFRPS 6WUDLQ *DXJH 6WULS 6HQVRUV KDYH EHHQ W\SH DSSURYHG for direct enforcement in Brazil by the national metrology institute ,QPHWUR 7KH\ ZHUH ½ UVW LQWURGXFHG LQ WKH 6RXWK $PHULFDQ FRXQWU\ for screening vehicle weights at high speeds and for performance evaluation for future federal regulations. Research institute LabTrans tested the product while developing proposed legal performance requirements for direct enforcement of overloaded commercial YHKLFOHV ,Q SDUWQHUVKLS ZLWK :L0 V\VWHPV LQWHJUDWRU )LVFDO 7HFK ODQHV RI +6 :L0 HTXLSPHQW KDYH EHHQ LQVWDOOHG LQ URDGZD\V DV test sites to allow for data collection and studies to consolidate the ½ UVW VWHS WRZDUG GLUHFW ZHLJKW HQIRUFHPHQW LQ %UD]LO ,QWHUFRPS says the performance of Strip Sensors at these sites demonstrated DFFXUDWH ZHLJKW SHUIRUPDQFH IRU YDULRXV YHKLFOH FRQ½ JXUDWLRQV and the consistent accuracy required for future direct enforcement DSSOLFDWLRQV 7KH +6 :L0 V\VWHP ZDV FHUWL½ HG IRU &ODVV % ZKLFK PHDQV IRU *9: DQG IRU D[OH D[OH JURXS ZHLJKW measurements.

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&XELF 7UDQVSRUWDWLRQ 6\VWHPV &76 KDV UHOHDVHG WKH WK YHUVLRQ RI LWV WUDI½ F signal timing platform Synchro Studio. The company says the upgraded version offers an enhanced Scenario Manager, supports Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) WK (GLWLRQ PHWKRGRORJ\ DQG IHDWXUHV D VLPSOL½ HG PRUH LQWXLWLYH XVHU LQWHUIDFH Geoff Scalf, CTS director of product management, Cubic Transportation Systems, points out that the "transportation industry continues to evolve". The latest version ZLOO FRQWLQXH HQKDQFLQJ RXU FXVWRPHUVµ ZRUN¾ RZV KH DGGV 6\QFKUR 6WXGLR Y FRPELQHV PRGHOOLQJ WRROV 6\QFKUR ZLWK PLFURVFRSLF VLPXODWLRQ 6LP7UDI½ F WR SURYLGH D FRPSUHKHQVLYH GHVLJQ SDFNDJH &76 VD\V &XVWRPHUV FDQ DQDO\VH WUDI½ F RSHUDWLRQV LQ GD\V UDWKHU WKDQ ZHHNV DQG ZLOO EH DEOH WR PRGHO FRPSOH[ WUDI½ F QHWZRUNV DQG VXSSRUW PXOWLSOH VFHQDULRV LQ D VLQJOH ½ OH EHWWHU DOLJQLQJ ZLWK WKHLU community’s mobility needs". The updates also support integration among products, LQFOXGLQJ 6LP7UDI½ F $706 &HQWUDO 0DQDJHPHQW 6\VWHP :DUUDQWV DQG ' 9LHZHU

Fifteen charges up to 10 bikes at a time Fifteen has launched a compact and modular e-bike charging station, which it says is easy to install. It can accommodate up to 10 bikes in an area the size of a single parking space - 5m long - and allows up to four charging stations to be powered from a single electrical connection. Fifteen says the station adjusts the charge to meet the needs of the bikes and predicted demand, ensuring that "every bike is ready to go,

with at least 75% of its available range". The bike-share company has also launched a new model of e-bikes for short- or long-term rental - from a few minutes to several days or months. Its 'augmented bike networks' offering this service are deployed in smaller and mid-sized cities like Gijón (Spain), Epinal, Landerneau, and Montélimar (France), as well as in the French city of Marseille.

Technology Convergence 2023 Setting the wheels in motion – reimagining the future of heavy vehicles, roads and freight

6–10 November Brisbane, Australia www.techconverge23.org The International Society for Weigh-In-Motion (ISWIM) and the Heavy Vehicle Transport & Technology (HVTT) Forum have come together to host a joint international conference.

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www.hvttforum.org

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