Coming together

How has the adoption of ITS been influenced by this unprecedented and ongoing economic and political turbulence?

The first months of 2008 gave every indication that Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) would continue flourishing with schemes being integrated into ongoing transportation developments. Towards the latter end of the year, however, the economic ‘storm clouds’ gathered before turning into a ‘full-blown’ recession that the global economies have been reeling from ever since. Investment in major projects ‘dried up’ virtually overnight and every organisation became acutely aware of avoiding paying for anything that could be construed as extraneous to its core-business.
    
Simultaneous to this considerable attention was being paid in how Manchester’s residents would vote on the TIF proposal. The decision was widely touted as ‘too close to call’ and there were signs that this would be the first TIF scheme that would receive public support for the voluntary introduction of a congestion charging scheme. However, when the votes were counted the whole proposal was overwhelmingly rejected resulting in future UK road pricing policy being in disarray.
    
Latterly, there have been challenges on the UK’s ability to invest in major schemes; so how has the adoption of ITS been influenced by this unprecedented and ongoing economic and political turbulence? Furthermore, what action did ITS United Kingdom take to ‘weather the storm’ during this period?
    
ITS (UK)’s recognised that the members’ interests and concerns were directed towards their main business activities whilst recognising that longer term ‘over-the-horizon’ scanning would show that profitable opportunities would reveal themselves once the recession had passed. Synonymous with the financial and political climate ITS (UK) also looked to where existing and future membership potential lay. Local authorities are substantially under-represented, however, what was noticeable was the significant interest in ITS (UK) membership packs at Traffex 2009. Despite stability in member retention ITS (UK) considers that mobile phone companies, internet providers, government departments (in addition to existing members – DfT and the Home Office), additional academic institutions and broader Emergency Service representation would benefit from affiliation.

Help for governments
Two recent publications, known colloquially as the ‘Blue Guides’ set down, in non-technical language, what modern transport technology can do for both local and national government. These are comprehensive documents that give ‘lay-man language’ explanations of how local authority policies for air quality, decongestion, journey time consistency, traveller information, etc can be delivered.
    
Throughout the year, ITS (UK) contributed to various debates and submitted consultation reports to both the Transport Select Committee and DfT alike. In addition ITS (UK) has sought to reconcile the dichotomy between the Eddington Report’s call for reduced congestion and greater freedom of movement for economic wellbeing with the Stern Report’s warnings on climate change and the need to reduce emissions.
    
Role to play
ITS (UK) has a major role to play in new and innovative ‘green’ technologies and has assured its place in future developments through inclusion on the New Automotive and Innovation Growth Team panel of automotive manufacturers and suppliers. The panel was assembled to review ‘energy independency’ requirements and its consequential interest in the ‘electrification’ of vehicles. The findings are being published and ITS technologies are identified as capable of making a substantial impact on fuel economy as well as minimising emissions. An example of ITS (UK)’s contribution is its support for a projected Workshop in Newcastle on transport infrastructure and low carbon vehicles in an urban environment.
    
The outcome of the six month TfL trial of the Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology will introduce a new dimension to this technology’s capability. A London bus, fitted with ISA, will aim to demonstrate how road casualties can be reduced and also help drivers avoid ‘speeding’ penalties. The TfL Road Safety Unit hopes to extend this trial to the technology in a licensed taxi, alongside 20 TfL vehicles driven by road engineers, traffic managers and highway inspectors.
    
The UK government’s announcement for the national road network in coming years includes findings from several reports, such as ‘Managing the Motorways’, ‘Managing the Major Road Network’ and ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System‘. The feasibility study proposes extending the successful M42 ‘hard shoulder running’ pilot to approximately 800 lane kilometres of England’s motorways. The infrastructure to achieve this will be primarily ITS technologies and ITS (UK) has an important role in how it supports this initiative.

The widespread interest in the development of Cooperative Vehicle Highways Systems throughout Europe to improve traffic flow gives strong indications that these technologies offer considerable impact in reducing congestion. However, it is important that the benefits are achieved without increasing the roadside infrastructure that is needed to communicate with drivers. The most logical way forward seems to be to use existing mass market technologies that currently deliver information to vehicles, such as radio and mobile phones.
    
ITS (UK) recently set up several new Interest Groups (IG) to reflect burgeoning areas; these included the Cooperative Vehicle Highway Systems IG that was set up as a direct response to expressions of interest by members involved in this area and the Inclusive Mobility IG and the Women in ITS IG to reflect the diversity of the travelling public.
    
In addition, ITS (UK) contributed to DfT’s Chief Scientific Officer’s ‘Modernising the National Infrastructure’ scoping workshop in early February 2009 whose outcome recognised that energy, ICT, transport and water sectors were the four constituent pillars of a national critical infrastructure. ITS was identified as of particular importance sufficient for the inclusion of innovative transport in a subsequent workshop.
    
ITS (UK) has become a regular contributor to the Parliamentary Evidence Sessions and sometimes incorporated in the final Consultation Reports. In early 2009 the European Secure Vehicle Alliance and ITS (UK) jointly hosted a review of the current vehicle registration mark system legislation and challenged its ‘fitness for purpose’. The meeting, chaired by Professor Gloria Laycock of the Jill Dando Institute, was held in the House of Lords and attracted substantial interest from Peers, MPs and other interested parties.
    
In a similar vein, ITS (UK) took the unprecedented step of organising an Evening Reception at the Houses of Parliament in June whereby Peers and MPs with transport-related were able to meet ITS (UK) transport experts in an informal setting. The reception attracted considerable ITS (UK) membership interest and helped forge closer links with parliamentarians as they wrestle with the complexities of coping with increased transportation that operates over a finite infrastructure within tight geographical confines.   

Changing times
ITS stands at an important ‘crossroads’ whereby its adoption and acceptance into the ‘mainstream’ of traveller options and benefits can become commonplace. In accordance with this there is substantial support to change the ‘S’ in ‘ITS’ terminology from ‘systems’ to ‘services’. The scope of innovative technology offers integrated solutions and it is recognised that the title ‘services’ provides a far more comprehensive reflection of what ITS actually stands for.
    
This has also provoked discussion on ITS (UK)’s standing following a recent review by an influential third party observer who commented that ITS (UK)’s stature is of such importance that consideration should be given to changing its status from a ‘Trade Organisation’ to a ‘Professional Body’; regardless of whatever action ITS (UK) takes this is a genuine reflection of the organisation’s value to intelligent transportation.