Europe split over best way forward for traffic systems

The EC estimates traffic congestion costs one per cent of GDP

A plan to introduce intelligent transport systems (ITS) across Europe has stalled as countries debate the best way to co-ordinate adoption.

To date, different countries have introduced ITS in different ways, and no effort has been made to harmonise activity.

ITS cover the use of information and communication networks to improve the efficiency of transport networks by better informing ­ and in some cases charging ­ those who are using them.

The UK is among the leaders in ITS. The Department for Transport (DfT) has worked with 60 local authorities to help them introduce urban traffic management and control systems that use GPS technology and cameras to evaluate flows of traffic.
In the case of an accident or a traffic jam, they can help traffic controllers re-route traffic more effectively ­ using hard shoulders, alternative routes, or lanes on the other side of the road.

Last month, Birmingham City Council announced a multimillion-pound project to develop an integrated information network for transport across the region.
And 25 million people a year now use government web site Transport Direct, an online route planner that includes plane, train, and bus times.

The European Commission (EC) estimates that road traffic congestion affects 10 per cent of the road network, and costs the EU about one per cent of its GDP annually.
And growth rates of 50 per cent for freight transport and 35 per cent for passenger transport are predicted for the period from 2000 to 2020.

While developing new infrastructure is essential in the long run, many countries are starting to recognise that more efficient use of existing transport networks could be hugely beneficial.

“Development of new infrastructure will not give the necessary results on the timescales required by the magnitude of these challenges,” says a communication from the EC on the subject.

Evaluating traffic flows and providing real-time information to travellers on the most efficient routes to take is recognised by all member states as a vital step towards solving the problem.

But progress has been stalled because of differences in approach. The EC introduced a framework directive that it hoped to use to mandate member states to co-ordinate systems.

But the UK ­ alongside others such as Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands ­ feel that such a forced approach will have unintended consequences, according to Patricia Hayes, the DfT’s director of road and vehicle safety and standards.

“Many countries have sophisticated systems in place already and retro-fitting a common standard where those approaches have already been successful would be a mistake,” she told a Commons committee last week.

Instead, the UK wants a more market-based approach, with interoperability standards provided centrally.

The EC has put the framework directive on hold because amendments made in the European Parliament mean it no longer represents the original intentions.

But everyone agrees that some degree of co-ordination is vital.

Both the EC and member states concur that EU-wide realtime traffic information services, and door-to-door journey planners that take into account up-to-date information and integrate with other modes of transport, are the goal for the future of European traffic systems.

This would lay the base for an even more ambitious plan ­ to integrate vehicles into the system.

The EC wants, by 2015, to pilot a system that sees devices in commercial vehicles that are linked to central ITS ­ meaning that an in-car GPS could constantly update the recommended route. It also wants to test “electronic vehicle identification” within the same context, which could pave the way for automatic door-to-door taxes on road use.

But the EC needs to take a step back and let the market do the work, DfT minister Paul Clark told the Commons EU committee last week.

“The role of the Commission should be more in terms of encouragement than prescription,” he said. “The legislative approach is not the best mechanism for introducing ITS in Europe.”

Smarter transport on land, on water and in the sky

Other European intelligent transport systems that could be integrated with a traffic system are:

• Single European Sky ATM Research Programme – the framework for the implementation of a new generation of air traffic management.
• River Information Services – manages waterway use and the transport of freight.
• The railway network is gradually introducing the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and Telematics Applications for Freight.
• Shipping has introduced SafeSeaNet and Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information.
  Systems and is progressing towards an Automatic Identification System and Long-Range Identification and Tracking.