FAQ on EU's Intelligent Transport Systems

December 16, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

What are intelligent transport systems?
Typical and well-known ITS applications are the global positioning system (GPS) navigation systems in our cars, the traffic information and travel time estimations we receive in our car radios or via the variable message signs displayed across modern motorways and ring roads, and real-time arrival information on bus or tram stations.

But ITS are much more than that: they aim at managing traffic in order to increase the safety of travelers and to spare the time they loose in congestion. They also aim at providing travelers with all the benefits of new technologies inside their vehicles or in public transport.

The EC's ITS action plan aims at fostering the development of ITS for all European citizens - for instance, harmonizing the different systems in place to allow every country to benefit from the progress developed in others, and ensuring that systems on board vehicles will work all over Europe, reducing, as much as possible, borders for travelers and for professional drivers.

Interoperability of systems is thus one of the primary objectives of the ITS action plan. For example, it is no longer acceptable to see EU member states implementing new proprietary road-charging systems. Drivers should have only one system for all of Europe and not one per member state.

A single ITS piece of equipment on board vehicles, performing all tasks required by passengers for driving, navigation and entertainment, should be implemented.

Additional functionality could be integrated later - for instance, for in-vehicle safety, vehicle monitoring and entertainment. Professional users could also benefit from specific applications, like tracking and tracing of vehicles and cargoes, especially to secure transport of dangerous goods or to track stolen vehicles.

Especially in urban environments, travelers may use ITS technology for more reliable information on alternative transport modes, which will help promote the necessary shift to less polluting transport modes.

Furthermore, cars will become an integrated part of the global transport system, providing the road infrastructure managers with the data they need for more efficient management of traffic, while fully respecting the data privacy of users.

Is the ITS action plan only targeting road transport or also other transport modes?
Until now, there has been no coherent European framework for the deployment and use of ITS in road transport.

For other modes of transportation, the EU already has frameworks in place: SESAR, a new generation of air traffic management in air transport; the River Information Services in the field of inland waterway transport; the SafeSeaNet and the vessel traffic monitoring and information systems in shipping; and the European Rail Traffic Management System in the rail sector.

The new ITS action plan targets the road sector, but it also includes initiatives to ensure and improve the interconnectivity of road transport with other transport modes.

What are the action plan's priorities?
The EC's ITS action plan has the following six priority areas:

1. Optimized use of road, traffic and travel data
This area aims at fostering the development of Europe-wide services providing real-time traffic and travel information, such as travel time, alternative roads, navigation advice, data on congestion and accidents, and weather forecasts.

For the first time, equality of data access by private service operators measured on the networks are addressed. Traffic regulations and recommended routes for heavy goods vehicles are also relevant objectives.

The improvement and regular updates of digital maps through cooperation between member states, road concessionaires and digital map providers will also be addressed.

Another initiative focuses on the promotion of multi-modal door-to-door journey planners.

2. Traffic management on European transport corridors and in conurbations
Good traffic management - for example, dynamic speed limits or route diversions - can reduce congestion on roads. To ensure a seamless service for drivers, traffic management has to work across borders, which is of particular importance to long-distance freight traffic. Traffic centers need to be better connected.

This area aims at developing cooperation between regional authorities to improve the quality of traffic management. For example, cooperation between the regions of different countries, under the umbrella of EC projects, has already limited the consequences of bad weather conditions on traffic: road operators of one country were able, within 30 minutes, to start stopping vehicles before they became stuck on snowy motorways abroad, offering them parking areas for several days and advising departing vehicles to stay home.

There is often a lack of coordination between urban and interurban traffic management. Common procedures and specifications are needed. In support of freight transport, the concept of eFreight - the vision of a paperless electronic flow of information with the physical flow of goods - will be further strengthened by ITS.

Further action will create a specific ITS architecture for urban transport and finalize the interoperability of the European electronic road toll systems.

3. Road safety and security
The EC will address the further development of road safety and security-related systems in road transport. The most promising systems, in terms of saving lives, are those for collision warning and avoidance, electronic stability control (ESC),^[1] lane keeping support and speed alert. All of these systems are already available or soon will be.

The action plan will promote their installation in new vehicles will consider the "retrofitting" aspect. The introduction of an electronic system automatically calling emergency services in case of an accident (eCall) and a regulatory framework to ensure a safe, on-board human-machine interface, including the mobile devices taken into the vehicle, are other important points.

Best practices guidelines are foreseen on applications for vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians and cyclists) and for secure truck parking on highways.

4. Better integration of the vehicle into the transport system
Electronic communication and navigation systems are becoming standard equipment in our cars. It very likely that even more electronic devices will be added in the future - for example, for electronic toll collection and the emergency call functionality, eCall.

With these many different types of equipment, we are not only facing a growing diversion of the driver's attention, but also the problem of missing common standards for the interoperability and interconnection with the car, existing and upcoming infrastructure systems, and the services that supply traffic and traveler information.

The EC proposes to streamline and integrate these applications into a standardized, open, in-vehicle platform, aiming to increase the safety and functionality of car equipment, reduce costs and enable an easy "plug and play" usability of a car's personal electronic equipment.

In parallel, the functional specifications for the infrastructure-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication will be defined. The relevant standardization issues will also be addressed.

5. Data security, protection and liability
The EC will work with stakeholders to address the importance of security of ITS-related data and the protection of personal data, based on the relevant directives. Also, liability issues pertaining to road information and traffic data will be addressed.

6. European ITS cooperation and coordination
The EC proposes a legal framework for the Europe-wide deployment of ITS.

A European ITS committee will be set up, composed of member states' representatives, as well as a European ITS advisory group, formed by representatives of user associations, transport operators, industry, social partners, professional organizations, local authorities and existing fora. Both will advise the EC on technical and user aspects.

Specific rules will be worked upon for an ITS infrastructure assessment as a precondition for EU or national funding for building or operating infrastructure.

The deployment and use of ITS in the urban context will be discussed with member states, as well as with regional and local governments.

Will EGNOS and Galileo play a role in the future of ITS?
Currently, all satellite-based navigation facilities are using the American GPS system. Europe is now entering the world of satellite navigation. Its first product, EGNOS, followed by Galileo, as of 2013, are important for the future deployment of ITS in Europe and will improve the accuracy and the reliability of satellite navigation systems.

The expected accuracy of Galileo, up to 10 centimeters, will trigger a whole range of new applications and will also allow developing a new ITS sector, enhancing safety through in-car applications (such as lane keeping).

Long before that, the first visible impact of EGNOS and Galileo will be the development of applications for goods tracking and tracing using state-of-the-art technologies (within our "eFreight" concept). It will also foster the development and deployment of location-based commercial and public services.

EGNOS is already operational, covering most of Europe.

What are the benefits for European society?
The ITS action plan will contribute to a more efficient, cleaner and safer transport in Europe, both for passengers and freight.

It will not only help to lessen congestion on our roads and reduce road fatalities, but will also contribute to lowered greenhouse gas emissions. It will help lessen economic losses due to traffic congestion. In addition, it will benefit people with reduced mobility and elderly persons.

Relatively small investments in ITS would allow a better use of existing infrastructure and would be much more cost-effective than building new infrastructure or enlarging an existing one. At the same time, the environmental impact would be much lower.

Thanks to the action plan, industry will benefit from a clear policy and a potential market for ITS services and applications. This will not only foster the creation of new technologies and products, but also lead to new jobs in the ITS field.

Consumers will benefit from a wider range of services and products, enjoying increased safety, comfort and cost-efficiency in their driving due to standardization and higher production volumes in the global European market.

Road users will experience less congestion, fewer accidents and better information on the use of nonroad and public transport options. Eventually, this will lead to a more balanced use of all transport modes.

Why is the EC proposing a new directive to foster the deployment of ITS? Are the existing national and local initiatives and applications not enough?
Since 1988, the EC has financed dedicated research and development programs on ITS, which have delivered valuable results and plenty of recommendations. These projects have provided a basis for technological breakthroughs and basic coordination - and, in most cases, fragmented deployment.

But the time has come that we pass from recommendations to action to exploit the full potential of ITS in the field of safety, reducing congestion and minimizing the environmental impact of the road system.

In the EC's view, a legislative proposal is needed to promote action that will remove persistent bottlenecks and enable a broader and coordinated uptake of ITS for road transport.

Some examples where voluntary approaches are not always sufficient:

• Today, a truck driver, going from Barcelona to Frankfurt on the European motorway network, carries not only a global system for mobile communication (GSM) and a navigation system on board, but also up to three different electronic devices for the toll charges in the member states he crosses.
• To avoid transit traffic in residential areas, the EC recommended in 2001 (see 2001/551/EC) to publish details on road categories of the entire road network, as well as details on areas where traffic should be limited. However, only few local and national authorities implemented this recommendation.
• Drivers equipped with navigation devices are making use of the entire road network. Thus, heavy trucks are often guided onto highly vulnerable and inappropriate roads (for example, heavy vehicles or coaches getting stuck inside small towns, passing near schools or taking steep slopes).

The new directive will allow a coordinated and rapid implementation of ITS measures to avoid or reduce such problems.

What is the timeframe for the deployment of this action plan?
The present action plan covers the period 2009 to 2014, and a mid-term review will take place in 2012-2013. Work will start immediately; each action area has specific action points and a timetable.

^[1] The EC adopted in May 2008 a proposal to make ESC mandatory on all new car models from 2012, and on all new cars from 2014. Preliminary estimates suggest that this is likely to save around 2,000 to 2,500 lives per year. In addition, all heavy-duty vehicles will be required to have an advanced emergency braking system and a lane departure warning system by 2013.

Source: European Commission.