Sustainable mobility –‘keeping the wheels turning’

Neal Skelton, ITS (UK), explains how ITS can help reach the government’s sustainability targets

Sustainable mobility is a pre-requisite to a thriving modern economy. Here in the UK we are creating the conditions to bring this about. Sustainable mobility encompasses a range of activities from minimising the environmental effects of transport, to introducing smart, low emission technologies, to promoting world-class manufacturing, to efficient use of our road infrastructure.”
    
These comments were made by the Rt. Hon. Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions in the Introductory Programme to the 13th ITS World Congress held in London in 2006. She added: “Intelligent Transport Systems are a key component of this and technological solutions are already delivering significant benefits. But more needs to be done. Our citizens are demanding greater access and freedom of movement. Effective freight management including reliability of arrival time is an essential enabler for world-class manufacturing and retail processes where inventory costs along the supply chain must be kept to a minimum.”

The World Congress held in London in 2006 presaged many of the policies proposed in the DfT’s recent ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System’ publication that sets out how the government intends its future transport strategy will contribute in supporting economic growth in a low carbon world. It envisages doing so through the identification and focus on three essential main strands. These strands include how economic prosperity will be maintained, what measures will be introduced to reduce carbon emissions and the determination of a longer-term transport strategy from 2014 onwards.
    
There is a supposition that there are no viable transportation options other than ‘rich and dirty’ or ‘clean and poor’. The ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System’ publication refutes that supposition by stating that, with sound planning, there is no reason why the UK should be economically disadvantaged and insists that a ‘rich and clean’ objective is realistic.
    
Many of the findings and recommendations contained within two significant government publications, the HM Treasury’s ‘Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change’, ‘Eddington Transport Study: The case for action’ are inextricably linked to the ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System’ publication. Both advise the government on the role that transport has in sustaining the UK’s productivity and competitiveness and make either direct or indirect reference to specific Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies, many of which are already deployed on the UK’s road network.
    
ITS is a combination of information technology and telecommunications and can be applied to road, rail, air and sea transport travel modes to improve efficiency, effectiveness and safety through the delivery of online information to all areas of public and private administration. Additional environmental beneficial effects can be realised from reduced air and noise pollution on highways and facilitation of traffic-free zones within cities.

The three main strands of a ‘sustainable transport economy’, referred to earlier, are themselves reinforced by five main goals, each of which gives details on how the DfT aims and objectives will be achieved. It is worth examining these individual goals in greater detail as they provide an insight into the DfT’s proposals and also indicate how ITS (UK) correlates its aims and objectives to their strategy.

• Goal 1 aims to maximise the competitiveness and efficiency of transport’s impact on the economy by maximising business and leisure travel options through a series of short-term expedients supplemented by mid and long-term technological assistance.
• Goal 2 acknowledges the effects and influences that climate change is having and sets out measures to address this keeping Stern’s aim of attaining a 60 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050 firmly in mind.
• Goal 3 describes how individuals’ safety and security will be assured by rigorous enforcement that undermines criminal and terrorist activity whilst healthy living will be promoted through incentives which will promote cycling and walking as viable transport modes.
• Goal 4 recognises the adverse and beneficial impacts of traffic and will capitalise on the merits and minimise the disadvantages to engender enhanced ‘quality of life’ benefits and encourage increased societal ‘well-being’ through improvements in work, living and travelling spaces.
• Goal 5 promotes greater equality of opportunity for socially disadvantaged and disabled travellers who may be adversely affected unless their needs are recognised and incorporated into future transport plans.

It can be readily identified from these goals that the DfT has set itself an ambitious programme. The ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System’ publication sets out how the government intends to achieve their aims. Stakeholder engagement is necessary to ensure that the overall programme, which appears to have adopted the recommendations in the Stern Report and Eddington Study in their entirety, will be effective from the outset.

As transport volumes continue to grow there will be an equivalent and exponential requirement to maintain traffic flows by introducing equivalent increases in technological support, particularly around the ‘pinch points’ in, around and between London, West Midlands and Manchester. Delivery of many of the objectives outlined in this publication will necessitate the widespread use of ITS technologies, many of which are familiar to ITS professionals; understandably there is a keen interest in how these objectives will be implemented.
    
The implications of the ‘Towards a Sustainable Transport System’ publication are far-reaching therefore DfT intends to collate and consolidate a wide range of opinions through formal consultation conducted during the forthcoming summer. ITS United Kingdom takes the lead on how to promote the wide array of ITS technologies aimed at encouraging travellers to adopt alternative and more ‘intelligent’ travel options. Founded in 1992, following government research into potential market opportunities on how to apply the latest transport information and telecommunications technologies to road network management, ITS (UK) acts as a central reference point on ITS to aid informed and balanced debate and influence relevant policies. Consequently ITS (UK) considers itself uniquely placed to comment authoritatively on matters relating to sustainable mobility in addition to other similarly essential key requirements. As ‘carbon footprints’ are increasingly integrated into individual, corporate and national transport plans, ITS (UK) is keen to ensure that sustainable mobility remains fundamental to future planning with the correct application of relevant technologies proactively promoted on every occasion.

Neal Skelton
As Head of Professional Services at ITS (UK), Neal is responsible for providing the technical expertise needed to fulfil ITS (UK)’s aims to increase the take-up of ITS solutions within the UK, and promote UK ITS capability abroad. In addition, Neal is a Director of ESVA (European Secure Vehicle Alliance) and innovITS (ITS Centre of Excellence) and until recently was the current interim-Chairman.