www.easyway-its.eu

European best practices on interurban traffic managementTrends in traffic management

Henk Jan de Haan M sc. c.e. 16 June,Valencia

Introduction

Traffic Management Expert Group• Advices the EasyWay Steering Group• Identifies candidates for new European services• Discusses with ITS stakeholders priorities and solutions for ITS

services• Collects and disseminates activities/information – e.g. best practices

TMeg has a clear view on the developments and deployment of Traffic Management measures in Europe

Best practices during the last years (since 2001) can best be illustrated in the light of major trends from those years

Introduction

Important trends in the field of traffic management are:• More Service oriented and really considering the needs of the end-user• More cooperation between different road authorities• Business case justification• Environmental aspects become more important• Freight and Logistics become more important• Informing and rewarding in addition to control and punishment • More effective use of the infrastructure• Use of advanced technologies (in-car dynamic route planners, ANPR,

TM-info in-car, Behavioral science)

Most trends result from changes in policies and strategies

More Service oriented and really considering the needs of the end-user

Examples

• The EasyWay approach aiming at European core services• Many mobility management measures around major road works• Seamless travel• Much more emphasis on informing and rewarding in addition to control

and punishment

More cooperation between different road authorities

ExamplesUrban and interurban traffic management

• Spain: speed control system Barcelona• NL: integrated ramp metering Amsterdam• Hessen: Intermodal Strategy Management• Many Cross-border Traffic Management Plans

Uniform and collective data collection• Germany: Metaplatform• France: Central database• NL: National Datawarehouse

Co-modality• Websites with travel information on both roads and public transport

(door-to-door)• Park & Ride services

LOOPS

VMS

Business case justification

ExamplesCost / benefit analyses of measures:

• Benefits deduced from vehicle loss houres• Benefits deduced from CO2 reductions

Concrete actions:• Road works mainly during the night (22:00 – 6:00 hrs)• Strong penalties for delays• Improved Incident Management (time is money)

Environmental aspects become more important

ExamplesStatic and dynamic speed control based on

emission levels• Switzerland: Emission levels too high, lower

speed limit• NL: 80 km/h zones – trajectory control for

enforcement• Belgium: Emission levels too high: 90 km/h

Restrictions• Trucks with low euronorm not allowed in city

centres (Environmental zones)

Freight and Logistics becomes more important

ExamplesFreight and Logistics:

• Intelligent Truck Parking• Ferry Data Pool• Dynamic Overtaking Prohibition for Trucks• Weight-in-motion systems• In-car safety systems• Environmental aspects (EuroNorms)

Informing and rewarding in addition to control and punishment

ExamplesCreate awareness, properly inform the road user

• France: TOTEM – speed control without fines• UK: Education – information website HGV • General: Large road works are accompanied with

many mobility management measures and good information to the public

• ETTIN

Rewarding• NL: Congestion avoiding

More effective use of existing infrastructure

ExamplesTraffic Management measures:

• VMS for re-routing• Ramp metering• Peak hour lanes• Use of hard shoulders• Incident management• Dynamic Speed limits• Dynamic Overtaking Prohibition of Trucks• Etc.

Use of advanced technologies

ExamplesIn-car devices:

• Dynamic Navigation• COOPERS: Traffic Management info in-car

Monitoring:• Many applications of license plate recognition

Multi-disciplinary approaches:• Behavioral sciences• Marketing aspects

Conclusions

The policies have changed strongly in favour of more and better services to the end-user

By this the technological approach has moved strongly to a multi-disciplinary approach

Cost/benefit has become much more important (economical, but also from user needs and environmental)

All this towards a much more efficient use of the infrastructure, but also an infrastructure that is much more sensitive to incidents

Thank you for listening!