Transportation industry challenged by urban congestion, says IBTTA president

Road congestion and lack of infrastructure funding are among the main issues facing the transportation industry, according to the new president of the IBTTA. Chris Tomlinson, who is also interim executive director of the newly created Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, suggested an absence of technological standards, particularly in the US, is also a potential problem. But along with “continued increases in congestion in our urban areas”, he points to opportunities. “We can see a convergence of t
January 8, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Road congestion and lack of infrastructure funding are among the main issues facing the transportation industry, according to the new president of the 63 IBTTA.

Chris Tomlinson, who is also interim executive director of the newly created Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, suggested an absence of technological standards, particularly in the US, is also a potential problem.

But along with “continued increases in congestion in our urban areas”, he points to opportunities. “We can see a convergence of technological advancements in the areas of connected and autonomous vehicles; exponential growth in the areas of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications; [and] a resurgence and renewed focus on the role transit will play in meeting our urban mobility needs.”

In the US, he believes the upcoming federal transportation reauthorisation bill will also provide opportunities for the sector. Using the theme of ‘driving the future of mobility’, Tomlinson wants IBTTA to play a more active role “as opposed to the more passive role of ‘passenger’ that merely observes and reacts to these trends”.

Tomlinson is also executive director of the State Road and Tollway Authority and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

Charging, Tolling & RUC

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Developments in toll interoperability
    July 16, 2012
    The North Carolina Turnpike Authority's JJ Eden talks about developments within the Alliance for Toll Interoperability. The Alliance for Toll Interoperability grew out of the US State of North Carolina's moves to introduce modern, Open Road Tolling (ORT) and the identification of revenue 'holes' when it came to out-of-state customers. Initially, the Alliance looked to achieve some form of common ground when it came to the use of transponders used by different agencies but alighted on video-based tolling as
    Read More
  • The case for tolling the Interstates
    April 20, 2012
    Speaking at an event organised by the IBTTA last week to an audience of federal and state transportation officials, policy experts, financial analysts, and representatives from engineering firms, technology companies, and transportation facility operators, Ed Regan of Wilbur Smith Associates articulated a clear case for giving states flexibility to toll existing interstate highways.
    Read More
  • New Mersey crossing ends Halton’s congestion misery
    December 5, 2017
    Plagued by intolerable congestion but denied government funding for its solution, tiny Halton Borough Council relentlessly pursued its vision and achieved what many believed impossible. Halton may be a small local authority in north west England, but it had a big traffic problem. However, as the road, or more particularly the bridge, involved was not deemed a strategic route, central government would not commission or even fund a solution - a problem that many other local authorities will recognise.
    Read More
  • How Covid has impacted transportation
    May 2, 2022
    How have Covid-induced changes in transportation impacted health? And how can transport companies mitigate these effects? Soheil Sohrabi of S-Plus-M and Texas A&M University explains
    Read More

Highlighted Content