Skip to main content

TomTom partners with UN-Habitat

TomTom has announced a partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. TomTom’s global Traffic Index data will be used by UN-Habitat and its stakeholders around the world to make strategic decisions when tackling urban congestion. Recently TomTom released the sixth edition of its Traffic Index which revealed a clear pattern of increased congestion. Commuters around the world are spending on average eight working days stuck in traffic. This shows that traditional responses li
November 29, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
1692 TomTom has announced a partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. TomTom’s global Traffic Index data will be used by UN-Habitat and its stakeholders around the world to make strategic decisions when tackling urban congestion.
 
Recently TomTom released the sixth edition of its Traffic Index which revealed a clear pattern of increased congestion. Commuters around the world are spending on average eight working days stuck in traffic. This shows that traditional responses like building new roads or widening existing ones are no longer an effective way of managing urban congestion.

“Urban areas are growing fast; they are now home to half of the world’s population and are predicted to reach 6 billion by 2050. How we plan and manage our cities in terms of basic services, mobility or connectivity is going to be essential to ensure better cities. TomTom’s data will give us vital insight, providing a more accurate analysis of urban traffic congestion. This will help policy makers and local governments develop sustainable, workable and lasting urban solutions,” said Dr Joan Clos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director.
 
“TomTom is committed to investing in new ideas and technologies with the aim of bringing significant benefits to drivers, businesses and society as a whole. This partnership will help urban planners and government stakeholders make more informed decisions to tackle urban congestion,” added Harold Goddijn, CEO of TomTom International.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Learning from informal transit networks
    March 30, 2021
    When it comes to public transportation, the Minority World could take lessons in equity from the mobility infrastructure of emerging market cities, says Devin de Vries of WhereIsMyTransport
  • Intel and Inrix collaborate on smart cities platforms
    November 5, 2014
    Inrix and Intel Corporation have announced a strategic collaboration focused on developing next generation smart cities analytics platforms and applications. As part of their collaboration, Intel’s global investment organisation, Intel Capital, is investing US$10 million in Inrix. The two companies recently demonstrated a smart cities application at the White House in Washington, DC. Powered by Inrix real-time traffic information, the application is designed to help the city of San Jose more cost-effect
  • Smart Cities put people, prudence and businesses before technology
    December 4, 2014
    Caroline Haynes tells ITS International that transport planners and equipment suppliers need to adopt different thinking and the smartest cities don’t call themselves smart. The term Smart Cities has been around for some time and has become something of a catch-all term applied to novel or futuristic technology deployed in an urban setting.
  • The search for travel management's Holy Grail
    October 10, 2018
    Combining accurate network estimates and forecasts with real-time information is the way to deal with traffic hot spots. Alan Dron looks at products which aim to achieve just that. Traffic management authorities have for years been trying to get ahead of the game. Instead of reacting to situations, they want to be able to head them off as they occur – or even before they happen. Finding that Holy Grail of successfully anticipating problems will save time, tension and tempers on city streets. Two new system