Skip to main content

Resilient transport networks: top 10 features

Summary from European ITS groups highlights sensing, monitoring and real-time modelling
By Adam Hill June 11, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
Transport network resilience: ITS recommendations (© Stepanov Sergei | Dreamstime.com)

ITS associations across Europe have identified 10 features which are required in resilient transport networks.

A new paper summarises the findings of a series of webinars operated by the ITS Societies of the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Ireland, Czech Republic and Romania.  

It advises transport operators what is required to deliver a resilient network, including ensuring enough capacity, having full and reliable connectivity and being fully interoperable - and also explains what ITS can deliver to enable solutions.
 
It suggests control systems, monitoring, access controls and demand management - and incident and hazard management - can be used to ensure sufficient capacity, while connected ITS solutions such as sensing and monitoring, real-time modelling and open data principles improve quality monitoring, intervention, prediction and planning.

Cybercrime, multimodal travel, disaster recovery and road safety are also examined in the report.
  
“This is an unprecedented piece of international work,” said Jennie Martin, secretary general of ITS (UK).  

"Coming together online with our friends from across Europe, and discussing issues with their members, we have come up with a very strong series of recommendations on how to use the excellent technology our industry has invented to solve problems of the future."
 
Contributions came from the Cities Forum, Ertico, IFSTTAR, ISG Systems, Lagan, Logma Consulting, Simplifai Systems Limited, Telenavis, Triple Sign System and the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
 
The group suggested follow-on activities such as guidance for building resilience into procurement and looking at resilience in communications systems.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • European tunnel safety steps up a gear
    September 19, 2017
    David Crawford reviews the latest safety systems installed in European tunnels. Blueprints for the safer road tunnels of the future are emerging fast as European operators invest in technologies to enhance travellers’ prospects of surviving an accident. Central to modern emergency planning is the principle that, following an incident, drivers should be enabled to rescue themselves and their passengers with the aid of prompt and correct identification and communication of the hazard. Roles for cooperativ
  • Here’s why WiM is value for money
    January 23, 2025
    Weigh in Motion systems are not new. What is new is their ability to collect more data and – importantly – more accurate data about axle loading and vehicle weight. Despite the obvious benefits, including safer highways and possibility of automated legal weight enforcement, obstacles remain for faster uptake. David Arminas reports on the manufacturers’ perspective…
  • Navigating a path towards greater safety
    May 31, 2013
    Eric Sampson takes a look at why the European Union’s eCall system is taking rather longer to arrive than it should. There’s an old story about the person who asked an Irishman for directions and after much thought he responded: “If you’re going there from here it would be better to start from somewhere else.” This came to mind when I was recently reflecting on eCall and wondering when it will come - some stakeholders say the answer is never. So despite years of workshops and discussions, eCall is still not
  • Harmonisation of Europe's ITS deployment still unbalanced
    January 31, 2012
    Dean Herenda, Chairman of the EasyWay project, talks about the progress made and the progress still to be made in harmonising ITS deployment across the European Union. "The deployment and use of ITS in road transport across Europe was and still is unbalanced" Although Europe can be proud of being home to some of the world's most advanced ITS solutions, the relative disparities between Member States of the European Union (EU) in terms of the extent and technological sophistication of deployments actually sta