ITS benefits need to be better explained to the public

Nine out of ten of ITS (UK) members believe that more needs to be done to explain the benefits of ITS to the public. Respondents to a survey said that raising awareness would help sell the case to decision makers to fund technology rather than infrastructure solutions. However, participants were divided in their views on the understanding of, and support for, ITS from national and local government: 56% agreed or strongly agreed that government is supporting transport technology transport technology, while
May 1, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Nine out of ten of ITS (UK) members believe that more needs to be done to explain the benefits of ITS to the public. Respondents to a survey said that raising awareness would help sell the case to decision makers to fund technology rather than infrastructure solutions.

However, participants were divided in their views on the understanding of, and support for, ITS from national and local government: 56% agreed or strongly agreed that government is supporting transport technology transport technology, while nearly 40% either disagreed or were undecided. In addition, many believe that the main government focus is on future autonomous technologies and not solutions today.

Respondents’ suggestions on the biggest change to ITS over the next 12 months included Mobility as a Service solutions such as fare data in journey planning, benefits of connected vehicles and Internet of Things and a focus on the environmental benefits derived from transport technology.

Jennie Martin, ITS (UK) secretary general, said: “The industry has always been very committed to collaborating with each other and sharing best practice, but this survey suggests there is an expectation for us to provide information about ITS and their benefits to the wider public. We have started to deliver relevant messages to the travelling public about how ITS makes a daily difference to their lives but know that much more needs to be done and we will work with our members to formulate our plan.”

UTC

Related Content

  • February 6, 2018
    UK ITS professionals doubt driverless car timescales
    Only one member of ITS (UK) thinks that level five driverless cars will be on the country’s roads by 2021, as suggested by chancellor Philip Hammond in the autumn budget. The results showed a near 50/50 split between those who expect fully driverless cars to be available within 15 years and those who think it will take longer to become widespread.
    Read More
  • April 16, 2018
    MaaS is at the ‘baby steps’ stage – but needs to get up and running soon
    Data sharing between organisations remains a potential problem for Mobility as a Service projects, attendees at February's MaaS Market conference in London were told. Alan Dron listens in on the presentations.
    Read More
  • October 28, 2019
    ARTBA president: what happened to the hoverboards?
    What keeps Dave Bauer up at night? David Arminas caught up with the head of ARTBA at his Washington, DC office during daylight hours Dave Bauer doesn’t really have many sleepless nights. He might sleep, though, with one eye open, just in case. “We have become a much more divided country politically,” says Bauer, president of ARTBA – American Road and Transportation Builders Association. “Whether you are thinking about federal government, or state or local government, there’s a hostility now in our politi
    Read More
  • June 8, 2015
    ITS benefits escape public
    John Kendall considers the public’s awareness of the benefits of ITS. While the results of developing ITS technology may be clear to readers of ITS International, there is far less evidence that drivers have any appreciation of what the technology is doing for them. So how aware are drivers of the developments that are designed to make their journeys less congested and safer?
    Read More

Highlighted Content