Skip to main content

ITS can reduce Bangkok’s congestion, improve safety

A new research report produced by the GSMA, Building Digital Societies in Asia: Making Transportation Smarter, indicates that the successful implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in Thailand’s capital could reduce travel times, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and road accidents, driving social and economic benefits of up to US$1 billion per year. In addition, the case study on Bangkok’s transportation indicated that ITS can also potentially result in long-term positive changes in commuter hab
August 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A new research report produced by the 2246 GSMA, Building Digital Societies in Asia: Making Transportation Smarter, indicates that the successful implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in Thailand’s capital could reduce travel times, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and road accidents, driving social and economic benefits of up to US$1 billion per year. In addition, the case study on Bangkok’s transportation indicated that ITS can also potentially result in long-term positive changes in commuter habits and encourage citizens to use safe and environmentally friendly ways of commuting.

“There is a growing recognition of the significant benefits ITS can have on the environment, in improving productivity, safety and overall quality of life,” said Chris Zull, the GSMA’s spectrum director for Asia. “ITS solutions have been successfully implemented around the world, particularly in developed countries, to address major transportation challenges. As mobile connectivity rates in Asia rise exponentially, dense metropolitan centres like Bangkok have a real opportunity to dramatically improve traffic flow, increase productivity, reduce vehicular pollution and even save lives.”

ITS solutions integrate communication and information technology applications into the management and operation of transportation systems across all modes of transport. ITS applications range from traveller information and traffic management solutions to transport pricing and payment systems, as well as pedestrian and vehicle safety applications. In a typical ITS solution, data collected from vehicles, infrastructure or users is aggregated, analysed and then delivered back to them, allowing for better informed and more timely commute decisions.

Increasing urbanisation around the world is putting more stress on city planners to make transportation infrastructure more efficient and safer. As the world becomes increasingly connected, advanced applications such as ITS provide innovative solutions to better manage traffic and enable users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and ‘smarter’ use of transport networks.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • V2X: The design challenges
    May 2, 2018
    The connected future throws up a number of enticing possibilities for us all. But, says Houman Zarrinkoub of MathWorks, issues around visualisation, prototyping and model evolution need to be examined carefully. We are all aware of the huge amount of investment going into driverless car technologies. With the likes of Volvo, Tesla and BMW getting in on the act, soon they will be a common sight on our roads. However, for this to occur, the vehicles must be able to connect with each other and ensure driver
  • US infrastructure: once in a lifetime
    April 23, 2021
    Expectations are sky-high for Amtrak Joe and Mayor Pete as they use infrastructure spending to rebuild the US economy post-Covid – and ITS firms should be able to get a share...
  • Reducing climate impacts starts at the intersection, says Inrix
    September 11, 2023
    The tools to identify and reduce unnecessary delays at intersections are here – and traffic signal performance improvement is also eligible for US government funding, points out Rick Schuman of Inrix
  • Observing driver behaviour in real traffic condition
    March 16, 2016
    The EU’s UDRIVE project will investigate driver behaviour in terms of road safety and the decarbonisation of road transport, as Nicole van Nes and Silvia Curbelo explain. There were nearly 25,700 fatalities on European Union (EU) roads in 2014 or, to look it another way, roughly 70 people are killed in traffic accidents on European roads every day - and many more are injured. Around 22% of the fatalities are pedestrians, 15% will be motorcycle riders and 8% cyclists. So despite the improvements in road safe