Skip to main content

TRL at work in Beijing

Dr Alan Stevens, chief scientist and research director at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), has been working in Beijing on an ITS project to develop a strategy to improve safety on the motorways of China, using cooperative ITS as an addition to more traditional safety improvements. It is also expected that this will lead to improvements in capacity and environmental sustainability.
April 7, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Dr Alan Stevens, chief scientist and research director at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL), has been working in Beijing on an ITS project to develop a strategy to improve safety on the motorways of China, using cooperative ITS as an addition to more traditional safety improvements.  It is also expected that this will lead to improvements in capacity and environmental sustainability.

Cooperative ITS is as much about organisations cooperating together, as well as cooperation between vehicles and between vehicles and the roadside.  To this end, Alan and his colleague Peter Vermaat have been meeting  key stakeholders such as communications providers, automotive industry, mapping providers, road operators and the Ministry of Transport to discuss their views, capabilities, interests and constraints which could affect what cooperative systems are deployed and how that might take place.

TRL has growing links with China and in February opened a state-of-the-art testing facility based in Guangzhou’s Science City development, designed in conjunction with Inspection, Quarantine, Technology Centre (IQTC). This impact test rig is fitted with the latest technology including the required instrumentation to test to regulation R44 and the new China ‘CCC’ child restraint regulations.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK smart mobility living lab launched in London
    February 19, 2016
    UK transport consultancy, the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), has launched the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich; a real-life environment where connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), services and processes can be safely developed, evaluated and integrated within the local community. Based in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London and supported by UK government, the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich helps organisations bring solutions to market faster by enabling them to be trialled a
  • Semi-autonomous hybrid vehicle trials show fuel, emission savings
    July 16, 2012
    The Transport Research Laboratory has unveiled an innovative semi-autonomous vehicle prototype. It offers improves in environmental performance and safety but also displays some shortcomings. Mike Woof reports. The UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has been working on an innovative project to develop a prototype vehicle intended to reduce fuel consumption. Based on a Ford Escape hybrid model, TRL's Sentience vehicle uses a combination of mobile communications and mapping technologies to reduce fuel c
  • ITS Australia announces Max Lay award winner
    October 8, 2020
    Dr Peter Sweatman receives lifetime achievement recognition for his transport career
  • The effectiveness of roads policing
    March 6, 2015
    The Joint Roads Policing Unit of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary in the UK commissioned the Transport Research laboratory (TRL) to evaluate the effectiveness of their roads policing strategy in terms of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road collisions. The focus was on the fatal four causes of collisions: speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt and drivers using mobile phones. TRL carried out a detailed literature review, in-depth review and analysis of