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

  • TRL acquires TTR
    April 15, 2014
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has announced its acquisition of Transport & Travel Research Limited (TTR), making it a wholly owned subsidiary of TRL. TRL has been a minority shareholder in TTR since 2010, building a close and successful partnership between the two companies. TTR will continue to operate as an independent organisation. TTR’s chairman, David Blackledge has stepped down from the board to take on a role as Special Advisor, while TRL's chief executive, Rob Wallis, is appointed
  • Bringing the Internet of Mobility to life
    July 16, 2021
    As we chart our route to the ITS World Congress in Hamburg, a recent Ertico-ITS Europe webinar explored the future of connectivity including policy, infrastructure and security
  • UN vehicle regulations ‘could prevent deaths and injuries in Brazil’
    November 17, 2015
    A new research report from the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has revealed that 34,000 Brazilian lives could be saved and 350,000 serious injuries prevented by 2030, if UN vehicle safety regulations were adopted and car manufacturers sought to achieve higher ratings in the Latin NCAP crash test programme. Published on the eve of the second High Level Conference on Road Safety in Brazil, the independent study, which was commissioned by Global NCAP, highlights the gap between the regulated vehicl
  • Autonomous driving – what can we really expect?
    June 6, 2016
    Dave Marples of Technolution BV looks beyond the hype to the practical implementation of autonomous vehicles. Having looked at the development of this sector for some time, I am concerned about the current state of autonomous driving development as engineering (and marketing) have run way ahead of the wider systemic, and legislative, requirements to support an autonomous future.