Skip to main content

Asia Pacific dignitaries to see connected vehicle showcases at ITS World Congress

ITS Japan will use advances in the country’s ITS capabilities since it last hosted the event in 2004 as the basis of several showcases and sessions the forthcoming World Congress (Tokyo 14 – 18 October), the association’s president Hajime Amano told ITS International.
June 14, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
ITS Japan's president Hajime Amano
%$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 9782 0 oLinkInternal <span class="oLinkInternal"><span class="oLinkInternal">RSS</span></span> Events (Diary) false /rss/events/ true false%>556 ITS Japan will use advances in the country’s ITS capabilities since it last hosted the event in 2004 as the basis of several showcases and sessions the forthcoming World Congress (Tokyo 14 – 18 October), the association’s president Hajime Amano told ITS International.

Two years ago Japan deployed a connected vehicle infrastructure and is in the second phase of testing connected vehicle systems and these will form the basis for a number of showcases and sessions. One idea heading for a trial is differentiated tolling by route rather than simply on distance and will reference the start and end point of the journey and apply a lower charge for drivers selecting a longer but less congested route.

“Simply charging by distance means people will tend to take the shortest route even if it is the most congested,” Amano said.

The country’s drivers are quick to adopt ITS technology and 90% of vehicles travelling on Japan’s toll roads are fitted with electronic tolling while half of all vehicles have satnav with live traffic overlays.

The Congress will cover a range of automated and connected vehicle technologies such as driver assistance systems and include demonstrations and discussions with vehicle manufacturers. “Here in Japan we have major concerns about the mobility of our rapidly ageing population and we are looking for systems tailored to the needs of elderly drivers,” he said, adding that ageing drivers is a world-wide problem.  

Another area that will be explored at length is ‘Big Data’ with a look at the opportunities it offers in terms of personal mobility and policy performance measurement. Presenters from both the public and private sectors are expected.  

A large number of delegates are expected from the wider Asia Pacific region including a number of ministers, vice ministers and high ranking public officials. Traffic problems in these regions are well known both in terms of congestion and road traffic casualties. “These countries are willing to invest in infrastructure so Congress represents a good opportunity for commercial companies,” suggests Amano.  

Speakers and sessions are still being confirmed and regular updates are being posted on %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.itsworldcongress.jp www.itsworldcongress.jp false http://www.itsworldcongress.jp/ false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • MaaS Market London: Top names debate local authorities’ digital dilemma
    January 16, 2019
    Key players in the transport sector will debate the challenges faced by local authorities worldwide from new digitised platforms such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in a dedicated session at ITS International’s 2019 MaaS Market Conference in London this March. Taxi-hailing apps have already demonstrated the disruptive nature of new digitised transport services. As a result, some local authorities have struggled to retain control over issues such as traffic management and the vetting of taxi drivers and
  • 2015 Polis Conference debates urban mobility in making the city smarter
    November 20, 2015
    At the 2015 Polis conference, taking place in Brussels this week, 400 mobility professionals from across Europe and beyond have come together to debate urban and regional mobility. European Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, Commissioner for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness said at the conference's opening plenary session on "Smart Cities. What's in a name? Talented people want to work in smart sustainable cities. Polis is a crucial network in helping cities to share and to get access to know-ho
  • TfL describes reports of closer ties with Uber as ‘nonsense’
    December 14, 2018
    Transport for London (TfL) has described claims that it is deepening its relationship with Uber as ‘nonsense’. Media reports suggested that London’s transit authority might be going to offer customers access to public transport services via the ride-hailing firm's app. The Financial Times reported that Uber is attempting to add TfL's data about tube and bus timetables into the app. But a spokesperson from TfL told ITS International that the only thing it is putting out is open data – and does no
  • Impact of new European Directive on toll concessions: ASECAP conference
    February 5, 2015
    ASECAP, the European association of operators of toll road infrastructures is organising a high level conference to analyse the impact of the new European Directive on the award of concession contracts across Europe, focusing specifically on the transport sector. The conference, whose theme is Concession model, an efficient tool to foster growth across Europe: how to build a level-playing field to attract private investors, will be held on 30 March 2015 from 1030 to 1630 at the European Economic and Soc