Skip to main content

NODES toolbox ‘offers keys to better transport interchanges’

The three-year NODES (New Tools for the Design and Operation of Urban Transport Interchanges) project has came to a close and the project findings are said to offer transport practitioners practical steps to build better interchanges. Co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme and co-ordinated by International Association of Public Transport (UITP), NODES brings together 17 partners representing local government administrations, public transport operators, as well as research centres and European assoc
September 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The three-year NODES (New Tools for the Design and Operation of Urban Transport Interchanges) project has came to a close and the project findings are said to offer transport practitioners practical steps to build better interchanges.

Co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme and co-ordinated by 3833 International Association of Public Transport (UITP), NODES brings together 17 partners representing local government administrations, public transport operators, as well as research centres and European associations.

Interchanges play a key role in the integration of urban mobility systems and allowing smooth connections between different transport modes. The key achievements of the NODES project were the development of a toolbox to help practitioners assess and benchmark the performance of their interchange as well as to take practical steps to increase performance. The Toolbox focuses on five key areas: land use and infrastructure; design; intermodality and ICT; management and business models; and energy and environment.           

In practical terms, practitioners can more easily identify the design needs and facility requirements in an interchange thanks to the Typology Diagrammatic Representation tool. Another tool includes practical steps that can be taken to improve the experience of users in an interchange (the ‘station experience monitor), developed by Nederlandse Spoorwegen and tested in nine NODES test sites.

The aim of the research project was to help European cities in the design or operation of new or upgraded interchanges in order to boost user satisfaction. The Toolbox was tested in real conditions in nine European sites, all of which were undergoing substantial development and upgrading: Reading, Birmingham, Rouen, Toulouse, Osnabrück, Budapest, Rome, Thessaloniki, and Rotterdam, Utrecht and ‘s-Hertogenbosch (as one site).
   
UITP Secretary General Alain Flausch said: “By providing practical steps to improve stations, the NODES project makes an essential contribution towards a more enjoyable public transport experience”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tolling is the 21st century’s road funding solution
    June 5, 2015
    HNTB’s Rick Herrington and Brad Guilmino put the case for tolling. Tolling is becoming the 21st century solution of choice for generating additional user-based transportation revenue. The proven funding source is being seriously considered for expanded use by cities, states and even the federal government with support from elected officials across the political spectrum. In fact, with each federal transportation reauthorisation, tolling restrictions have been relaxed.
  • Vaisala: Weather data is vital for connected vehicles
    August 26, 2016
    Vaisala’s Dr Kevin Petty explains why the weather will continue to play a big part in road safety and traffic management in the smart cities of the future. The world is becoming increasingly connected. Thanks to advances in information and communications technology, the cities we live in are becoming ‘smart’, with everything from education to law enforcement managed by integrated tech solutions in a bid to improve quality of life.
  • UK government funding package benefits plug-in vehicle drivers
    February 21, 2013
    UK drivers with plug-in vehicles are set to benefit from a US$57.3 million funding package for home and on-street charging and for new charge points for people parking plug-in vehicles at railway stations. The coalition government will provide 75 per cent of the cost of installing new charge points. This can be claimed by: people installing charge points where they live; local authorities installing rapid charge points to facilitate longer journeys, or providing on-street charging on request from residents
  • Do satellites provide a heavenly view of tolling’s future?
    December 16, 2014
    Satellite-based tolling opens up new options for authorities and can be integrated with DSRC systems as David Crawford discovers. As the proud custodian of the European Union (EU)’s longest road network covered by a single (truck) charging scheme – and the only one to include all major roads - Slovakia has become the continent’s poster-nation for the virtues of GNSS/CN (Global Navigation Satellite System/Cellular Network)-based tolling. It is also proved to be a very fast implementer. Speaking at the 2014 I