THIN KING

HIG HW AYS
EUROPE/REST of the WORLD EDITION
Volume 2 • Issue 3 • Q3/2007

LINKING HIGHWAYS
CVIS reaches the parts other
projects cannot reach

WATCHING THE DETECTORS

CCTV for ITS comes under the scrutiny
of Bruce Abernethy and Vibeke Ulmann

WIRED EARTH
Jack Opiola and Tony Ioannidis
on the digital transport Gaia

ADVANCING SLOWLY
Phil Tarnoff’s dismay at the public
sector’s technology take-up

PLUS: CVHS • Weigh in Motion • Tolling & Customer

Management • EU Finance & Funding • Brazil • Australia •
South Africa • China • POLIS • EUROCITIES • David Pearson •
Joaquin Cosmen Schortmann
the

INTELLIGENT
Advanced transportation management
policy • strategy • technology
finance • innovation • implementation
choice integration • interoperability
 
 
   
      
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“I’d love to tell you
Kevin Borras is
publishing director
of H3B Media and
about it, but...”
editor-in-chief of A last-minute development sees Thinking Highways
Thinking Highways
Europe/Rest of the sworn to secrecy - not, perhaps, our strongest suit
World and North
America editions. I’d written, I had been told,
my most interesting
foreword yet. Largely, I
suspected, because it didn’t
mention music, football or
indeed myself. Not even
once. Then an email arrived.
“You can’t talk about it yet, so
hold fire for a month or two,
OK?” was the gist of the
missive. The jaunty “OK?”
wasn’t really a question at all,
more of a polite way of ending
an instruction. Suffice it to say,
it was something very exciting
and groundbreaking and
involves a fair few world-
renowned industry people, a
huge organisation, several
months work and a potentially
remarkable end-product.
And that’s all I can say about
it, which would understand-
ably prompt the question “then
why tell us at all?” Well, it’s
simple. It’s such a big project
for us to be involved with that
we had to kind of tell you. Short
of running into the street
shouting “you’re never going
to guess what we’ve just been
asked to do?”which would
certainly turn a few heads in
Onslow Gardens where the
most interesting thing that ever
Editor-in-Chief
Ulmann, Paul Vorster, Bruce Willoughby,
Kevin Borras
Daniel Zacarias
Sales and Marketing
Luis Hill, Tim Guest Visualisation
Design and Layout Tom Waldschmidt (tom@h3bmedia.com)
Phoebe Bentley, Kevin Borras
Guest Designers Conferences and Events
Buro de Change (pages 48-55) Odile Pignier (odile@h3bmedia.com)
Sub-Editor and Proofreader
Subscriptions and Circulation
Maria Vasconcelos
Contributing Editors
Pilarin Harvey-Granell
Bruce Abernethy, Richard Bishop, Andrew Website
Pickford, Phil Sayeg, Phil Tarnoff, Darryll Code Liquid
Thomas, Harold Worrall, Amy Zuckerman
Financial Director
Contributors to this issue Martin Brookstein
Bruce Abernethy, Michael Aherne,
Mariana Andrade, Barbara Bernardi, Phil
Charles, Robert Cone, Joaquin Cosmen
EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING
H3B Media Ltd, 15 Onslow Gardens,
Schortmann, Richard Harris, Tony Wallington, Surrey SM6 9QL, UK
Ioannidis, Zeljko Jeftic, Paul Kompfner, Tel +44 (0)870 919 3770
Jack Opiola, David Pearson, Margaret Fax +44 (0)870 919 3771
Pettit, Vic Phanumphai, Ondrej Pribyl,
Andreas Schmid, Phil Tarnoff, Vibeke
Email info@h3bmedia.com
www.h3bmedia.com
Foreword Thinking
happens around here is the excited about it.
daily sighting of a chap that One new development that
dresses like Elvis (fat, Vegas we can talk about is our
Elvis at that) this is the closest collaboration with Intertraffic
we can get, for now, to a on a series of Think Tanks to
trumpet-blowing press take place during their
release. By the time our Q4 Amsterdam show in April. It’s
issue comes out in December the first time that Intertraffic
I’ll be able to be a lot less have worked on something
cryptic. Trust me, this is going like this with a publisher so we
to be huge. We have, though, are really pleased that we
came to such an agreement so
“Our first issue quickly.
Think Tanks looking at
saw the light of Cooperative Vehicles (with
day in October ERTICO), Satellite Technology
in the Road Transport Sector
2006 and we (with the IRF-BPC), Transport’s
weren’t sure Effects on the Climate and
European Road Pricing
what you would Initiatives will be spread
make of it” across all four days of the bi-
annual traffic-fest and, just like
come a long way in a year. our UK Road Pricing Think
October 2006 saw our first Tank in the UK in November
issue see the light of day and and our Climate Change Think
we weren’t overly sure what Tank in Massachussets in May,
you would make of it. Twelve technology is sharing equal
months down the line and we billing with policy, politics,
have an announcement to interoperability, finance,
make about our involvement in funding and public
a project that is so far-reaching acceptance.
that some very senior and And I’d love to tell you who
vastly experienced European we are interviewing in the
transport officials are visibly December issue... TH
Thinking Highways is published by H3B Media Ltd.
ISSN 1753-433X
Thinking Highways is published quarterly in two editions – North America and
Europe/Rest of the World - and is available on subscription at £30/€40 (Europe/RoW) and
US$60 (North America). Distributed in the USA by DSW 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville,
PA 17318-0437 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address
changes to Thinking Highways, 401 S W Water Street, Suite 201B, Peoria, Illinois 61602, USA.
Managing Director Although due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate
Luis Hill and up-to-date, the publisher can accept no liability for errors and omissions. Unless otherwise
stated, this publication has not tested products or services that are described herein, and
luis@h3bmedia.com their inclusion does not imply any form of endorsement. By accepting advertisements in this
publication, the publisher does not warrant their accuracy, nor accept responsibility for their
contents. The publisher welcomes unsolicited manuscripts and illustrations but can accept no
Publishing Director liability for their safe return.
Kevin Borras © 2007 H3B Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
kevin@h3bmedia.com The views and opinions of the authors are not necessarily those of H3B Media Ltd.
Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any text, photograph or illustration contained in this
publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
www.h3bmedia.com Printed in the UK by Stones the Printers
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 1
Contents

COLUMNS SOUTH AFRICA

04 Eurocities’ Mobility Forum 42 Kevin Borras talks to ITS South Africa’s CEO
06 Prof Phil Charles’ Australian Update Dr Paul Vorster about the country’s plans for an
ITS Centre of Excellence
COVER STORY
10 Andreas Schmid, Paul Kompfner and Zeljko THINKING DIFFERENTLY
Jeftic discuss the widening remit and potential 48 Bruce Abernethy assesses the essential nuts
impact and applications of the CVIS project and bolts of CCTV for ITS in an eight-page
feature ‘imagined and constructed’ by
THE THINKER advertising agency Buro De Change
20 ITS guru Phil Tarnoff on the painfully slow
technology take-up by the public sector CCTV
agencies 56 Continuing on the theme of closed-circuit
television, Vibeke Ulmann focuses on the
BRAZIL English Highways Agency’s revolutionary plans
26 Daniel Zacarias looks at what ERTICO’s SIMBA
project is looking to achieve in Brazil THE FUTURE
62 The forward thinking Jack Opiola and Tony
EVENT PREVIEW Ioannidis have stunning visions of a digital
29 H3B Media’s 1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank transport Gaia

IN MY OPINION AUTOMOBILE SAFETY

38 Richard Harris and Robert Cone call for wider 70 When we received a letter saying “I’ve invented
debate as the CVIS, VII and ADAS bandwagons something that will save many thousands of
gather momentum lives and I want to tell the advanced
transport world about it” we felt duty bound
 D rg
on
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to let Bangkok-based traffic engineer

fu hw .h3
Vic Phanunphai do just that

tu ay bm
re s
THE THOUGHT PROCESS

is reg dia
74 Joaquin Cosmen Schortmann, Member of the

su is .
es te co
Executive Committee of the IRF-Brussels
Programme Centre

r m
AUSTRALIA
76 Transurban’s Bruce Willoughby guides us
smoothly through the company’s latest
innovative project, GLIDe

INTERVIEW
80 David Pearson, the new Chairman of innovITS p62
on what attracted him to ITS and what attracted
ITS to him CHINA
96 Mariana Andrade weighs up the impacts of
POLIS NETWORK the SIMBA project on China, host for the
84 Sustainable Urban Traffic Management as 14th World Congress on ITS
seen through the eyes of POLIS working group
leader Michael Aherne FINANCE AND FUNDING
102 Margaret Pettit’s EU roundup has an element
WEIGH IN MOTION of familiarity about it. In a good way
90 Dr Ondre Pribyl on WIM’s role in an ITS
environment 104 Advertisers’ Index
EUROCITIES’ Mobility Forum
Is this really the dawn of a new era of co-operation in
the cities? EUROCITIES are firm believers that it is...
Two weeks ahead of the
publication of the European
Commission Green Paper on
Urban Transport, the debate
centred on two of the
document’s major issues
has started again in
Brussels.
Stakeholders are currently
wondering at which point the
Commission’s document will
redress the intermodal
imbalance on one hand and on
the other address the need for
a comprehensive framework
which includes both
passenger and freight... or if
we specifically talk about
topics such as urban areas,
logistics and so on.
The old concept of
intermodality and the need for
favouring the more
environmental friendly mode
was the catalyst for a fight
between the representatives of
the various modes, all
concentrating on drafting a
ranking from the worst to the
best considering both
economic and environmental
performance. It went without
saying that the funding of one
infrastructure or operation
over another depends on the
political choice reflecting that
ranking. Last year, following
the Mid-Term Review of the
4 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
White Paper on Transport,
Commissioner Barrot bravely
put forward the new concept of
co-modality, which
revolutionised the old way of
contemplating the dichotomy
between modes and the type
of traffic flows. Co-modality
goes together with the
complexity of the cities’
planning of the recognition
that we are still facing
problems and obstacles that
result in an increased use of
the individual car for mid-
range commuters’ travel mode
of choice within and in and out
of cities.
Modal-shift or modal split
refers to the need for finding a
new balance between modes.
The old fashioned dichotomy
of railway or road still has
some years to go before it is
pensioned off. In our first
column in the April/May issue
we started our journey
together by trying to
understand what the needs of
a city’s inhabitants are: going
to work, to school, to the shops,
to play or to watch sports to
name but a few. It is still not a
secret that most of the families
in old and new Member States,
as the Eurobarometer survey
published in July 2007 shows,
still prefer the good old
polluting car. For years the
European Commission has
forced the modal split through
favouring the more
environmental means of
transport, such as railways, but
with limited success. So we
need to think of a new way to
create and manage a better
modal split in a more natural
(even organic) way.
In our opinion co-modality,
as mentioned earlier, refers to
the highly complex urban
framework, and to the diversity
of cities not only from country
to country but within the same
country as well.
This reflection brings to the
table another old concept that
is very close to retirement: the
present dichotomy between
passengers and freight. This is
not an unfamiliar concept - for
instance Barcelona’s spatial
www.h3bmedia.com
constraints obliged the city to
think innovatively and to
devote some passenger
transport lanes to logistics
delivery. Europe’s diversity
requires ad hoc solutions for
unique problems - city
planners must start to think in
this way if we are going to
progress and survive.
As a result we will need to
combine two levels of thinking
- not only the integration of
vertical modes but also
> C I = :
8 > I N 
www.h3bmedia.com
horizontal ones. This is all food
for thought but it does not
eradicate from the scenario
the need anyway to fight
climate change in its all forms -
from mobility problems, to
energy to demographic
changes.
The concept of internalising
the external costs still remains
a priority for Europe and its
cities. The fair competition
between modes will result
only after an implementation
of this model all around
Europe and beyond its borders
through all modes of transport,
including aviation.
Cities will need to look
toward starting a very effective
and efficient dialogue with
business and with the various
governance levels. Intermodal
thinking remains the ultimate
solution to the problem, which
cannot be solved purely by
tackling the transport side of
things. Integrated
development is the key for a
sustainable future where
stakeholders fight together in
order to achieve the ultimate
equilibrium.
It might sound ambitious for
the near future, but we want to
share some optimistic thoughts
after a very strange summer in
most of Europe. Diderot once
noted that we risk too much if
we believe too much - but that
also we risk too little if we
believe too little. TH
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 5
Prof Phil Charles’ Australian Update
A piece
for the
puzzle
Could Dynamic Traffic Management be the answer to
Australia’s growing congestion problems?
Traffic congestion is
uppermost in the thoughts of
major highway operators all
around the world. Forecast
growth in traffic across
Australian major urban areas
will increase congestion
pressures, significantly
increasing transport costs,
reducing travel time reliability
and subsequently increasing
vehicle emissions and energy
use.
A number of measures are
available to mitigate
congestion, encompassing
demand reduction and
management, improving
management of traffic and
increasing capacity. Usually a
6 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
combination of measures is
employed, including proactive
dynamic management of traffic
flows, to increase throughput
of traffic and provide some
congestion relief.
About one fifth of all
Australian metropolitan traffic
currently occurs on urban
freeways, which are typically
performing at 20-25 per cent
below their design capacity.
Typical results for ramp
metering in the US were 16-57
per cent increase in average
peak hour travel speed, 25 per
cent increase in peak period
volume and 37-52 per cent
reduction in average travel
time.
Looking closely at traffic
flows, considerable freeway
congestion results from
unstable traffic conditions that
develop when a freeway is
operating at or near its design
capacity. This instability can
cause the traffic flow to
breakdown, resulting in stop-
start traffic jams. Primary
causes of this congestion are
uncontrolled vehicle entry
from on-ramps interfering with
the main traffic flow and
interactions between
interchanges, such as vehicles
weaving, merging or changing
lanes over short distances to
access exit ramps, and traffic
queuing at an exit ramp.
www.h3bmedia.com
 Xxxxx

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Prof Phil
Robert Charles’
Kelly Australian
and Mark Update
Johnson
Congested corridor
Earlier this year the Victorian
state highway agency,
VicRoads commenced a
A$1billion upgrade project of
75 km of the Monash Freeway,
CityLink and the West Gate
Freeway, which runs east-west
through the centre of
Melbourne. Transurban, which
operates the CityLink toll
road, is a partner in the
project.
Over 160,000 vehicles per
day, including up to 20,000
heavy freight vehicles, use the
corridor which is regularly
heavily congested, resulting
in longer travel times for
commuters and commercial
vehicles.
The upgrade is designed to
improve traffic flow, increase
travel time reliability and
traffic throughput and improve
safety on one of the State’s
busiest freeway.
This project includes a state-
of-the-art new intelligent
freeway management system,
that incorporates coordinated
ramp metering at all arterial
road access points and a lane
management system. The
remainder of the works
involves widening sections of
the freeway to reduce merge
and weaving movements and
improving entry/exit points.
The concept of this project
arose out of detailed freeway
performance monitoring
8 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
which found that in the
morning peak period there
was 25 per cent less
throughput of vehicles in
recent times compared to five
years previously. When a traffic
flow breakdown problem
occurred on the freeway
during the peak period, the
result was a 15-20 km backup
of traffic that did not fully clear
until the peak period was over.
Following detailed
investigation of best practice
freeway management
worldwide, a package of
measures was selected to
regain the lost throughput,
which includes coordinated
ramp metering, full-lane
management (integrated lane
use and speed control) and on-
road dynamic traffic
information system.
The proposed coordinated
ramp metering system
involves trialling a range of
algorithms, with the primary
sophisticated algorithm being
used under license from
Europe (developed by a team
led by Dr Markos
Papageorgiou from the
Technical University of Crete).
New freeway management
control system software is
being developed using a
flexible modular approach
based on ITC industry-
accepted practices, allowing
parallel testing of different
algorithms and facilitating
ongoing enhancements.
So what has been learned so
far? Even in an agency like
VicRoads, which is known for
its sophisticated intelligent
transport systems, the new
approach requires extensive
testing. Additional expertise
has been assembled in-house,
particularly in telecom-
munications and control
systems.
The concept of fast tracking
and ongoing development has
been embedded in the
process, for example software
contracts allow for ongoing
development for some time
after the project is
implemented.
This approach will result in
new design approaches for
fully managed freeway
operations to manage and
control merge and weaving
movements as much as
possible to reduce turbulence
and the potential for unstable
traffic flow. TH
Visit VicRoads’ website at
www.vicroads.vic.gov.au and
www.mcwupgrade.com.au for
the Monash-CityLink-Westgate
upgrade project
Many thanks to John Gaffney
of VicRoads for his assistance in
compiling this article.
Prof Phil Charles is Director of
the Centre for Transport
Strategy at the University of
Queensland, Brisbane Australia.
p.charles@uq.edu.au
www.h3bmedia.com
Xxxxx
Joined up
thinking
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

The CVIS project presents a high-level architecture for

cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system deployment in
Europe. ANDREAS SCHMID, ZELJKO JEFTIC and PAUL KOMPFNER
take up what is promising to be an enthralling story

10 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


More and more voices are proclaiming the immi-
nent birth of a brave new world of “cooperative sys-
tems”, to be built upon the foundation of an expected
ubiquitous connectivity amongst vehicles, roadside
infrastructure and management/service centres.
Of course, this wonder can only come to pass if indeed
almost all vehicles can communicate, if a substantial
fraction of traffic management hardware is equipped, if
agencies and operators establish links to the vehicles
and the roadside equipment – and if a suitable commu-
nication network infrastructure is in place.
Bringing all these elements together into a successful
deployment poses challenges of a scale and complexity
never before encountered in the world of ITS. In this arti-
cle we describe the ambitions – and the achievements
to date – of the CVIS project, that has set out to define
“the” high-level architecture for cooperative vehicle-
infrastructure systems in Europe. This consortium of
over 60 partners is attempting, with the help of over
€20 million in EU funding, to apply (and in some cases to
define) international standards for wireless communi-
cation and networking in a number of example case
studies illustrating the potential significant benefits for
traffic safety and efficiency, for the environment and for
driver comfort.
The CVIS project was launched in February 2006 to
develop a platform which would allow
vehicles to communicate and co- “Cooperative
operate directly with other nearby
vehicles and with roadside infrastruc- systems can never
ture. After six months, the specific and be an all-covering
consolidated user needs, use cases
and system requirements were pub- blanket if there is
lished. A year later the second set of no agreement on
key results emerged – a CVIS high-
level architecture for cooperative sys- the basic technical
tems, and a set of specific component elements”
architectures, that, unlike much of
today’s high-tech equipment, should not become out-
dated when each new communication technology
arrives.
Unlike the patchwork quilt of different – and incom-
patible – technologies and services that makes up the
landscape of tolling in Europe today, cooperative sys-
tems can never become an all-covering blanket if there
is not profound agreement on the definition of the basic
technical elements and, most importantly, how these
can fit together. The process of discussing the different
options and coming to a broad-based consensus is
exactly what is happening now in CVIS, and whose
interim results we present in this article. This consulta-
tion should help to ensure that the final architecture is a
robust solution capable of delivering the most impor-
tant requirements for key stakeholders and, most impor-
tantly, has the best chance of leading to a full deployment
of cooperative systems in all of Europe’s vehicles and
roadside equipment in all European countries.
Requirements for a successful architecture
If updatability is a necessary feature of a European
cooperative systems architecture, other requirements
www.h3bmedia.com
Cover Feature
are equally important to ensure widespread deploy-
ment. These include:
• separation of applications and services from the
choice of communication system(s) used to link vehi-
cles and infrastructure;
• ability for a vehicle user or owner to subscribe to, or
use (for free-of-charge services), any accessible func-
tion or service, anywhere in Europe;
• reciprocal interoperability: any vehicle is able to
connect to available services, and any service can con-
nect to any vehicle;
• any operator or service provider must be able to
offer a (compliant or authorised) service anywhere and
to any user;
• vehicle manufacturers must be able to guard the
integrity of their on-board systems from security
threats.
When such conditions are met, customers will find
that cooperative system products are included when
they buy a new vehicle, as vehicle manufacturers will
install communication capability as a series feature. If a
driver chooses to cross the continent, he or she will
enjoy continuous “roaming” access to whichever serv-
ices are provided locally.
From the driver’s point of view, services and applica-
tions, such as personalised route guidance, traffic alerts
or local junction “green wave”, will
work in the same way in Spain, Scot-
land and Slovenia. The cities of Stock-
holm, Strasbourg and Siena will each
be able to collect “floating car” data
from every vehicle on their roads –
including foreign – and free to provide
car park booking and payment or to
collect any congestion charging fees
due likewise from every vehicle.
Such a revolution in communication,
interaction and cooperation amongst
vehicles and infrastructure demands a completely new
architecture. It needs to be based on communication
standards as robust and well accepted as those defining
GSM/UMTS. But as it must be implemented in all vehi-
cles it also needs to allow progress – i.e. include a new
interface (e.g. WiMAX or DVB-H when this is widely
deployed) without replacing all the in-vehicle hardware.
Similarly, application software must also be flexible and
updatable, allowing a free market in services and easy
interoperability in both the vehicle and the roadside.
The bigger picture
In the CVIS cooperative vision, all vehicles, road-side
equipment and management or operating centres (e.g.
for traffic or fleet management), as well as other mobile
road users equipped with a communication terminal
(pedestrians for example) can communicate and share
information with each other. Each participant in this
cooperative systems world is seen as a “node” in a com-
mon “network”, formed either by ad-hoc links to nearby
mobile users or by connection to an IP backbone.
Figure 1 shows the main entities encompassed in the
high level architecture, and how they relate to each
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 11
Cover Feature
other. Existing links are shown in blue, the new connec-
tions enabled by a CVIS network appear in green. This
architecture is not limited to a strictly hierarchical view
but allows each of these entities or nodes to communi-
cate freely with each other (and in either direction)
according to their needs. Nodes can communicate via
the IP network or as peer-to-peer if needed, for exam-
ple, for time-critical safety applica-
tions as elaborated by the “sister”
SAFESPOT project.
“CVIS is developing
technologies
Inside the box linking
Each cooperative system “node”
belongs to one of four major sub- communication
systems: central, vehicle, handheld
and road-side. Figure 2 presents the
partners over a
CVIS project implementation architec- global IPv6
ture, showing how each node combines
an interface (“gateway”) to any native
network”
or legacy systems, a host computer
where services and applications are executed, and a
communications and network router providing connec-
tivity to an IPv6 network. In a real system deployment,
these three components would be merged into one
hardware unit.
Each node implemented within the CVIS project will
have the same basic architecture, comprising three lay-
ers: communications, JAVA/OSGi-based middleware
and applications. In practice, not all applications may
need the features (and overheads) of the JAVA/OSGi
12 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Figure 1 – The principal entities in the CVIS
cooperative system architecture
framework, being implemented in native code or sub-
ject to special real-time requirements. In the CVIS archi-
tecture, an interface to native applications can easily be
developed if needed.
The middleware layer includes a number of core
components needed for inter-node cooperation,
grouped into Basic and Domain functionalities (“facili-
ties” in CVIS-speak). Basic facilities
include lifecycle management of serv-
ices and applications, directory facili-
ties for service publication and
discovery, basic communication facili-
ties, security facilities, remote man-
agement, and software download to
enable dynamic downloading of soft-
ware on CVIS hosts. The Domain facili-
ties encompass e.g. positioning,
location referencing, payment or traf-
fic information.
Communication for cooperative systems
Cooperative transport systems are by definition based
on mobile communications. In theory one single com-
munication medium could provide a continuous – or
near-continuous – IP connectivity. However, while
mobile Internet on cellular (e.g. UMTS) is capable of
being that unique channel, in practice it would be too
costly, would not suit certain applications needing very
immediate and short-range communication with road-
side equipment, and might not offer sufficient network
www.h3bmedia.com
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Cover Feature
Figure 2 – Principal CVIS sub-systems
capacity if all vehicles were in near-continuous commu-
nication with infrastructure systems.
CVIS is therefore developing technologies linking
communication partners over a global IPv6 network.
Compared with today’s predominantly IPv4 networks,
IPv6 offers a vastly increased address space as well as
support for network mobility, both of which will be
needed once every vehicle has one or more IP addresses
and wants to maintain a connection whilst travelling at
high speed. IP itself was chosen since the mobile system
parts may use different media (e.g. 3G cellular, WiFi,
DSRC, infrared) and IP is the most suitable common
layer for managing the different physical media.
The management of the physical wireless “channels”
beneath the IPv6 network layer is handled in CVIS by
the application of CALM (Continous Air interface for
Long and Meduim Range). This group of standards (cur-
rently under development in ISO TC/204 Working Group
16) defines elements at different levels that work
together to separate any high-level applications from
the details of the particular communication interfaces
and network layer in use. Figure 3 shows the full CALM
stack as implemented in the CVIS architecture. This pro-
vides flexible management of whichever air interfaces
may be available and in use, as well as of the way that the
IPv6 network layer operates. A CALM management
entity (CME) links the network layer in the CVIS router
to the application layer in each CVIS host.
A co-operative ITS environment needs the availability
of both two-way and one-way communications. Besides
the dedicated peer-to-peer IP connections, features
such as broadcast or geocast allow a large, unspecified
number of communication partners in a region to be
14 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
addressed depending either on the range of the broad-
cast medium or on the specified geographic area. In
case a peer-to-peer partner is not known, a Distributed
Directory Service allows applications to be discovered
according to specific search criteria (e.g. type of appli-
cation and logical ‘network’ neighbourhood).
The CVIS communication-relevant components and
protocols are provided by the COMM sub-project, that
has defined technology for seamless and continuous
communication from the vehicle towards the infrastruc-
ture and other vehicles. The CVIS communication sys-
tem is based on standards for hybrid mobile networking
from ISO, IEEE, IETF and ETSI.
The CVIS air interface is based on a number of com-
munication channels including GPRS, UMTS, CALM M5
(mobile Wi-Fi), DSRC and IR (Infrared). The CALM tech-
nology uses policy-based rules to select the optimal
communications channel at any time and place.
The CVIS open reference communication system can
be optimised or directly ported into commercial prod-
ucts for vehicles and roadside systems alike. This refer-
ence communication platform is also available to other
European ITS projects (e.g. SAFESPOT, COOPERS, SIS-
TER), and CVIS maintains close coordination with these
other projects.
Adaptive software environment
Both mobile and fixed system parts need to adapt their
capabilities over either time and/or space when mov-
ing through the road network. This means that new soft-
ware must be delivered to both vehicle and roadside
platforms each time either there is a new software
release or (if needed) when a vehicle comes into a new
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Cover Feature
service domain.
Mechanisms for flexible software deployment and
management as provided by JAVA/OSGi CVIS frame-
work, extended to fit the needs of co-operative systems,
underpin the solution adopted by CVIS. Arbitrary sys-
tem changes caused by software downloads would be a
nightmare for all stakeholders, so each system entity (or
“CVIS host”) needing a software update must obtain
this from its assigned “host management centre”. Any
stakeholder can operate a host management centre
(HMC), in whatever way meets its needs and constraints.
A host management centre knows the status of its
assigned hosts and can permit or deny any software and
configuration changes. CVIS also provides for dynamic
mechanisms for hosts to obtain updates or new software
on the fly, remotely if needed (and permitted).
The following illustration shows three hosts - nomadic,
roadside and in-vehicle - linked by an IPv6 connection
(blue lines symbolise the services’ information flow). If
needed, new software (applications) can be deployed
through host management centres (red lines). Each host
must be related to exactly one HMC. (Each HMC is under
the control of its governing organisation, e.g. a vehicle
manufacturer). The software applications may be
requested from an authorised software supplier or – as
shown – come from a service provider wishing to deploy
a new service. Figure 4 shows clearly the distinction
between information flows due to the normal operation
of application services and software flows resulting from
application software provisioning to a host from its host
management centre.
Cooperative monitoring
The COMO sub-project is developing technology for
collecting and delivering traffic-related data to any
CVIS application that needs it, primarily through data
gathered from moving “probe” vehicles, integrated with
data from roadside sensors and detectors. Since a great
number of potential applications and services may need
the same basic monitoring data, CVIS treats coopera-
Figure 3: CVIS CALM management stack
16 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Figure 4 – Host management and service operation
tive monitoring as a core service on call to applications.
The use of COMO common specification and core soft-
ware modules should ensure that data are interoperable
across Europe, encouraging the development of an
open market for traffic services.
COMO specifies the following data groups:
1) Vehicle sensor and/or processed data (such as
XFCD/EFCD);
2) Roadside unit (RSU) sensor and/or processed data
(such as loop or weather sensor data);
3) RSU local traffic status overview for the area around
a given RSU;
4) Traffic centre traffic status overview for the area
covered by a given centre.
To provide information with a high trustworthiness,
COMO defines data fusion processes that guarantee
that, wherever available, data from different sources –
such as vehicles passing an RSU – will be used to pro-
vide the best possible quality of information.
In addition, COMO provides information on different
levels, such as individual RSU and city traffic centre. As
an example, a given RSU will provide a local traffic status
overview containing more detailed information than the
traffic centre’s overview of the relevant area. A specific
RSU might monitor traffic queues or turning rates for
each lane at an individual signal-controlled intersec-
tion, while the traffic centre’s overview might not con-
tain data at a per-lane level. The COMO data set will be
extensible in order to cover future sensors and informa-
tion, allowing for a wide area of applications to be
defined in the future. COMO data sets can be accessed
via a standard query interface. Additionally, CVIS appli-
cations can rely on subscription mechanisms which will
provide COMO data according to specific rules, i.e. if
new data sets of a specific kind become available.
Positioning and mapping
Other key sources of information to all CVIS applica-
tions are positioning and mapping facilities. Having an
accurate position is crucial if it is to be used in traffic-
related situations. The CVIS architecture describes two
approaches to increased accuracy through use of
Wireless Local Area Network and Wireless Sensor
Networks.
Concerning mapping, CVIS and SAFESPOT partners
are working on an innovative approach for structuring
www.h3bmedia.com
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Opladener Strasse 202
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Tel. +49 (0) 21 73 - 39 40 - 190
Fax +49 (0) 21 73 - 39 40 - 234
info@robot.de
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JENOPTIK Group.
Cover Feature
Figure 5: Typical CVIS applications
near-environment information at certain locations. This
new approach is called Local Dynamic Map, which is a
layered database containing geo-referenced informa-
tion about the static data, e.g. high accuracy map of an
intersection, and dynamic data, e.g. information about
other vehicles at the same intersection.
CVIS reference applications
CVIS partners are developing not only a technology
platform but also reference applications whose aim is to
demonstrate proof of concept that cooperation between
different CVIS nodes leads to more safe and efficient
transport. In addition to the unifying high-level architec-
ture for the CVIS integrated project and a separate
architecture view from each of the four core technology
sub-projects, the three sub-projects targeting Urban,
Interurban and Freight and Fleet applications have each
developed an architecture concept for their own spe-
cific domain.
The application architecture is quite simple, but the
application process is complex.The application is deliv-
ered using “standardised” software modules located in
the vehicle and roadside hosts, and linked using the
communication services described above. The same
principles apply to all the applications developed within
CVIS, with the result that the project will make available
a library of core application software that can be adopted
(and adapted if needed) in order to establish future
deployments relatively easily.
18 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
The challenges ahead
The CVIS consortium believes that it has built an archi-
tecture that should meet the needs of the majority of ten-
ants who will come to inhabit the cooperative systems
edifice. This includes the vehicle makers and their sup-
pliers, governments and public authorities, traffic man-
agers, road operators, fleet operators, service providers
– and most importantly the final user (the motorist, the
traveller and the transport business).
We welcome these stakeholders’ interest, and feed-
back with their views of the value of the CVIS results. By
closing this circle of cooperation all parties can work
together to ensure that the resulting cooperative sys-
tems architecture is deployed successfully. TH
CVIS is an integrated project in the European Commu-
nity’s Sixth Framework Programme, coordinated by
ERTICO – ITS Europe. It started on 1 February 2006 and
will finish in January 2010. The CVIS project acknowl-
edges the support provided by the European Union
through a grant of up to €21 million towards the total
project budget of €41m.
PTV’s Andreas Schmid is CVIS High Level Architecture
Editor. Paul Kompfner and Zeljko Jeftic are CVIS IP
Manager and CVIS Deputy IP Manager with
ERTICO – ITS Europe. They are contactable via email at
andreas.schmid@ptv.de, p.kompfner@mail.ertico.com
and z.jeftic@mail.ertico.com
Visit the CVIS project website at www.cvisproject.org,
while SAFESPOT can be visited at www.safespot-eu.org
www.h3bmedia.com
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The Thinker

Adopt
or die
Many years ago, as a
transportation systems
consultant, I was involved
in projects requiring the
analysis of aging traffic
signal systems to determine
whether they should be replaced,
either because of degraded relia-
bility or inadequate functionality.
These studies included many con-
siderations, but the primary question to
be answered was whether or not the sys-
tems had reached the end of their useful
lives. Answering this question required a
review of maintenance records to determine
whether the equipment failure rate and its
associated maintenance cost per intersection
had increased to the point at which their annual-
ized replacement cost exceeded the ongoing
maintenance cost. These studies required a review
of the jurisdictions’ signal maintenance records, which

20 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

 The Thinker

PHIL TARNOFF examines the

use of advanced technology
by public sector agencies -
and is disconcerted, to say the
least, with what he finds

invariably existed in the form

of a disorganized stack of hand-
written faded time sheets,
instead of computerized mainte-
nance records that could be used to
facilitate a study of this nature. Now,
nearly 30 years later, PCs and user-
friendly software are ubiquitous. Yet,
according to a recent survey, only 10
per cent of agencies with signal system
maintenance responsibilities have imple-
mented computerized maintenance
records systems (which could be as simple
as an Excel spreadsheet).
In other words, this straightforward technol-
ogy with its obvious benefits is not being used
even though it has been available for decades.
The question to be answered is whether this sim-
ple example is representative of the pace of tech-
nology acceptance by the public sector. If so, does it
matter? If it does matter, how can we cure it?

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 21

The Thinker

Table1: Adoption of New Technology

Technology Category
Adaptive Signal Systems ITS

Ramp Metering ITS

Traffic Surveillance ITS

Fiber Reinforced Polymers3 Materials

Shoulder Rumble Strips Pavement

EZPass Electronic
Payment

Navigation Systems Vehicle

Telematics

Web Browser Technology Consumer &

Business Products

These are significant questions which cannot be

ignored if our transportation systems are to effectively
address rapidly growing travel demand and stagnant
funding.

How are we doing?

In an effort to determine whether the preceding exam-
ple is symptomatic of a broader problem, a sample of
technologies related to operations, infrastructure, toll
collection, automotive telematics and consumer prod-
ucts has been reviewed. The results of this review is
shown in the accompanying table and plotted in its asso-
ciated figure, above. The horizontal axis of the figure
approximates the degree to which organizations using
technology-based products are connected with their
customers.
The information presented in these two exhibits is not
encouraging. It paints a collective picture of a public

22 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

 The Thinker

Years to Adoption Comments

20+ SCOOT Available during the 1980s.
SCAT available in the early 1990s.
40+ 1963 Eisenhower Freeway in Chicago1.
Today, 16% of freeway ramps are metered2
30+ Vehicle detectors introduced in the 1960s
Currently installed on less than 50% of
urban freeways and 6% of urban arterials
30+ In existence since the 1940’s. Still not used
to any significant extent for bridge decks
15 Initial installations prior to 19884. Still being
studied by some DOTs
5 Implemented by TBTA in 1995. Installed by
PANY in 19975. Available since 199 6
according to Mark IV
7+ First system in 1983 and introduced in
1990 . First GPS-based vehicle navigation
system introduced by Magellan in 19957.
By 1996 40 total sales exceeded 1m units8
1 Time to 10 million users9

sector transportation community that continues its use

of entrenched technologies and practices without con-
cern for the potential benefits of new and useful devel-
opments.
In spite of the fact that these exhibits are not based on
a carefully conducted scientific survey, they paint a
revealing picture of the overall technology adoption
process. There can be little doubt, that the information
presented is representative of the technology adoption
timeframes for each of the business sectors presented.
Admittedly, it would be easy to argue with these results,
since there are numerous definitional issues regarding
the time when a technology becomes available, and the
number of agencies, manufacturers and/or customers
that constitute its acceptance. In spite of these limita-
tions, it is clear that the auto industry with its emphasis
on reduced product cycles, and the IT industry with its
rush to market are more proactive in their applications
of technology than the majority of public transportation
agencies. In other words, industries that derive their
income directly from the expenditures of their custom-
ers (and by implication customer satisfaction) are more
agile than their publicly funded counterparts.

Why does the public sector fare so poorly?

It is unacceptable for travelers and shippers to wait
more than 30 years for the public sector transportation
industry to adopt potentially beneficial technological
advances. Yet it would also be unfair and inaccurate to
conclude that these problems are caused by uncaring
public employees. In fact the majority of problems that
can be identified are associated with the environment in
which a public agency operates including:
• Public sector transportation industry is large and
diverse. While there are approximately a dozen auto-

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 23

The Thinker
mobile manufacturers producing a relatively homoge-
neous product, the public sector transportation industry
is represented by hundreds (if not thousands) of organi-
zations ranging from very large state DOT’s to agencies
in small towns employing a part-time traffic engineer. It
would be unreasonable to expect this broad range of
agencies to adopt new technology at the same pace.
• Employees receive few, if any, rewards for the suc-
cessful development or adaptation of new technology,
and are likely to be penalized for failure. For public
employees, the “safe approach” is to avoid change.
• Elected officials and the media evaluate the effec-
tiveness of transportation agencies based on projects
completed and funds expended rather than measures
that are important to travelers – travel time, travel relia-
bility, travel cost, etc.
• The public sector procurement system, which
emphasizes competitive selection of systems and serv-
ices, discourages the use of proprietary new technolo-
gies offered by a single provider.
• The procurement process favors the low-bid selec-
tion of offerors. It rarely accounts for the
best technical solution, life-cycle costs,
and overall effectiveness. “Under the right
• Public agencies are risk averse. conditions, the
Because of the extensive oversight of
their activities by the press, elected offi- private sector
cials and the general public, the unsuc- can overcome
cessful application of a new technology
may be subjected to public ridicule or environmental
worse. obstacles faced
• The customer provides the funding for
private sector products and services. i.e. by public
an automobile purchaser is both the cus- agencies”
tomer and the funding source. The public
sector’s income is primarily tax based. The distribution
of public funding is never based on past performance,
and may be more related to political influence and con-
siderations of fairness, than the needs of its customers
(travelers and shippers).
These structural deficiencies must be corrected
before the public sector can be expected to creatively
and aggressively adopt new technology for improved
service delivery. If this does not occur, the gap between
the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice within
the public sector will continue to grow to the detriment
of travelers as well as the nation’s economy.
Potential solutions
Consider the implications for an organization that
requires 20 to 30 years to adopt new technology in an
age where staff productivity and efficient service deliv-
ery are essential characteristics. By implication, Charles
Darwin captured the importance of technology adop-
tion when he observed that:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the
most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to
change.”
Restated, Darwin’s conclusions can be interpreted as
an observation that an organization’s ability and willing-
ness to accept new technology (change) will ensure its
24 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
longevity. And perhaps more important, the converse is
also true. If it can be agreed that adaptability, and by
implication acceptance of new technology, is essential,
public sector transportation agencies must become
more adaptable to change.
Thus successful transportation system managers are
faced with two (non-exclusive) alternatives either rein-
vention of the existing agency culture, or greatly
increased outsourcing of agency functions.
Reinvention of the Agency’s culture
Transportation agencies must replace their existing
culture by developing new proactive approaches that
reward innovation and replace existing processes (such
as the low bid procurement) with more flexible
approaches that encourage change. It is difficult to rein-
vent an agency’s culture, when so much of that culture is
controlled by external forces of laws, regulations, civil
service restrictions, and political expedience. Yet the
mantra of “doing more with less” must become the cul-
ture of the modern transportation agency. This mantra
should pervade all levels and functions of
the organization including human
resources, contracting, engineering,
planning, operations and performance
measurement.
Identification and implementation of
productivity improvements could and
should serve as the basis for employee
reviews, employee rewards (merit salary
increases, promotions, training, parking
privileges, general recognition, etc.),
business planning, and investments. Per-
formance measurement should be con-
ducted routinely, and should celebrate
productivity accomplishments of organizational units
and individual staff members.
While these actions can be accomplished without
major organizational change, they are significant, in that
they represent a cultural shift away from punishment of
risk takers, to the reward and recognition of these indi-
viduals.
• Increased Outsourcing: The second alternative is
the outsourcing of agency functions using incentive-
based contracting. With this alternative, responsibility
for a predefined set of agency function is competitively
awarded to private sector organizations based on their
demonstrated knowledge, creativity and agility. Under
the right conditions, the private sector is able to over-
come many of the environmental obstacles faced by
public agencies. Private sector agility is the result of
more flexible hiring (and firing) policies, fewer pro-
curement restrictions, and well defined financial objec-
tives.
Perhaps most important, the private sector benefits
from the competitive environment in which it operates.
An incompetent or inefficient organization is unlikely to
experience long-term success. For these reasons, out-
sourcing effectively allows public agencies to take
advantage of the private sector culture without requir-
ing major adjustments to the environment in which they
www.h3bmedia.com

operate. Outsourcing is not a panacea. There are exam-
ples of both successful and unsuccessful outsourcing
activities. The objectives of these two alternatives are
the same. Stated negatively, they are to replace or mod-
ify entrenched technologies and avoid risk averse
behavior. They are based on the recognition that suc-
cessful organizations are those with a mission oriented
structure where results are rewarded and staff is given
greater leeway to affect changes.
Conclusions
In this day and age of exploding technology which is
affecting every aspect of our lives, it is disconcerting to
realize that the transportation community, on which the
economic health of the nation depends, continues to use
outdated hardware, software and processes that are
more than 20 years old. This situation must be corrected,
since technology can help you know more by increasing
visibility into the data…
“Technology can help you do more by increasing the
productivity of your… operations… connected business
processes, and collaborative technologies. [It] can help
you spend less by simplifying your systems and posi-
tioning you to cope with shrinking budgets and fewer
resources. Know more, do more, spend less.” 10 TH
References
1 Colyar, Stribiak, Jacobson and Nelson, “Ramping Up
Ramp Management”, Public Roads Magazine, Federal
Highway Administration, July/August 2006.
HOW EUROPE
WORKS
4 Think Tanks
4 Subjects
4 Days
H B Media thinking
highways
www.h3bmedia.com
The Thinker
2 US Department of Transportation, ITS Deployment
Statistics http://www.itsdeployment.its.dot.gov/Results.a
sp?year=2006&rpt=M&filter=1&ID=360
3 Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) are a class of com-
posite material manufactured from fibers and resins that
have proven efficient and economical for the construction
and repair of new and deteriorating structures including
bridge decks. The mechanical properties and long life of
FRPs make them ideal for many construction applications.
Their lower life-cycle costs make them attractive alterna-
tives to traditional materials (steel and concrete). How-
ever, because of their high initial (acquisition) costs public
agencies cannot acquire these materials through the tra-
ditional low-bid process.
4 http://www.hsisinfo.org/pdf/00-032.pdf
5 http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/Press
Center/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=55
6 Wikipedia, Navigation Systems, http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Automotive_navigation_system
7 Magellan, Corporate Home Page, http://corp.magel-
langps.com/en/aboutUs/
8 “ITS In Japan” Public Roads Magazine, Fall 1996, vol 60,
No. 2. http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/fall96/p96au41.htm
9 Per Myrseth and colleagues at Norwegian Computing
Center, E-commerce in the Travel Industry – Enter2000-
Barcelona April 2000, http://publications.nr.no/
Enter2000/Tutorial_per/sld002.htm
10 “Know More, Do More, Spend Less”, Oracle Solutions
for the Automotive Industry, http://www.oracle.com/
industries/automotive/OracleinAutomotivefinal.pdf
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 25
Brazil

KEVIN AGUIGUI looks at the potential for digital video for

surveillance and homeland security purposes and wonders if
we’ve come as far as we should have done…

Perpetual
state of
Perpetual state of trabnsition

transition
Despite having to hurdle some self-imposed political and
cultural barriers, the SIMBA project is helping to further the
continuing emergence of Brazil in the advanced traffic
market, as DANIEL ZACARIAS reports
With the strategic objective to increase safety and
reduce crippling traffic jams, the European Com-
mission is implementing the SIMBA Project for four
countries that it identifies as emerging markets:
Brazil, South Africa, China (see Mariana Andrade’s
article on pages 96-100) and India (covered in the
April/May issue of Thinking Highways).
SIMBA, which is co-ordinated by ERTICO - ITS Europe,
aims to boost research cooperation in road transport
between the EU and these important emerging markets.
SIMBA covers three key areas of ITS, infrastructure and
automotive and will pinpoint the areas of mutual interest
for collaboration between the EU and each region. After
almost a year of activities, it has shown that although
many regions face similar problems in terms of conges-
tion, pollution and road accidents, each region has sev-
eral levels of development.AEA,the Brazilian Association
of Automotive Engineering, acts as the Brazilian coordi-

26 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


nator of the project.
The AEA brings together OEMs and suppliers in order
to study technical issues related to the automotive vehi-
cle industry in Brazil in particular and the transport sec-
tor in general. AEA regularly organises seminars and
technical events that deal with technology in the trans-
port sector. As part of its activities, the SIMBA project
brought together European and Brazilian infrastructure
operators, vehicle makers, technology providers and
www.h3bmedia.com
Brazil
ITS stakeholders in São Paulo towards the end of 2006. A
select group of high-level industry, government and
academic people working in the areas of ITS, automo-
tive development and infrastructure participated in the
event and identified areas of potential cooperation and
joint research.
Exchange of ideas
Brazil’s Ministry of Cities was represented by Alfredo
Peres, who heralded the workshop as a “great opportu-
nity to exchange ideas and strengthen ties between Bra-
zil and the EU.” Peres pointed out that many European
companies are represented in Brazil and opportunities
exist for synergy, as mobility in Brazil faces many diffi-
culties and limitations.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and fifth
largest in the world by area and population. Its
R$1600 billion (R$=Real/€600 billion) economy has
large and well-developed agricultural, mining/manu-
facturing and service sectors. However, the country’s
mobility is hampered by several factors, including
mounting traffic congestion in urban centers, high road
accidents rates, insufficient infrastructure, poor mainte-
nance and low utilization of ITS technologies.
Through its cooperative efforts, SIMBA aims to address
some of these issues to eventually improve Brazilian
mobility in general. Its Brazilian activities will continue
with further events scheduled in 2007.
On 4 October, 2007, the SIMBA Brazil National Event
will be held in conjunction with the SIMEA Congress
(International Symposium on Automotive Engineering).
During the SIMBA event, the topics will focus on public
transport, intelligent traffic lights, incident management
and detection, ITS-awareness raising amongst govern-
ment and citizens, the roles of ITS stakeholders, ITS poli-
cies , alternative fuels, commercial vehicles, transport of
cargo and effects of commercial vehicles on roads and
vice versa. Discussions on infrastructure topics will
include behavioural problems, pavement asset man-
agement and maintenance, environmental impact, noise
and recycling, and developing new infrastructure.
Aims of the event include the creation of joint EU-
Brazil expert working groups, project proposals and
joint road transport research roadmaps and a showcase
of European technologies in Brazil is also planned.
Economically driven
The country has 1.7m km of highways that are classified
in federal, state and municipal. The purpose of this divi-
sion is to define the boundaries of construction, opera-
tion and maintenance responsibility.
The paved highways are in general interstate designed
for intense traffic and freight transportation. The Federal
highways from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte, São Paulo to
Curitiba, Curitiba to Florianópolis, Florianópolis to
Porto Alegre and Recife to Natal, are being duplicated.
Of 115,426 km of the paved state highways, 3.200km
are divided in highways with four lanes or more.
10,794km are tolled, 90 per cent administered by con-
cessionaires (37 enterprises) and 10 per cent adminis-
tered by the state. The quality of the highways varies a
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 27
Brazil
lot in the country. The state of São Paulo has a road net-
work comparable to the developed countries, being a
lot of tolled highways and administered by concession-
aires. According to Highways Quality Researches in
2006 by CNT (National Transports Confederation),
10.8 per cent of the national highways are very good,
14.2 per cent good, 38.4 per cent are not so good,
24.4 per cent bad and 12.2 per cent very bad.
Brazil has 111 cities with a population of over 200,000
and 11 with over 1m. Some of them are in big metropoli-
tan areas, such as São Paulo (19m), Rio de Janeiro (10m),
Belo Horizonte (5m). Mobility is a great challenge in the
big cities. Public transportation is mainly made by bus,
although some metropolitan areas have subway and
railroads.
ITS applications
There are several applications in operation and in devel-
opment in Brazil, but there is not a Government program
to implement the possibilities of ITS applications to
improve the safety and efficiency of transport on a
national scale.
Briefly, Brazil currently has the following ITS programs
in operation across the country:
• automatic toll payment;
• traffic- and highway-monitoring by cameras;
• emergency services for accidents or breakdowns;
• real-time traffic information via VMS
• fleet monitoring through satellite;
• monitoring center of traffic information in real-time,
provided by mobile phones system;
• automatic speed control;
• automatic signal monitoring;
• GPS navigation.
Although all of this technology is widely known and is
in operation in many places, it is not applied in or on all
of the highways and cities of the country. Recently, a leg-
ERTICO’s Mariana Andrade (far left) listens intently at last
October’s SIMBA workshop in Sao Paulo, Brazil
28 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
islation of the use of electronic tags in all vehicles for
remote identification was approved. The tags will be
installed during the annual process of vehicle licensing
in São Paulo over the next two years, and in the entire
country by 2011 which opens up an almost endless
stream of opportunities for ITS applications.
Road infrastructure
The development of Brazil’s infrastructure didn’t keep
pace with the economical development of the country.
For macroeconomical reasons, this has had a damaging
effect on the transportation sector, particularly for the
Federal Road Network, which has suffered from signifi-
cant deterioration over the past 20 years or so. Ports
need to be modernized to become internationally com-
petitive, the fluvial transportation (unprepared rivers)
need massive improvements, the air traffic control sys-
tem needs to develop (and quickly), highways need to
be brought up to date and there needs to be a fairly sig-
nificant road-building program to eliminate the damag-
ing and environmentally stifling bottlenecks in the
export corridors.
The Federal Government recently launched the PAC
(Growth Acceleration Plan) 2007-2011 for Transport
Infrastructure of R$58.3 billion.
The investment will be divided up as follows:
Highways R$33,437 billion
Railroads R$7,863 billion
Ports R$2,663 billion
Airports R$3,001 billion
Fluvial R$0.735 billion
Navy R$10,581 billion.
Something of a challenge
The main problems facing the Brazilian road transporta-
tion industry can be summarised as follows:
• Massive traffic jams in the bigger cities;
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 “Not another road pricing
conference!”

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Brazil
• A high number of urban and highway accidents;
• An insufficient interstate highway system and the
need for duplication of the road network;
• The need for effective maintenance plans;
• The high price of tolls for the freight sector;
• A relatively high fleet age, resulting in high fuel con-
sumption, pollution, accidents, broken down vehicles,
and low transport efficiency;
• Freight theft and safety;
• Low level of integration and logistics, planning and
administration of the various transport modes;
• And finally, and most relevantly to this magazine, the
low take-up and subsequent use of ITS.
São Paulo and so on
A priority for Brazil is the implementation of SINIAV, the
National Automatic Vehicle Identification System. This
includes, crucially, São Paulo, the home of one in four
vehicles in circulation in Brazil. It is not surprising that
this city, and this statistic, is one of the objects of the
study of the SIMBA Project.
São Paulo attracts businesses, people and vehicles
from all regions of Brazil and Latin America. Its 11m
inhabitants produce about 20m daily trips, circulating in
a road system with approximately 16,000km of exten-
sion, of which about 1600km forms the Strategic Road
System – SVE, group of roads for which are projected
ideal conditions of traffic as a function of its importance
for the routine movements of the population.
The fleet of vehicles in the city is around 5.5m - whereas
it only has 60 km of subway lines and 270 km of railroads.
São Paulo is one of the few cities in the world that bases
its public transportation network almost solely on its
bus system. A total of 11,000 vehicles attends a daily
demand of 6m passengers.
30 Vol 2 No3 Thinking Highways
Jose Edison Parro (right), President of AEA and Governmental
Relations of Delphi Automotive Systems of Brazil, holds court at
the SIMBA meeting
Every day, the 16,000 km of streets in São Paulo city
play host to some 500 new cars, buses, trucks and vans.
It is easy to understand why driving in the city, even in
the“quiet times”requires a remarkable level of patience.
The chaos affects the drivers’ safety as stopped vehicles
are easy targets for attackers, causes unacceptable lev-
els of pollution and generate damages of R$3 billion
reals a year to the São Paulo economy, according to an
estimation from Eduardo Vasconcellos consultant, of the
National Association of Public Transportations (ANTP).
This is a serious problem – but one that has solutions.
Below are nine of these solutions, put forward by Brazil-
ian magazine Veja São Paulo in its 4 April 2007 issue.
1 Few measures, great impacts: Cost: R$530m
Cover holes, paint strips in busy avenues, regulate the
lowering curbs in big avenues and build embarkation
and disembarkation areas inside schools.
2 Efficient rotation: Cost: R$1.1m.
When it was implemented, in 1997, the municipal rota-
tion removed 20 per cent of the cars in the rush hours.
Ten years later, the effect was annulled by the 500 new
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 “This is the same people
saying the same things as
last time. At least I can get
some sleep...”

www.h3bmedia.com/networx/ruc.cfm
Brazil

vehicles that join the traffic everyday.With the help of 36

automatic licence plate readers, the CET fined 1m driv-
ers in 2006.
3 More subways, more trains and better buses: Cost:
US$ 20 billion in 18 years.
4 Implement more and greater fines so that all of the
traffic laws are respected.
5 Education campaigns: Cost: R$500,000.
6 Tolling in the central areas: Cost: R$250m.
7 Remove cars in bad condition from the streets.
This would see the removal of cars from the streets or
the forcing of their owners to repair them under the
guise of a Vehicular Technical Inspection - this has been
under consideration for 10 years since the new Brazilian
Traffic Code was launched.
8 Automated traffic control: Cost: R$320m.
Cities around the world realized some time ago that
the only way of making better use of the available road
space was to invest in technology. “If the 1,500km of
streets where 70 per cent of the vehicles circulate were
monitored, the relief would be enormous”, says one of
Brazil’s leading traffic engineers, Chequer Jabour Cheq-
uer, a renowned specialist in ITS.
And this doesn’t just mean repairing the 1,040 of the
1,300 intelligent traffic signals that are currently broken.
In order to begin to lower the traffic jam averages, it is
calculated that it would be necessary to install another
1,300 high-tech traffic signals. The installation of other
350 cameras would guarantee that the main streets of
the city were watched. Drivers could be alerted about
the traffic conditions by VMS. Traffic lights, cameras and
panels would cost the city around R$200m.
9 Radical improvement of Truck fleet discipline: Cost:
R$3.7 billion.
According to CET, every three hours a truck breaks
down and stops the traffic. Although the fleet represents
4.5 per cent of the traffic that transits through the capital,
the trucks are responsible for 35 per cent of the traffic
jams, according to information from the Companies of
Freight Transportation Union (SETCESP).What needs to
be done is four-fold:
• Conclude the Rodoanel section;
• Build distribution centers in the periphery;
• Prohibit large stores loading and unloading during
the day;
• Create exclusive lanes in the Bandeirantes Avenue.
The SIMBA project is going some way to make all of
these potentially idealistic plans inch closer and closer
to realisation. TH
Daniel Zacarias is the Brazil SIMBA project Manager at
the Assoçiao Brasileira Engenharia Automotiva (AEA).
He can be contacted via email at
dzacarias.simba@aea.org.br

32 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

NOT JUST ANOTHER ROAD
PRICING CONFERENCE.
This is the 1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank organised by H3B Networx, the events
division of H3B Media, publishers of Thinking Highways and ETC, etc.

C Learn how to make your road pricing scheme publicly acceptable from public affairs
and advertising experts.

C Listen to the industry’s best speakers talk about the policy, strategy, technology,
implementation, interoperability, integration and innovation - the issues that REALLY
affect the road pricing sector.

C Take part in genuine debate and help to shape the future of road pricing.

C Find out how road tolling schemes in the UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands,
Germany, Norway and France were funded, financed and operated and how that can
apply to your scheme.*

27-28 November 2007

Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge, Surrey

For more details visit

www.h3bmedia.com/networx/ruc.cfm
or email odile@h3bmedia.com

You can also register for your FREE copy of

Thinking Highways at www.h3bmedia.com

*(Not to mention the innovative

networking opportunities, speed thinking
session, gourmet dinner, Loire Valley
wine-tasting and a whole host of H B Media
other attractions.)
 The 1st UK Road Pricing
Think Tank
Tue 27/Wed 28 November 2007
“I’M NOT GOING TO ANOTHER ROAD PRICING CONFERENCE UNTIL ...”

...27 November 2007. Selling The Idea: The 1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank is a different kind of conference altogether. In fact, it’s not
really a conference at all in the traditional sense. Across the two days there will be intense, interactive debates, forums and problem-
solving sessions focusing on policy and politics, funding and finance, interoperability and integration, implementation and innovation.
Experts from not only the road pricing, congestion charging, road user charging and electronic toll collection sectors, but also from
the spheres of advertising, public affairs and finance will help you make YOUR scheme publicly acceptable.

THINKING DIFFERENTLY
What road pricing needs is a positive spin. Drivers need to be told why it’s a good idea and that by paying to use the roads they are
making a positive contribution to society. But how best to get this message across? Our advertising expert will explain how to con-
vince the public that road pricing is something they want and need. “You are selling them a product
and it’s a product they must have. Once you have sold them the idea, you are on to a winner.”
Financial analysts and risk assessment specialists will share their experiences of how they applied
their expertise to various tolling projects and how they are relevant to yours, while experts from
the petrochemical industry will explain how the two sectors are inextricably linked in Germany and
how it’s a link that needs to be more adroitly exploited in the UK.
Another innovative feature will see representatives from the major political parties in the UK
engage in a free-form Question & Answer session with local authorities, original equipment manu-
facturers and suppliers. This ‘Town Hall’ format will be co-hosted and moderated by former BBC and Sky News presenter Nici Marx
(pictured) and Kevin Borras, H3B Media’s publishing director and editor-in-chief of its Thinking Highways and ETC, etc magazines.

more >>>

“Selling
the Idea”
 www.h3bmedia.com/networx/ruc.cfm
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
No serious event organiser would ever attempt to promote one of its seminars solely on the back of the venue,
but in Mercedes-Benz World, we have a stunning location in store. Recently built within the grounds of Brooklands
Motor Museum, one of the UK’s first motor racing circuits, it possesses not only the finest conference facilities avail-
able (including a cinema that we will make good use of) but it also houses the biggest collection of Mercedes-Benz
and Maybachs in Europe and a magnificent array of visitor attractions.
Delegates will have full use of what Mercedes-Benz World and Brooklands has to
offer (not that you’ll have that much time to explore) and an opportunity to take
a spin on the skid pan and high-speed track in a top of the range Mercedes.
Have a look for yourself on the website: www.mercedes-benzworld.co.uk

Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands,

Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0SL, UK
A SPEAKER PROGRAMME
TO SHOUT ABOUT
“A stellar line-up of speakers” is not usually a claim that holds
very much water. We think you will agree that in the case of the
1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank we can use the word “stellar”
with a fair degree of justification.
DAY ONE: 27 November 2007
POLICY AND POLITICS part 1
Steve Norris, former Conservative Minister for Transport, UK
Jenny Jones GLA, Green Party/Mayor of London’s Green
Transport Advisor, UK
Peter Vine, Congestion Charging, Transport for London, UK
TBA, Department for Transport, UK
TBA, Liberal Democrat Transport Policy Spokesperson, UK
Luke Blair, London Communications Agency, UK
Representatives from the event’s sponsors, Siemens,Thales, Q-Free,
Kapsch and Booz Allen Hamilton will be invited to respond to the
points raised in the Policy and Politics session
FINANCE AND FUNDING
Andy Graham, White Willow Consulting, UK
Bob McQueen, Senior Road Pricing Advisor, PBS&J, USA
Paul Wadsworth, Capita Symonds, UK
Jack Opiola, Booz Allen Hamilton, UK
PROBLEM SOLVING
Daryl Dunbar, British Telecom 21CN Portfolio Development, UK
Eric Sampson, Chairman, ITS UK
Andrew Pickford, Transport Technology Consultants, UK
Jack Opiola, Booz Allen Hamilton, UK
Bern Grush, Skymeter Corporation, Canada
David Hytch, LogicaCMG, UK
Ian Catling, Ian Catling Consultancy, UK
DELIVERING STOCKHOLM
Birger Höök, Swedish National Road Administration, Sweden
Jamie Houghton, IBM, UK
www.h3bmedia.com/networx/ruc.cfm
+44 (0)870 919 3770
SPEED THINKING
Day one will be rounded off in style with a novel Speed Thinking
session. Similar in format to the idea of speed dating, this session
will see a panel of eight experts answering pertinent questions
from delegates in a series of two-minute on-the-spot inter-
views. When the time is up, a bell will ring and it will be another
delegate’s turn to ask a question. Fun, maybe, but this unique and
informal networking opportunity could lead anywhere.
LOIRE VALLEY WINE-TASTING SESSION and
GOURMET DINNER
DAY TWO: 28 November 2007
INNOVATION AND THE FUTURE
Phil Blythe, Professor of ITS, Newcastle University, UK
Bern Grush, Skymeter Corporation, Canada
Daryl Dunbar, British Telecom 21CN Portfolio Development, UK
Wiebren de Jonge, TIP Systems/Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands
Eric Wurmser, Egis Projects, France
Representatives from Vodafone, Orange and O2 have been invited to
take part in a mobile communications forum as part of the
Innovation and The Future Session
TIF ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Representatives from Manchester, Norwich, Cambridge, Greater
Bristol and the aborted West Midlands bid will take part in a lively
Transport Innovation Fund debate
POLICY AND POLITICS part 2
Tom Antonissen, International Road Federation -
Brussels Programme Centre, Belgium
Tim Hockney, London First, UK
Jenny Bird, Institute of Public Policy Research, UK
Richard Bourn, Transport 2000, UK
Dr Andreas Kossak, Kossak Consultancy, Germany
Paul Watters, Automobile Association, UK
Representatives from the event’s sponsors will be invited to respond
to the points of view put forward in the Policy and Politics session
H B Media
PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE AND “POSITIVE SPIN”
Simon Elliott, Financial Dynamics, UK
Paul Watters, Automobile Association, UK
David Pearson, InnovITS, UK
Jack Opiola, Booz Allen Hamilton, UK
Russell H Smith, Richmond Strategic Management, UK
Birger Höök, Swedish National Road Administration, Sweden
Richard Harris, WSP, UK
Duncan Matheson, PA Consulting, UK
Andrew Pickford, Transport Technology Consultants, UK
Jamie Houghton, IBM, UK

TOWN HALL FORUM

All speakers will be invited to take part
in the closing session -an open question
and answer forum, hosted by Nici Marx and
Kevin Borras. The quality of this session relies heavily
on the audience asking searching, pertinent questions
and raising insightful points. The Town Hall Forum will
be what you make it - so don’t disappoint yourself!

THE COST OF ATTENDING

THIS TWO DAY EVENT
Public Authority
£550 + VAT
Private Sector
£750 + VAT
For further details contact
ODILE PIGNIER via email at
odile@h3bmedia.com or call
+44 (0)870 919 3770

FOR SPONSORSHIP DETAILS CALL LUIS HILL

ON +44 (0)870 919 3770
OR EMAIL luis@h3bmedia.com
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SUPPORTED BY
In My Opinion

Commercial -
in confidence?

Advanced Driver Assistance, Cooperative Vehicle

Highway Systems and Vehicle Infrastructure
Integration developments are gathering pace
around the world. RICHARD HARRIS and ROBERT
CONE call for wider debate, inclusion of
stakeholders and the establishment of a forum
for information exchange to identify benefits and
business cases to minimise delays and speed
acceptance

In today’s competitive global automotive market established by the European Commission.

sharing research and development costs and
working together is common.
One example of this was the pre-competitive collabo-
ration by the European car manufacturers in the
PROMETHEUS programme (1986–1994). Many of the
developments started in PROMETHEUS have now
emerged as standard or optional equipment in today’s
vehicle fleet. These include improved vision systems,
collision avoidance, vehicle communications, naviga-
tion assistance and RDS-TMC.
One of the reasons that the output from PROMETHEUS
has found its way into our every day lives was the paral-
lel and wider ranging DRIVE programme (1989–1991)
Together these initiatives provided the solid engi-
neering and research capabilities of industry and the
involvement of transport ministries, road authorities,
city and regional authorities, research institutions, uni-
versities and consultancies. DRIVE and the follow on
programmes provided the focus for discussion, devel-
opment, information exchange and operational testing
in a real world environment. They also identified the
information infrastructure required to support the new
systems. These included, navigable map databases,
map matching techniques, satellite positioning, and
data storage and processing capacity.
One of the things that the ITS pioneers and visionaries

38 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


from PROMETHEUS and DRIVE had in common was their
inability to predict the speed of deployment, operation
and acceptance of new services and applications. One
reason for this is the complex institutional, organisa-
tional and financial environment in which live and work.
Perhaps we are in danger of once again misjudging the
need to identify and engage with stakeholders as ADAS/
CVHS/VII is developed.
What would society think?
Forgetting the technology and standardisation issues of
such systems, there is still much to consider, including
viable business cases for all stakeholders, the impact on
operating procedures, the potential impacts on people,
www.h3bmedia.com
In My Opinion
the environment, legislation and policy. ADAS systems
are already available in today’s vehicles and are pro-
moted by individual motor manufacturers as they mar-
ket their safety and comfort features. But the vehicles
continue to operate on roads many of which are virtually
unchanged from the roads of the 1950s.
Is it really so difficult to talk to each other?
Lane departure warning systems seem like a sensible
addition to vehicles, particularly those which do high
mileages, where driver fatigue is likely to be a major
factor. The benefits for drivers are clear, safety improve-
ments, danger alert and perhaps an early indication that
concentration levels are falling and a driving break is
needed. Similarly there are benefits for the road opera-
tors, fewer vehicle conflicts, reduced accidents, less
congestion, reduced damage repair etc.
Indeed widespread introduction could enable
reduced lane widths to be used during times of mainte-
nance so that throughput and capacity could be main-
tained. However, perhaps the type or quality of the lane
markings, the frequency of re-painting white lines, or
even the installation of special studs to mark the lane
boundaries could be introduced to improve system
performance and to accelerate deployment. Road oper-
ators might welcome the opportunity to improve road
safety and might even be prepared to introduce special
features on strategic roads or those where safety issues
have been identified.
But a single road operator, like a motor manufacturer
is not in a position to establish a dialogue that will lead
to an international approach for such initiatives.
Not in my back yard
Similarly everyone can accept the benefits of ADAS and
the saving to society as a whole of reducing the number
of accidents and achieving less severe accidents. But
how do we get the investment needed to achieve these
savings. The business case development needed is
clear. How do we fund projects and initiatives in today’s
financial environment that have such a dispersed ben-
efits. The driver could pay, but perhaps only when pur-
chasing a new, equipped vehicle. At any other time, the
driver will assume that it will benefit someone else as
he/she will not be involved in an accident
anyway.
If we are unable to have a debate and a forum for dis-
cussing even simple applications like lane departure
warning systems, what hope is there for CVHS/VII?
CVHS/VII is a concept where individual vehicles com-
municate to exchange information, with roadside infra-
structure and/or with and between other individual
vehicles. This is to enable potentially greater safety and
improved efficiency through the reduction of incidents,
increase in capacity and better integration of the vehi-
cle and the roadside operations. For other stakeholders
it might increase commercial activity or provide an
improved driving experience.
It is therefore a tool that might be used to assist in
reaching national and European policy goals of reduc-
ing accidents and reducing adverse environmental
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 39
In My Opinion
impacts. CVHS could develop in many scenarios, in
terms of timing, technical complexity and geographic
coverage.
The pattern of CVHS deployment is likely to be based
upon:
• near-term - an emphasis on vehicle navigation and
information systems for which the technology is already
reasonably mature to achieve better vehicle routeing;
• medium-term - progression towards intelligent
speed adaptation (to adapt vehicle speeds to speed
limits) and collision warning and avoidance systems to
improve safety. Information systems will be more
sophisticated and include the use of “mayday” applica-
tions to detect and report accidents to improve network
wide safety. Delivery of the type of information now dis-
played on variable message signs into the vehicle, and
displayed to the driver at appropriate times. Taken
together these initiatives can lead to the development of
a vehicle which has a greater awareness of the overall
tactical situation than its driver, but the driver remains in
control;
• longer-term - speed control assistance would be
extended to all vehicles, collision warning and avoid-
ance is extended to include partial non-driver control
and lane keeping functions are introduced to improve
traffic flow; and
• long-term - significant control is ceded to the vehicle
and highway systems and collision warning and avoid-
ance becomes much more sophisticated for all highway
settings. These applications allow advanced operations,
especially platooning on high-speed roads that will
improve capacity.
CVHS applications will break new ground by altering
the way our roads operate. Looking at the broader pol-
icy setting within which decisions might be made about
CVHS, we need to start from today’s policies. Policies
will no doubt change and CVHS applications (some
expected and others which are still to crystallise) will
influence the development of that changed policy
framework. The following policy issues are likely to be
particularly challenging:
• setting a framework of responsibility for systems not
40 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
wholly controlled by the driver;
• gaining the confidence of the public for the use of
CVHS derived information that will be essential for the
effective management of the network;
• the cost of systems both to the user and the infra-
structure provider;
• the route to implementation of more visionary sys-
tems;
• deciding on the approach to worldwide manufactur-
ing industry to achieve compatibility, finding the bal-
ance between mandating and allowing market forces to
drive development;
• enforcement of vehicle standards and the use of
CVHS by competent vehicles and drivers;
• the shift to a controlled system and the implications
for achieving safety that is the equivalent of a public
transport system; and
• delivering an operational network quickly enough to
promote take-up of technology.
To sum up
Setting the policy framework for CVHS will be more
time-consuming and the potential business case for
deployment will be damaged unless the debate with all
stakeholders is established and maintained.
The beneficiaries from CVHS are the travellers, who
will have more comfortable and more efficient journeys,
insurance companies who will pay less in infrastructure
and other collision damage, the road operators who will
bear less maintenance costs and have to undertake less
cost reclamation and the motor manufacturers who will
be able to sell a more interesting product. These tech-
nologies also unlock a host of other applications relat-
ing to travel, marketing and entertainment.
So why hasn’t it already happened? TH
Richard Harris is Director of ITS for WSP and can be
contacted via email at richard.harris@wspgroup.com
Robert Cone is Director of Roads Network
Management for Transport Wales and his email address
is robert.cone@traffic-wales.com
www.h3bmedia.com
South Africa

Rapid ITS deployment in

South Africa will now be
supported, and even
expedited, by a new ITS Centre
of Excellence. KEVIN BORRAS
spoke to ITS South Africa’s
CEO, DR PAUL VORSTER,
himself a Thinking Highways
columnist, about another
exciting development in his
country’s advanced traffic
management odyssey

The opportunity to “leapfrog” to new ITS technolo-
gies in the absence of huge investment in old sys-
tems that require upgrading is one of the factors
driving ITS deployment in South Africa.
This makes the South African ITS industry very excit-
ing with excellent business opportunities for compa-
nies with local partners.
Another contributing factor for the rapid deployment
of ITS systems includes the country’s hosting of the 2010
World Cup. This is providing the much-needed political
support to progress with ITS deployment, such as those
supporting the promotion of public transport.
“The two-fold priority driving ITS deployment in
South Africa is managing rampant congestion in the
metropolitan areas such as Johannesburg and Cape
Town in particular, and promoting public transport,”
explains Dr Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa.
Land-use, apartheid policies and a culture of living
outside of the city centres have resulted in massive
urban sprawl and low population density that under-
mined the business case for public transport.
The economic growth rate, consistently positive for
more than a decade now, has seen a large increase in the
number of private vehicles. Infrastructure upgrades
lagged behind and the gap between the number of
vehicles relative to road space has escalated out of hand.

42 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


Excellent
work
This has opened the way for the rapid growth in ITS
deployment.
Decades of under-spending on transport infrastruc-
ture have come to an end. Noting the infrastructure
needs, the South African Government has announced
capital projects to the value of €40m, with a high per-
centage of the funding going towards transport-related
infrastructure projects. This is part of a Government ini-
tiative to sustain long-term economic growth called the
Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative South Africa (com-
monly referred to as ASGISA).
In common with most other countries South Africa is
experiencing a shortage of engineers. The high number
www.h3bmedia.com
South Africa
of infrastructure projects already under way, or at the
planning stage, has resulted in a significant skills short-
age. Pledging to play a constructive role in supporting
sustainable growth in the industry, the Board of ITS SA
has recently approved the establishment of the ITS Cen-
tre of Excellence, says Vorster.
Established in 2001 as a cooperative effort between
transport stakeholders in both the public and the pri-
vate sectors ITS South Africa (then known as the SA Soci-
ety for ITS or SASITS) initially played an almost
missionary role in promoting ITS as a way to help solve
the many transport woes. Today ITS has become main-
stream with strong institutional support.
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 43
South Africa
“We are privileged to count transport leaders such as
the SA National Roads Agency, the City of Cape Town,
the Johannesburg Roads Agency and several other Pro-
vincial and Departments of Transport as supporters,”
enthuses Vorster. “|We have equally strong private sec-
tor support.”
The ITS Centre of Excellence (ITS CoE) has been
designed as a virtual organisation to promote flexibility
and enhance its ability to cooperate with stakeholders
in the field of ITS in particular and transport in general.
The ITS CoE will serve as delivery mechanism for
projects and build on the international network estab-
lished by ITS South Africa through a series of MoUs and
professional relationships.
Holding it all together (and up)
The ITS CoE will be based on five “pillars” - knowledge
management, training, education, research support and
innovation/development with the first two pillars already
activated.
Knowledge management services are delivered via
the ITS South Africa website that is updated for mem-
bers almost daily with industry news and business intel-
ligence about what’s happening in the industry. This
“tactical” side of knowledge management is supple-
mented with a programme to expand it to include addi-
tional strategic information about trends and new
developments.
“It is not only about current business processes, but
44 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
also to anticipate and prepare for coming trends and
new developments,” says Vorster. With many ITS practi-
tioners being educated as professionals in fields such
as civil or electrical engineering, or coming from the IT
or communication industry, hands-on training to encour-
age a holistic and integrated approach is vital in this
stage of the ITS industry. Regular workshops on issues of
topical interest, the biennial e-Transport Conference
and Exhibition of the systems and products in the global
market and the post-conference training session form
part of the training pillar.
Says Vorster: “We have started with exploratory dis-
cussions on developing the education pillar to ensure
that 10 years from now there will be a pipeline of ITS-
trained engineers entering into the industry. This is a
long-term process that will yield results in producing
the next generation of ITS professionals to meet the ITS
challenges of 2020.”
Research support and innovation and development
will be cultivated as the ITS Centre of Excellence settles
down and expands its capacity.
ITS South Africa is also focusing and playing a key role
in addressing immediate challenges that derive from
hosting the World Cup. Games will be hosted in 10 ven-
ues across the country and local government will play a
leading role in upgrading the transport networks in the
respective cities. To this end (and as part of the long-
term ASGISA initiative) several flagship projects
include:
www.h3bmedia.com
South Africa

• Gautrain, a rapid rail link between Johannesburg and such as an improved “business-class” service between
Pretoria and between Sandton and the OR Tambo Inter- Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD.
national Airport (previously known as Johannesburg One of the characteristics of the global ITS industry, is
International); the willingness of ITS professionals to cooperate across
• Bus Rapid Transit systems for Johannesburg and Pre- national boundaries. A cooperative group such as IBEC
toria. Dedicated bus lanes, right-of-way, integrated tick- is an example of the sharing of information and inter-
eting and comprehensive security systems will give institutional cooperation. Another example is the
urban dwellers a public transport option currently not Europe-based Network of National ITS Associations that
available and further stimulate the ITS industry; is supported by ERTICO. Given this cooperative spirit,
• The i-Traffic incident management project in the ITS South Africa looks forward to engage potential part-
high-traffic stretch of freeway between Johannesburg ners and collaborators via the ITS Centre of Excellence,
and Pretoria and its roll-out to interconnecting free- says Vorster. TH
ways;
• Expansion of the road network in the central prov-
ince of Gauteng with a planned multi-lane free-flow toll
system;
• Electronic Fare Collection for Public Transport in
Western Cape with phase one of the tender already
awarded;
• Airport upgrades and expansions underway at sev-
eral South African airports, including traveler informa-
tion systems, parking management, security systems
and expanded e-ticketing systems;
• The struggling taxi recapitalision programme that
aims to replace the aged fleet of 15-seater minibus taxis
with custom-design vehicles carrying up to 35
passengers;
• Improvements to the Metrorail commuter services,

“Research support and

innovation and development
will be cultivated as the ITS
Centre of Excellence settles
down and expands its
capacity”

46 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

 South Africa

www.truvelo.co.za


 





info@truvelo.co.za








 


tel +27113141405




 

HOW EUROPE
WORKS
Cooperative Vehicles Think Tank
1 April 2008/Intertraffic Amsterdam
1/4
luis@h3bmedia.com
www.h3bmedia.com

H B Media thinking
highways

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 47

 Thinking Differently

[transmission begins] The demand for ITS surveillance tele-

vision continues to grow. In the mid-1990s, a good rule
of thumb was that a jurisdiction would have approxi-
mately 15% CCTV cameras deployed supporting traffic
surveillance as compared to deployed traffic control-
lers. This percentage has now doubled. Cities that
have 100 traffic controllers deployed will have at least
30 CCTV cameras deployed. The trend continues
upward and the demand for video detection sensor
(VIDS) video to complement surveillance CCTV video at
traffic management centers (TMC) is resulting in it being
a primary sensor for ITS. This article reviews CCTV
technology evolution and its impact on Intelligent Trans-
portation Systems.

Benefits of CCTV:
CCTV cameras classically include a camera with pan,
tilt, and zoom (PTZ) capability. This is contrasted with
VIDS that classically have been fixed cameras with inte-
grated video data processing providing automatic

The Nuts and

detection and reporting of vehicles that enter detection
gates manually set up within the image of the corridor.
VIDS classically have replaced copper loop detectors

Bolts of ITS
because they have improved reliability and thus lower
maintenance cost with only a small compromise in
measured parameter accuracy. VIDS support the

CCTV
detection of vehicle presence (count), and when set up
in pairs, can further report speed, headway and size
classification. By setting up detection gates at specific
locations and including an incident detection algorithm,

by Bruce
VIDS can provide an alert to a traffic manager of a prob-
able accident. Making the VIDS video available facili-
tates incident verification of an accident and facilitates

Abernethy
incident coordination between the TMC and the emer-
gency management center (EMC). With surveillance
CCTV cameras deployed, the PTZ function allows the
traffic manager to provide a close look at the incident
and share this video with an emergency resource dis-
patcher within the EMC. This facilitates dispatching the page one
needed emergency resources to save lives and rapidly
clear the incident. CCTV provides the ability of both
TMC and EMC staff to view traffic, road, and weather
conditions. It provides information on all lanes within the
field of view. CCTV supports verification of dynamic
message sign text, identifies flooding and icing condi-
tions on corridors, supports security of critical trans-
portation infrastructure, as well as providing a sensor
output that is unequalled in supporting interoperability
between ITS centers. During a major emergency caused
by nature or man, CCTV is an important sensor support-
ing damage assessment and emergency evacuation.
One further application of CCTV that continues to pro-
vide demand for deployment is for traveler information.
Travelers seem to believe CCTV images of corridors
and thus want access to it via Internet and even digital
cellular telephones. Travelers now prefer streaming
video of corridor congestion as compared with a frame
grabbed image. Streaming video demand from
deployed CCTV cameras is starting to have a major
impact on ITS communications networks as well as cost

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 49

 Thinking Differently

of providing traveler information via Internet service

providers. The wealth of information within CCTV as
well as VIDS video will continue to make video deploy-
ment grow.

CCTV Technology Evolution:

There are a number of technology features that are
emerging onto the market. Most of these improve-
ments are driven by the security market and the mass
deployment of security cameras supporting Homeland
Security. One can only look at the success of security
cameras deployed in London to identify and assist in the
apprehension of terrorists. These security cameras
have also been identified as an information source to
assist in the successful prevention of a terrorist act.
Security applications demand wide dynamic range of
video as well as image resolution and quality suitable for
not only detection but also identification. A few years
ago, CCD technology was superior to CMOS imaging
sensor technology. Now CMOS technology offers a

The Nuts and

120 dB dynamic range and is less costly for high den-
sity pixel configurations that are needed to enhance
conventional resolution and to make high definition tel-

Bolts of ITS
evision (HDTV) affordable. Wide dynamic range allows
a CCTV camera sensor to provide a viewable image of
things in sun as well as the shadows. CMOS technology

CCTV
requires less power and is capable of operating at
higher temperatures, a feature very beneficial to ITS
deployments in US States like Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas where summer temperatures can exceed 115

by Bruce
degrees Fahrenheit. CMOS sensors exhibit slightly less
sensitivity compared with CCD, however, this can be
made up by proper selection of a lens. CMOS sensors

Abernethy
have an IR capability and can support day/night/IR oper-
ations. An IR filter is incorporated to support selection
of day/night versus IR operations. In addition, single
large scale integration (LSI) chips are now available that
directly interface with the CMOS (or CCD) pixel array
and provide literally a two chip camera. The LSI camera page four
processor chip includes all standard functions of a cam-
era as well as functions such as video masking, video
detection, video compression (with selectable com-
pression standards) and a variety of interface options
including USB and Ethernet. Also image stabilization
that really works for mobile video applications is being
integrated into the camera’s LSI processor. This author
saw a demonstration of said technology, and it was very
impressive. With this new LSI camera processor and
CMOS sensor array, all one has to add is the lens and
PTZ control electro-mechanics. In quantity, these cam-
era chip sets are selling for under US$150. Today, the
environmental housing and PTZ features of the CCTV
camera are the greatest cost.
PTZ technology continues to improve, with the transi-
tion from analog control, to digital stepping motors.
Cameras are emerging integrated position encoders,
facilitating positioning of a camera to an accuracy of
less than 0.1 degree and assuring repeatability of
returning to this location (PTZ) if commanded. Thus a
PTZ camera is not capable of also providing VIDS func-

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 51

 Thinking Differently

tions as well as surveillance functions. Positioning

accuracy and repeatability is necessary because the
detection gates of VIDS within a specific field of view
must be calibrated.

Video Compression:
Again, the new CCTV cameras emerging onto the
market have integrated video codec capability with
selection of MPEG 2, MPEG 4 part 2, MPEG 4 Part 10
(H.264) as well as MJPEG. The LSI processor is an
improvement over the current approach of adding a
DSP to the camera and executing firmware licensed
from a French company (the current predominate sup-
plier of video compression firmware for DSPs). The
most important benefit of this new LSI technology is
that it eliminates the need to convert digital video within
the camera chip to analog video and then back to digital
video for compression by the DSP. A further advantage
is that the LSI chip accommodates 10 bit video versus
8 bit video as accommodated by DSP video codec. This

The Nuts and

results in improved color and image quality.
Video compression standards are still of major con-
cern in ITS. Television News stations desire MPEG 2

Bolts of ITS
compressed video because they are set up to handle it.
H.264 (MPEG 4 part 10) has been adopted by digital
cellular service providers and is well suited for internet

CCTV
distribution of digital video. It is logical that ITS adopt
H.264 because it supports standard and high definition
television (MPEG 4 part 2 does not support HDTV) as
well as narrow bandwidth in addition to wide bandwidth

by Bruce
communications network compatibility. Unfortunately,
few CCTV cameras on the market today incorporate
H.264 video compression standards.

Important Considerations:
Just like traffic controllers must meet NEMA TS-2 envi-
Abernethy
ronmental standards and quality standards, so should
other equipment placed roadside. A CCTV camera must page six
be designed from scratch to meet the environment in
which it is to operate. Provisions must be made to
assure that electronic components do not exceed their
thermal rating. If their thermal rating is exceeded, life of
the component will be compromised. A jurisdiction
should verify that the CCTV camera to be deployed has
been designed for NEMA TS-=2 temperatures and has
been tested to these temperatures. Few cameras avail-
able today truly meet NEMA temperature requirements
for operations. Placing a camera not designed for
NEMA temperatures in an environmental housing can
make cooling of electronics even more difficult; how-
ever it does protect the electronics from rain and blow-
ing dust/sand. The appropriate approach is for the
electronics and the environmental housing to be
designed as an integral package where cooling and pro-
tection against weather requirements are accommo-
dated in the design. One further point is that it is
necessary to keep moisture and dust out of the housing
containing the camera lens and imaging device. Other-
wise, condensation and dust will deposit on the imaging

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 53

IMAGINED + CONSTRUCTED by Buro de Change
 Thinking Differently

mechanism causing degraded performance. A pres-

surized housing using Nitrogen protects against mois-
ture and dust intrusion. Seals must be designed to hold
the pressure for several years to minimize maintenance
actions. Dome cameras are difficult to seal because of
their large sealing circumference as well as dissimilar
materials (typically aluminium and Lexan). The curva-
ture of the clear dome can also cause image distortion
at full zoom, thus causing performance issues with the
video masking algorithm. For ITS, IP-video over Ether-
net is the appropriate choice. The reason is that the
multicast capability of Ethernet minimizes communica-
tions data loading where multiple users are requesting
access to the digital video stream. With ITS emphasis
on regional interoperability, IP-multicast of video is the
only logical solution. The use of IP-packets for video
stream distribution has significantly less overhead that
transmission of the video stream utilizing ATM 53 byte
cells. ATM protocol overhead for video stream trans-
mission approaches 30%, compared to Ethernet.

Summary:
CCTV is a key sensor technology for ITS. Video from
The Nuts and
Bolts of ITS
any source (CCTV or VIDS) is in demand by both traffic
and emergency management personnel. Trend in emer-
gency management is for higher resolution video facili-

CCTV
tating not only detection but identification. Where traffic
and emergency management is integrated, HDTV CCTV
cameras are predicted to be deployed, especially where
the camera is primarily providing a security function for

by Bruce
critical infrastructure and a secondary function in sup-
port of transportation management. CCTV has also
emerged as a critical sensor in the battle against terror-

Abernethy
ism and associated coordination between traffic and
emergency management to save lives and reduce dam-
age to property during a major emergency. Transition
to higher resolution cameras to meet Homeland Secu-
rity needs as well as providing streaming video to trave-
lers (which will most probably require 100% of CCTV page eight
camera digital video to be on the ITS communications
networks, as compared to only that video being sought
for viewing by ITS related managers/operators) will
have a major impact on ITS communications network
bandwidth requirements. The emerging CCTV cameras
will have many more integrated functions than older
technology, will be smaller and will require less power.
The environmentalization of CCTV cameras suitable for
roadside deployment and operations in all weather con-
ditions as well as high accuracy/performance PTZ units
associated with surveillance cameras will result in prod-
uct cost to jurisdictions remaining about the same. But
considering that no video codec transmitters will be
necessary and that new, dual/quad core workstations
are well suited for multiple digital video stream decod-
ing/decompression and windowing, will result in an
overall lower system cost. [transmission ends]

Bruce Abernethy, PE, is president,

Vector Alpha Systems Inc.
b.abernethy@ieee.org

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 55

CCTV
Special
agents
As the operator for national roads in England, the
Highways Agency (HA) has undergone a transforma-
tion in the last few years. Formed in 1994 to manage
the country’s road building and highways maintenance
programmes, it celebrated its 10th birthday by commit-
ting to a doubling in its size over the following 12 months.
The reason for this rapid growth was a substantial change
in its remit, having also been handed responsibility for
56 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
managing traffic on England’s 5,800 miles of motorway
and trunk roads.
Until the handover, the main responsibility for manag-
ing traffic had resided with the police service. Through
33 separate control centres, each operated by a differ-
ent police force and functioning completely independ-
ently, they monitored their particular stretches of road
for accidents and incidents likely to cause delay. Now,
www.h3bmedia.com

the HA is responsible for coordinating the response to
major incidents and issuing instructions on what
response is required and subsequent dispatch of
response teams.
Seven regional control centres
Under the new HA plan, the functions of the 33 separate
control rooms will be consolidated into just seven
www.h3bmedia.com
CCTV
VIBEKE ULMANN charts the
steady progress of the
Highways Agency’s plans to
revolutionise and update not
only its road network but also
itself. Cutting-edge
technology and carefully
considered collaborations
and consultation are
paramount to the success of
this far-reaching project
regional control centres (RCC). By the end of 2005, four
were already live with the remaining three due to come
on-stream this year. Unlike the police control rooms,
these individual RCCs were immediately linked using
the HA’s X25 network. In the future they will be linked
with the National Roads Telecommunications Service
(NRTS), a £490m scheme that forms a major part of the
Government’s 10 year Plan for Transport.
The NRTS is a facilitation system which also allows oth-
ers to deliver commitments as part of the government’s
plan and it forms the basis for the upgrade of the X25
network. When complete, the NRTS project will provide
a national digital system linking more than 14,000 road-
side devices: message signs, emergency telephones,
and up to 4,000 cameras and traffic monitoring systems,
to the Highway Agency’s network of traffic control cen-
tres. In effect, the HA will then be in a position to collect
and analyse data from all 5,800 miles and manage traffic
flows and react to incidents as if there was a single
National Highway.
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 57
CCTV

Trialling smarter roads ability to identify and monitor congestion, monitor inci-
The HA has implemented a number of innovative dents and coordinate all the emergency services, ensure
schemes to improve the efficiency and safety of the stra- that the hard shoulder is clear of debris and vehicles
tegic road network, including using speed controls to prior to opening, and monitor it whilst it is being used as
smooth traffic flows on the M25 orbital motorway that a running lane.”
encircles London, a National Traffic Control Centre
(NTCC) providing up-to-date infor- Quality, latency and resilience
mation and advice on traffic problems, “The images AMG installed a Guardian-Lite™ 2700
driver information signs at all strate- multi-channel video transmission sys-
gic points on the network, automatic themselves are of tem to link the cameras on the M27
warning systems of traffic queues and very high quality, trial. Using just two of the existing
testing the use of traffic signals to fibres running along the M27 in a dual-
smooth flows on accesses to the M27 despite the long line redundant ring design, the cameras
motorway in Hampshire. lengths involved, were linked to the control centre.
The M27 was selected as a second According to Alan Hayes, founder and
generation trial site to prove the con-because we use a full managing director of AMG Systems,
cept of a uniform approach to CCTV bandwidth solution” “this configuration is critical in the
systems and cameras and it proved event of a break or catastrophic dam-
that second generation was a valid system. Working age to one of the fibre optic cables, since our equipment
through Initial Electronic Security Systems, AMG was automatically re-routes the video signals through the
asked to link up to 23 cameras on a 20km stretch of the other fibre, maintaining system integrity round-the-
motorway and route all the signals back to a control clock.
centre situated at Parkgate. “The images themselves are of very high quality,
“We required a proof of concept system that would despite the long line lengths involved, because we use
demonstrate a capacity to transmit high quality video a full-bandwidth solution that does not compress the
from a large number of cameras with maximum possi- video signal at all. The result is that the control room
ble uptime,” comments Mark Pennington of Initial. “The operators can select any one of the cameras and instan-
CCTV cameras have to give control centre operators the taneously see high quality, real-time images of the scene

58 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

On January 1, 2007 the Czech Republic’s electronic toll collection system for heavy vehicles started
commercial operation. Just 70 days and 14 hours later, toll revenue reached 1 billion Czech Koruna.
Electronic toll collection systems from Kapsch TrafficCom can work for you too | www.kapsch.net

Czechmate!
 ON THE ROAD TO FLOURISH

Like an unfolding blossom, the Swarco Group

continues to expand its market presence and
products, services, and solutions portfolio.
Today, 40 companies in 16 countries account for
more than 200 MEUR in sales related to traffic
control materials and traffic management solu-
tions. The blossom grows and gets new petals,
for instance with transport telematics specialist
Mizar Automazione in Italy and paint factory
Swarco Vicas in Romania. The development of
the blossom involves its change, but, similar to
the solid roots of a plant, some things remain
unchanged: our commitment to road safety
with quality orientation, innovation spirit, and
the partnership approach with you.

SWARCO HOLDING AG, Blattenwaldweg 8, A-6112 Wattens • Tel.: +43-5224-5877-0, Fax: +43-5224-56070 • e-mail: office.holding@swarco.com, www.swarco.com

on the motorway,” he says. “A further advantage of the
Guardian-Lite™ 2700 system is that it freed up a large
amount of roadside fibre. This asset can then be utilised
within the roadside IP data network for a number of
other purposes, such as emergency telephones, over-
head traffic information boards, wind speed data, and
traffic monitoring systems.”
A future UK national highway “High quality
Guardian-Lite 2700 overcomes four transmission is
key design issues for CCTV systems -
video quality, latency, camera count ensured regardless
and resilience. Designed for multi- of distance, without
channel video collection and distribu-
tion over singlemode fibre - together compromising
with associated data and audio signals quality or
if necessary – it will carry up to 64
uncompressed video signals in a real- introducing
time full bandwidth digital format. latency”
This ensures high quality transmission
regardless of distance without compromising quality
and without introducing latency to the video.
It will collect individual or multiple video signals in a
‘daisy-chain’ along a rail track or road and transmit them
all back to one or multiple control rooms. Configured in
dual-redundant mode, Guardian-Lite™ 2700 automati-
cally re-routes all video signals in the event of a fibre
break between two nodes. This dual redundant option
www.h3bmedia.com
CCTV
AMG founder Alan Hayes
ensures no loss of signal during a catastrophic fibre fail-
ure and the system comes equipped with a self healing
capability once the fibre breakage is spliced.
“With its unparalleled video quality, zero latency and
integrated redundancy technology, Guardian-Lite 2700
is ideally placed to ensure the surveillance of the UK’s
busy highways. More than that, it is flexible enough to
accommodate foreseable future
upgrades, such as increased camera
count, without significant disruption,”
says Pennington.
Highlights
• M27 seen as ‘proof of concept’ for
the technologies employed in second
generation,
• Guardian-Lite 2700 runs resilient
ring for 23 cameras,
• The bi-directional channels pro-
vide resilient redundancy in case of
fibre breakage. If a fibre or cable is unavailable, the sys-
tem automatically switches video signals to the other
direction and a fault reporting system advises the main-
tenance engineer of the problem.
• Using just two fibres, AMG system frees up redun-
dant fibre for IP data network linking message signs,
emergency telephones, wind speed sensors and traffic
monitoring systems, etc.th
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 61
A digital
transport
Gaia

62 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

 The Future

As computing power
accelerates and networks,
both wired and wireless
support complete mobility,
the network knows all - and,
say JACK OPIOLA and TONY
IOANNIDIS, it’s everywhere

As embedded systems become smaller, smarter

and better connected, with knowledge of their loca-
tion and environment, the network of these systems
becomes its own computing and communication
platform.
This can be seen clearly in transportation where we
have moved from the analogue age of loop detectors to
radar or laser detection; silver-nitrate film from GATSO
cameras for speed enforcement to digital images with
automatic number plate reading; and, coins collected at
toll booths to “cashless toll collection“ with electronic
transponders. Currently, the new Vehicle Infrastructure
Integration (VII) movement in the USA and the “Smart
Car” initiative in the European Union are creating their
own, new kind of reality - a digital transport Gaia.
Our reference is to the “Gaia Hypothesis”. The Gaia
hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis that proposes
that living and nonliving parts of the earth are viewed as
a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 63

The Future
single organism. Named after the Greek earth goddess,
this hypothesis postulates that all living things have a
regulatory effect on the Earth’s environment that pro-
motes life overall1.
As can be seen from the transitions in the transporta-
tion marketplace over the past 20 years, we will continue
to change and evolve our products, systems and solu-
tions in the transport arena. These, like VII, will usher in
new services that should be designed to run on this new
platform; services that try to make do
with the relatively clumsy systems we “Some academics
use today will be at a serious disad- believe life will
vantage.
ultimately return to
A Gaia authority a manageable
One only has to look at the Intelligent
Transport Systems or Electronic Toll rhythm. Most
Collection market today and envisage consumers believe
how it is and will change in light of
introduction of VII. The VII Proof of otherwise”
Concept (POC) testing (see image 1
below) that is on-going in Michigan today, is one glimpse
of the future reality that will enable the Gaia Hypothesis
in transportation. The ubiquitous use of computing and
network communications to share all data, dynamically
and historically, will dramatically change our lives. We
will interact with our modes of travel, our infrastructure,
our environment and each other in new and dynamic
64 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
ways that will improve our mobility — our complete
mobility.
According to Moore’s Law2 as demonstrated during
the past 20 years, the density of transistors on integrated
circuits will double every 18 months for the next 20
years. There’s at least one application with the depth to
absorb the resulting exponential improvement in CPU
speed, bandwidth, network and memory capacity. That
application for VII is embedded computer networks.
Originally, an embedded computer
was part of a product in ITS, usually
one that had nothing to do with com-
puters. It was a signal processor or
timing signal for traffic light control-
lers. In the 1980s, we began to see
embedded computers in appliances.
Soon they were part of most machines
and became part of the systems. At the
end of the 20th century, we are taking
the next obvious step: networking the
embedded computers into solutions
for traveller information, as one example. With very
clever power delivery and power management, they
can even be built into non-mechanical objects and
strewn across the transport landscape.
Certainly this is true in ETC where either third party,
stand alone 5.9 GHz transponders or embedded sys-
tems for VII will provide new revenue collection models
www.h3bmedia.com
The Future

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CVIS reaches the parts other
projects cannot reach

WATCHING THE DETECTORS

CCTV for ITS comes under the scrutiny
of Bruce Abernethy and Vibeke Ulmann

WIRED EARTH
12 months.
Jack Opiola and Tony Ioannidis
on the digital transport Gaia

ADVANCING SLOWLY
Phil Tarnoff’s dismay at the publc
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Figure 1 - VII POC “Day 1” applications being tested for the FHWA VII program
using contactless credit cards or mobile telephone Near
Field Communications (NFC) solutions for multi-lane,
free-flow tolling, dynamic High Occupancy Toll (HOT)
lanes and possibly time-distance and location-based
charging. The latter may introduce demand manage-
ment for congestion charging and a viable alternative
for fuel excise tax collection. So imagine this: In the early
years of the 21st century, we continue to expand the
wireless networks from the Internet to
the roadside. “Civilization is a
The overhead costs of transportation
business continue to decline.We build
fractal patchwork
embedded networks across our entire of the old, the new
transport system that spread beneath
the Net, supporting it much as plank-
and the dangerously
ton supports the ocean ecology. The new”
advances in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V),
vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle/roadside-
to-person (VI2P) provide a new dimension of informa-
tion and data exchange that will make the current POC
for VII pale in comparison. This added power will make
our 20th-century transport systems seem like a rehearsal
for the solutions that lay ahead.
The science of things
The first decade of the century is filled with doubts and
prophecies of imminent catastrophe; many of the new
advances are plagued by system failures. In their wake,
www.h3bmedia.com
The Future
(Illustration courtesy of Booz Allen Hamilton)
however, we devise programming methodologies to
reliably manage large autonomous networks. Some of
the techniques are very new, based on insights that our
research laboratories could not even begin to explain -
schemes that couldn’t even initialize themselves in
smaller settings. But others were there in plain sight all
along: Biological systems are easily as complex as the
cybernetic ecology of the early 21st Century.
Computer scientists have always
been intrigued by biological analo-
gies - in the 20th Century researchers
worked with genetic programming
and neural-network programming.
Now we have the insight and the hard-
ware to employ similar methods in
large-scale applications. IBM, for
example is currently building mem-
ory and microprocessors at the atomic level of structure,
not through overlaid, hair-size circuit designs as part of
“Nature Nanotechnology”3.
Like biology, the new programming methods are not
deterministic. They are not even fully understandable in
the sense that 20th Century programmers claimed to
understand the code they wrote. By 2007, the largest
control systems are being grown and trained, rather
than written4. Some academics believe life will ulti-
mately return to a manageable rhythm. The vast major-
ity of consumers believe otherwise.
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 67
 “Perhaps integrated
circuits could
become a new
domain of life -
peers to the
domains of plants,
animals, fungi, and
bacteria”
68 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com
 The Future

new transport reality. Perhaps integrated circuits could

become a new domain of life, peers to the domains of
plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, etc. In the Gaia Hypoth-
esis, ICs, unlike other forms of life, can’t reproduce on
their own - but most forms of life on Earth can’t live or
reproduce without others. Human life, for example, is
utterly dependent on bacterial life.
The future direction of transportation may expand our
definition of “life” to help us deal with the future stress of
daily living and IC technology and networks can help us
understand and discuss it more fully. Part of that life is
our transportation system and our interaction with its
many facets. Even at a disaster level, the multitude of
microprocessors in products and systems will continue
to provide a continuous mesh of interconnected net-
works and processors like a sea of plankton supporting
the eco-system of the oceans to nourish our transport
needs.
As we march into the brave, new world of the 21st Cen-
tury, distributed nanotechnology products and ubiqui-
tous networks will help us interact with our environment,
our infrastructure, each other and life in general. The VII
POC and envisaged deployment of such networked
technology is one evolutionary step in that direction. As
computing power accelerates and networks – wired and
wireless support integrated transport needs of the
traveler. The transport network will know all - and it will
be everywhere to support our complete mobility. We
are entering a new digital transport Gaia. TH
Jack Opiola and Tony Ioannidis are Principals
with Booz Allen Hamilton

References
1 Wikipedia, Gaia Hypothesis.

2 The term Moore’s Law was coined by Carver Mead around 1970.
Moore’s original statement can be found in his publication “Cram-
ming more components onto integrated circuits”, Electronics Maga-
zine 19 April 1965. Under the assumption that chip “complexity” is
proportional to the number of transistors, regardless of what they do,
the law has largely held the test of time to date. However, one could
argue that the per-transistor complexity is less in large RAM cache
arrays than in execution units.

3 IBM prints with molecules, by Michael Kanellos, Staff Writer, CNET

News.com, Published: 10 September 2007, 9:00 PM PDT. Researchers
at IBM and ETH Zurich have devised a way to print patterns with mol-
ecules. The pattern on the solid substrate then can be exploited in a
number of ways, according to Heiko Wolf, researcher in nano-pattern-
ing at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory. It was created by placing
20,000 gold particles, each about 60 nanometers in diameter, with the
IBM-ETH technique. At 60 nanometers, each particle is one one-hun-
dredth the size of a human blood cell. The technique could be used to
place particles as small as 2 nanometers wide. (A nanometer is a bil-
lionth of a meter. A human hair is about 60 microns, or 60,000 nanom-
eters, wide).

4 Go to 2050: Computing, page 148.

5 “Lady of Mazes”, a novel by Karl Schroeder defines this concept

far better than the authors.

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 69

Automobile Safety

Actively
passive...

Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET

PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

passively
active
70 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

VIC PHANUMPHAI would like the opportunity to save your life.
Thinking Highways is happy to give him the opportunity to tell
you how he plans to do it
It is universally accepted that the present day
automobile has come a long way since it was first
invented for the purpose of efficient and safe
mobility.
However, it is also an indisputable fact that the devel-
opment of the safety aspect of the automobile is still far
behind that of the telematics/ergonomics/acceleration
departments. Granted, the advent of some safety inno-
vations such as the seatbelt, airbag and advanced brak-
ing system have proved their usefulness beyond doubt
but they are considered to be passive safety apparatus
that cannot prevent accidents from actually occurring.
The main objective of this article is to disclose a basic
principle of an active safety innovation that is based on
an invention by the author (patent pending) that can be
realized by current available technology that was spe-
cifically designed to make future automobiles more
intelligent by being able to sense the behaviour of the
individual driver.
From the moment the ignition key is turned (or the
button is pressed, depending on your car) the current
status of that particular driver can be compared with a
given parameter. This information can then be provided
to not only the driver but also to other drivers that hap-
pen to be traveling on the same section of the road at the
same time.
In all driving situations on any road the hardest part of
the operation for the average driver is to speculate on
the behaviour, or potential behaviour, of other drivers.
Without prior knowledge of the driving ability or the
physical/psychological profile of other drivers (which
can collectively be termed as a driver’s roadworthi-
ness), present day driving has become very stressful for
ordinary motorists all over the world. Therefore, even
with minimal information that could be obtained either
directly or indirectly from fellow drivers sharing the
www.h3bmedia.com
Automobile Safety
same section of the road, an immeasurable benefit will
be derived because it has been concluded by various
studies that most traffic accidents are caused by the fail-
ure of drivers to assess the situation ahead – it is often
the case that they did not have enough time to react
safely.
A safer future
It is the objective of this invention to provide a method
and apparatus that can enhance the safety aspect of an
ordinary automobile or other vehicle while being driven
by any driver. More specifically, the automobile in
accordance with this invention is to be equipped with an
apparatus that will detect, tabulate and process the
information received from various locations or compo-
nents of the automobile during the entire operation of
the automobile, and then to use such information for the
production of warning signals representing a real-time
driving status or driving record based on the actual
behaviour or driving proficiency of the driver himself
after being compared to a given parameter.
Such a warning signal will be constantly shown to the
driver of that particular automobile for his own correc-
tion or adjustment, and also to all other drivers driving
in the same section of the road so that they can take any
necessary precaution in order to avoid an accident.
According to the principle of this invention, a driving
record representing dangerous or erratic driving
behaviour from the beginning of the journey to the
present time, such as speeding, hard braking, frequent
sharp-turning of the steering wheel or lane-changes
made by the driver (and this also includes driving while
under the influence of alcohol or drugs or due to fatigue
or lack of sleep) will be continually collected and com-
pared with the given parameter in order to produce a
relevant signal (such as green/amber/red) for all to see,
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 71
Automobile Safety
or an audible alarm to warn the driver when his driving
behavior had reached a dangerous level. With such
information being constantly updated the driver him-
self will be able to adjust or improve his driving habit
gradually in order to change the signal down to the
green zone.
It all stops here
Another objective of this invention is to provide a method
and apparatus that will produce an early warning signal
of the intended braking or stopping of the automobile
for the benefit of other drivers directly behind it. More
specifically, the automobile will be equipped with an
extra set of amber signals that operates in the same
fashion as a normal traffic signal at the intersection.
Hence, while the driver of the intelligent automobile is
contemplating a stop during normal driving condition,
his foot will be off the accelerator pedal at least for a
certain period of time before a final decision is reached
on whether or not to step on the brake pedal.
This so-called period of contemplation, detectable by
a pressure-sensitive sensor, will activate the warning
amber signal before the red braking signal shows in
order to warn other drivers directly behind to appropri-
ately prepare or react accordingly.
Detailed description
The intelligent automobile, in accordance with the
invention, is to be equipped with a microprocessing
72 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
unit, a number of sensors and two display panels or sig-
nal units. One of the sensors detects the degree of move-
ment or turning angle of the steering wheel of the
automobile. The degree or the severity of the turning of
the steering wheel made by the driver could be meas-
ured as a factor of time and/or distance traveled. A dras-
tic or severe turning of the steering wheel made in a
short period of time or a short distance will represent a
kind of hard turning that should not be happening so
frequently under normal driving condition.
The microprocessor will be able to differentiate this
information after a comparison is made with the given
parameter. Additional sensors are to be installed to
obtain vehicle speed and also other information con-
cerning the frequency and the severity in the sudden
change in pressure made to the brake pedal and to the
accelerator pedal respectively by the driver of the auto-
mobile. The information from all the sensors will be
stored, processed, and compared with the given param-
eters by the microprocessor; the result of which will be
shown on the display panels instantaneously.
Other apparatus such as a breath-analyzer can be
used in conjunction with this invention to measure the
content of alcohol in the breath of the driver; and a warn-
ing signal will be produced if the detected level shown
to be higher than the given parameter. One of the dis-
play panels is to be installed inside the automobile to
keep the driver fully informed of his current driving sta-
tus at all times, while another panel will be appropri-
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 Automobile Safety

ately located for the benefit of other drivers (or, if and

when applicable, traffic law enforcement officers) in the
vicinity. Upon the processing of the accumulated infor-
mation detected by various sensors during any given
period and/or distance traveled a driving profile (or the
degree of roadworthiness) representing a true and
accurate behavior of the driver will be used as a basis
for the production of an appropriate signal to the dis-
play panels. Normal or safe driving will be represented
by a green signal, and the status will be gradually
changed to amber and eventually to red when the driv-
ing behaviour becomes highly erratic that could be
dangerous to both himself and to the public.
In accordance with another aspect of the present
invention the automobile is also equipped with an extra
set of tail lights (the amber signal on the information
panel mentioned above can be used for this purpose) in
order to provide a warning amber signal to the drivers
of the following automobiles in advance of the normal
red brake light.
With a pressure-sensitive sensor to detect the reduc-
tion of pressure (or the absence of pressure) on the
accelerator pedal the microprocessor will equate this
reduction in pressure on the accelerator to be a period
of contemplation or a period of indecision made by the
driver before an actual braking. This forewarning signal
will be provided to the driver of the automobile directly
behind so that he can make use of such warning for his
own advantage.

Conclusion
As previously stated, it would be perfect (as the inventor
of the system) if this system could be introduced on all
automobiles in order to achieve its optimum benefit.
Because, with such a system on board, the driver of the
intelligent automobile can make use of such informa-
tion to make necessary adjustment on his own driving
behavior, while fellow drivers of the world can enjoy
“the right to know” on the status of other drivers’ road-
worthiness at all times.
However, it is also very likely that, even with a full
cooperation from all agencies concerned, this system
will take time to be universally implemented or
accepted. One option that could be considered as a
good beginning is for the insurance industries to give
some incentive to the automobile using the system.
It cannot be emphasized enough that several well-
accepted safety devices as previously mentioned have
proven their usefulness beyond all doubt because of
their merits on the ability to reduce the severity of injury
after an accident occurs. But these are considered to be
passive safety measures that do not prevent traffic acci-
dent. Whereas the apparatus in accordance with this
invention is truly an active safety measure in every sense
of the word that will be the most effective vehicle-to-
vehicle communication system in the world of automo-
tive technologies in this century. TH

Vic Phanumphai BSCE, MEng, PhD is an inventor and

traffic engineer based in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be
contacted by email at traffic99eng@hotmail.com

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 73

The Thought Process
Joaquin
Cosmen
Schortmann
GMV’s CEO Advisor, Member of the Executive Committee of the
European Union Road Federation (ERF), the Brussels
Programme Centre of the International Road Federation (IRF)
Citizens clamour for safer, smarter and greener
road transport. Putting an end to congestion, pollution
and road accidents represents major societal aspira-
tions which require major investments in road infra-
structure and car technology, but, very probably, the
most cost efficient investment is in Intelligent Transport
Systems (ITS).
As part of this more intelligent transport, Galileo
and EGNOS (European Geostationary Overlay Serv-
ice) are undeniable cornerstones - but what are the
real benefits? Europe has probably overemphasized
the commercial interest of Galileo, thus leading to a
complex situation where the benefits of the system are
clear to all, but an intrinsic difficulty emerged in turning
these benefits into a cash-flow for the company(ies) set-
ting-up and administering the system. If we set aside all
economic considerations, however, we can immediately
see that Galileo offers vital advantages over the current
GPS systems because it sets European independence in
satellite navigation from the USA.
Can Europe afford to depend on other countries for
the provision of a service that is essential for society?
The experience with the high dependency of Europe on
external energy (oil) supply gives a clear answer. More-
over Galileo, and EGNOS as a reality today, provide a
substantial value-added with regards to GPS in terms of
new services and improved performance. Of special
relevance for transport is the provision for the Galileo
signal to deliver position integrity, something that will
not only allow planes to land safely but also ensure that
systems like Electronic Toll Collection will correctly and
reliably compute the toll charges.
74 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
In order to better understand the needs of road trans-
port and evaluate the benefits that Galileo will bring
to that sector, the European GNSS Supervisory
Authority has awarded a contract called GIROADS
(www.intelligentroads.org). Coordinated by the ERF
– IRF BPC, the resulting project involves representatives
of different stakeholders in the road sector and ITS. The
GIROADS contract is thus the main point of contact
between the developers of Galileo and the road sector.
Many important conclusions have been established in
particular in what concerns the value-added of Galileo
and EGNOS in addition to the current GPS system for the
road sector.
Galileo is a complex project and not solely because
of the technology, but because of the institutional
and organisational aspects. In order to fairly analyse
the situation it is important to understand that Galileo is
the first EU development of a high technology project of
such magnitude and misses the background of similar
previous endeavours.
In addition, experience shows that all large projects
are always subject to important schedule slippages and
cost overruns, and Galileo will not be an exception. Hav-
ing said this, the lack of a well defined responsibility
chain among different stakeholders and the far too opti-
mistic commercial perspective of Galileo are, undoubt-
edly, elements that have to be corrected.
The European Commission has taken a major step to
solve the situation by proposing to postpone the con-
cession process and proposing full public funding for
the Galileo development. In the meantime, however,
Europe has to be conscious that EGNOS provides over
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 “The main reason for
developing Galileo is
European Independence
and Sovereignty. Can
Europe afford to depend
on third countries for the
provision of a service that
is becoming essential for
society?”
Europe some similar service to those that will be pro-
vided by Galileo, and it is already a reality today. Thus,
the certification of EGNOS and a clear operational
organisation is a must in the short term and Europe
should take all necessary measures to avoid the Galileo
decision process to affect all the urgent decisions that
are needed for EGNOS.
Within the ERF – IRF BPC we have endorsed the EC
target, stated in its White Paper on Transport, that
the time has come to decide on key policy directions
for developing efficient transport networks. How-
ever, the ERF – IRF BPC has taken a critical position on
some elements such as the “inter-modality dogma”.
This position is contributing to the definition of a revised
policy. At the ERF – IRF BPC we have supported the need
to define interoperable Electronic Fee Collection sys-
tems in Europe and have technically analysed how
EGNOS and Galileo can contribute to this. We are con-
cerned about the current situation where the standardi-
sation process seems to be at less than full speed and
the fact that individual Member States will have to make
individual decisions before the standard is approved,
which will make the interoperability target more diffi-
“What ITS can do is
cult to reach.
Asupport
few years ago,policy objectives
the ERF – IRF BPC, through its pres-
and improve knowledge,
ident Dr. Zaragoza, had the vision that the objective
of “better roads for better life” was pivoting from the
information
construction and maintenance and
world to a new frame
management”
where “Intelligent Transport” would play a much
more central role. The ERF – IRF BPC then looked at its
membership to single out individual players who would
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be in favour of taking the lead on this particular topic.
My company, GMV, considered it a very good opportu-
nity to contribute to this new project, and offered its
extensive experience in satellite navigation to the serv-
ice of the Federation. Because of that experience, the
ERF – IRF BPC proposed to name me as the representa-
tive for all ITS-related discussions and I am very proud
to be the spokesman for this new vision.
The challenges ahead for a real penetration of “Intel-
ligent Transport” in the road sector are, as far as I
understand, the availability of a cheap on-board
units (OBUs) able to provide different services cou-
pled with the existence of an appropriate level of
standardisation in the provision of those same serv-
ices. Up to now, in fact, the range of available services
on offer does not justify the purchase of an OBU, mainly
because of the limited value-added for the user and the
relatively high price of the unit itself. If a single device at
a price below €100 was able to support different serv-
ices, on the other hand, it would definitely be more
attractive to the end user.
In addition new EU policies, such as the implementa-
tion of GNSS-based electronic toll collection in Europe,
would be undoubtedly a major trigger for achieving the
aforementioned penetration. Another key factor is rep-
resented by the transition period from the existing situ-
ation to the time where, in the near future, all cars will
integrate an OBU as standard equipment. Then Euro-
pean citizens will truly and fully be reaping the benefits
of Intelligent Transport Systems. TH
Interview by Kevin Borras
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 75
Australia

GLIDe-ing
into the
76
future
Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

Transurban is about to deliver GLIDe, its next
generation of tolling and customer management
technology. GLIDe team program director
BRUCE WILLOUGHBY talks to Thinking Highways
about its combination of technologies,
philosophies, topologies and interoperability
As an active and long term toll road operator, we at
Transurban have built our business around our abil-
ity to deliver innovative technology applications,
and tolling and value-add services. Different solu-
tions may be needed at different times, so it’s impor-
tant for us to be adaptable.
GLIDe emerged from this philosophy. It is our next
generation software and hardware application which
will support our road user charging needs now and in
the future. The project represents a quantum leap in how
we deliver tolling and customer management solutions.
It will improve our core business systems and change
the way we go about our daily business.
In an IT sense, GLIDe is one of the largest scale projects
we’ve ever undertaken. It will replace GATe – the first
generation of technology we purpose-built for CityLink
more than 10 years ago – and reflect our learnings over
the past eight years of operations.
At the time, the design of the CityLink technology was
able to efficiently manage our tolling operations and
customer relationships while we were a single toll road
entity.
In the past two years alone, however, we’ve rapidly
expanded our asset portfolio to comprise of interests in
seven roads across two continents – Australia and North
America – and existing operations continue to grow
strongly. Today more than five million customers use
Transurban roads.
A new challenge
We are now gearing up for a much-improved system
that is flexible, less costly to run and will meet our
increasingly diverse business needs. We want to move
to technology that will give us the ability to better serv-
ice customers and can scale up to ten times more cus-
tomers across various regions and assets as needed.
Like GATe, GLIDe is to be purpose-built for Transur-
ban using a combination of different technologies. To
build GLIDe, we’ve brought together a lot of existing
www.h3bmedia.com
Australia
technologies from various software companies to take
us to the next level of tolling technology. We’ve chosen
these particular companies as they have proven capa-
bilities in developing and successfully delivering com-
plex applications using leading-edge technologies
where high performance is critical. When combined
with our tolling expertise from projects across the globe,
improved customer management is assured.
GLIDe is a solution that offers us operational flexibility
and agility. It’s also highly customer-centric. That’s
because we are building the system in a modular way so
it can be adapted to our different tolling topologies,
such as our HOT lane projects in the US.
GLIDe can also be used for emerging technologies
such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),
which we have looked at in the Australian environment
in partnership with Siemens Tolling Technologies and
Telstra. In effect, we can mix and match components of
the GLIDe technology to better operate across our mul-
tiple assets, and suit the specific requirements of each
asset.
Seamless transition
The existing GATe system was designed to integrate
data processing from the roadside, trip reconstruction,
rating and accounts management and CRM into one
seamless application.
Learning from our experience of supporting large
scale tolling systems, we have chosen to split GLIDe into
three discrete technology solutions – retail manage-
ment, asset management and interoperability manage-
ment.
GLIDe’s design architecture for these three functions
has adopted different IT technologies. The redevelop-
ment of the system design has focused on ensuring scal-
ability and operational efficiency. A full review of the
current environment and development of a target envi-
ronment has ensured that improvements to business
processes are incorporated. Unified Modelling
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 77
Australia
“In re-designing the
asset processor, we
have aimed to reduce
the time needed to
reconstruct a trip and
get the rate of trip to
an account”
Language (UML) has also been applied to standardise
object development.
As previously mentioned, GLIDe has adopted archi-
tecture that is open and flexible. An enterprise commu-
nications framework using XML/SOAP has been adopted
for inter-process data exchange. Interfaces with exter-
nal agencies and their systems are supported via adap-
tors that convert to the standard system architecture. In
terms of hosting, the benefits of modern virtual machine
operating systems enable scalability.
In the re-design of the GLIDe back office, we’ve
focused on enhancing image processing, as this is an
area where automation can greatly improve our opera-
tional efficiency. Central to these efficiency gains are
dual observation of registration numbers at the road-
side, dual but independent Optical Character Recogni-
tion (OCR) algorithms and image signature analysis.
These processes, together with improved details of
account arrangements, can provide an opportunity to
perform data fusion and more accurately identify a vehi-
cle by registration number images alone. This process
is demanding in terms of host data processing perform-
ance, but leads to a more rapid inference of identify and
less manual image viewing.
Reality bites
The processing of transactions from the roadside to an
account is more real time than rules-based. In re-design-
ing the asset processor, we have aimed to reduce the
time needed to reconstruct a trip and get the rated trip
to an account.
To achieve this, we have developed an asset process-
ing architecture that will permit multiple toll roads to be
processed in one host environment. The applicable toll
road topology can be applied to trip reconstruction for
the respective source of the transactions.
Refreshing technology every 10 years or so is a stand-
ard part of our business, but with GLIDe, we’re taking
78 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Citylink’s famous Soundtube
the opportunity to rethink our operations and to replace
our core technology with a system that will allow greater
efficiency and effectiveness, but at the lowest possible
operating costs.
By increasing our operational flexibility through toll-
ing and customer management scalability and config-
urable solutions, we will be able to enhance customer
service and improve our market positioning through
value-add services. For example, we will have a stronger
customer focus by improving data accuracy and con-
sistency, and providing more online self-care options.
Ultimately, we feel that GLIDe will give us a significant
advantage when we’re competing for new assets against
second generation toll road operators in Australia and
overseas.
Team ethics
The project has been two years in the making and the
team is about to grow from 60 to more than 100. This
consists of our full-time employees and people from our
commercial suppliers.
As with any new system involving custom develop-
ment, there is some risk involved and we will be manag-
ing this risk very carefully. We are building some
components from scratch and using proven building
blocks and processing engines where possible. But the
major part of the system will be based on proven appli-
cation package software.
To help us manage this risk, we’ve pulled together a
highly capable team with expertise in a range of areas
including customer management, ITS, revenue manage-
ment, interoperability and asset management.
We’re also leveraging the experience we have accu-
mulated in the past 10 years in various tolling projects
and toll roads Transurban has been involved with to
design and build GLIDe. We’re currently in the solution
design phase of the project and expect to roll it out to
parts of the business towards the end of 2008. TH
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 Australia

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Interview
KEVIN BORRAS caught up with DAVID PEARSON,
the new chairman of innovITS and asked what
drove him to leave the consumer electronics
industry for the ITS world.
David Pearson may well be a new name to the
advanced traffic management industry but he is
anything but new to senior management positions.
Having worked with innovITS on a project last year I
was keen to discover who he was and what, to use a
somewhat inappropriately informal cliché, he will
“bring to the party.”
Welcome to our world, David! What attracted you to the
position of Chairman of innovITS?
I have been building up a portfolio of interests and
wanted at least one to be within the public sector. I was
approached about this role and was fascinated by the
opportunity to contribute to the development of intelli-
gent transport systems which in turn might improve
road safety, reduce traffic congestion, and promote
greater fuel efficiency and thus reduce carbon emis-
sions.
And what qualities do you bring to the role?
I think the Board was attracted by my experience in
running a variety of businesses over 25 years but par-
ticularly a background in consumer marketing that per-
haps means I can bring an insight into end-user
acceptance of ITS; and significant experience in elec-
tronics both with Sony where I was responsible for the
consumer electronics business in the UK and later in
Northern Europe over a 10-year period, and with NXT, a
technology licensing company where I led the sale of
innovative audio technology into several markets includ-
ing automotive and mobile telephones. I have been both
Chairman and Chief Executive of public companies in
the technology space.
Not all of our readers will be familiar with innovITS. Can
you give us an overview of the organisation you now
lead?
innovITS limited is a British Government funded “cen-
tre of excellence” in transport telematics and technolo-
gies for sustainable mobility. It was established in
response to recommendations from AIGT (Automotive
Innovation & Growth Team.) It was funded by the DTI
(Department of Trade & Industry), now the Department
for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. It was
launched in 2004/5 as one of two innovation platform
pilots with around £10m (€15m) dedicated funding.
Its mission is to accelerate the deployment of ITS to
solve UK transport problems, in particular to improve
road safety and security; to optimise transport produc-
tivity via congestion reduction, traffic diversion and
gaining extra capacity from existing infrastructure; to
encourage integrated transport; and to enhance envi-
ronmental, economic and social benefits.
80 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
How is it managed?
innovITS is a company limited by guarantee. Its mem-
bers to date include SMMT, ITS UK, TRL, MIRA, Orange,
Jaguar, Ricardo, and JCB. Each of these organisations has
nominated a senior representative to the Board which I
now chair and at a monthly meeting we review the activ-
ities of the company with reports from the Chief Execu-
tive Phil Pettitt. Phil was a member of the innovITS launch
committee and has been CEO from the beginning. Phil
has been building up the team with experts in related
fields to allow innovITS to perform its mission. The posi-
tion of Chairman was left vacant until now.
What have been the activities of innovITS so far?
In its first year innovITS focussed primarily on estab-
lishing its credibility as a centre of excellence. It was
particularly active in setting up VIVA UK which was
delivered at the ITS World Congress in London last
October.VIVA UK enabled many sites from round the UK
to demonstrate ITS excellence in their operations to the
congress delegates.
The virtual visits made to the sites bridged the dis-
tances that would have otherwise made such visits
impossible within the schedules of delegates from all
over the world. And so in a beautifully neat way VIVA
both demonstrated ITS and fulfilled its own mission!
An initial version of the ITS Technology Roadmap has
been produced using the DTI mandated software for the
purpose. This has been validated with the DfT (Depart-
ment for Transport) and is being integrated with other
TRMs. One dedicated staff member is now engaged in
the ITS Knowledge Transfer Network. The KTN supports
the ITS Innovation Platform, on which innovITS is repre-
sented, and works alongside 20 other KTNs.
A series of workshops has been held including one,
for example, strongly supported by MIRA, in the Area of
Cooperative Active Safety Systems (CoAS). Another
brought together the communications and transport
industries. The aim was to build awareness amongst the
latter of an internet-based standard for communications
across all mainstream telecommunications modes
(called IMS). After that innovITS has been involved in
promoting projects within its remit. The aim is to pump
prime project activities within innovITS, establish a track
record in this area and provide promotional opportuni-
ties and thus raise our profile.
And how do you see that changing over the next few
years, perhaps even beyond your tenure?
First innovITS will need to ensure its long-term sus-
tainability. There is no guarantee that public funding will
continue indefinitely and while I would like to think that
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 Interview

What lies
ahead

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 81

 Laser
sensors
for traffic control
Noptel's CM30 distance sensor
family has been developed
for OEM use with
products for traffic,
industrial or portable
applications that we can establish innovITS as an organisation that is sim-
require high-speed
ply indispensable and so will command continued fund-
measurements of
ing, we need to find alternative methods of funding. We
will seek to do that by finding new opportunities that are
poorly reflecting targets.
complementary to the activities of our members.
These devices represent a perfect
Second, by the original statutes of the company, we
choice for intelligent traffic camera triggering,
are required to appoint a council of up to 30 members.
vehicle profiling or speed measurement.
This will give us the opportunity to expand our mem-
bership and thus increase our reach and potential influ-
The units are small in size, of low weight and power con-
ence. I do not think of innovITS as a membership
sumption, and are suitable for outdoor use in harsh envi-
organisation per se, but through its constituency and its
ronments. They are available in different packagings, and
management of the Knowledge Transfer Network we
customised operation is possible even with smaller volumes.
have already connected over 900 organisations. How-
ever, there is a bias on the Board towards the motor
industry and, vital though that is to the achievement of
our mission, I believe we can strengthen our influence
by bringing in other publics; e.g. the infrastructure
industry; perhaps the insurance industry given that at
least one of its members is experimenting with variable
pricing linked to an ITS infrastructure; the academic
community and no doubt others.
Third, and as an extension of my second point, we will
Applications • Traffic light control continue to widen our international links. We have
• LPR camera triggering • Signal violation control recently been accepted as a member of ERTICO and I
• Vehicle profile measurement • Criminal vehicle interception believe can contribute a great deal to the development
• Vehicle classification • Vehicle detection of ITS internationally. We will not forget the national
• Speed measurement • Tunnel entrance control interests of our funders, far from it, but the ITS commu-
nity is already global and we will ensure that we are fully
integrated into it.
NOPTEL – AT THE FOREFRONT David, as a relative newcomer to the ITS industry what
OF OPTICAL MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY particular insights have you had at this early stage in your
period of office?
For further information, please contact: As you say I am a relative newcomer though I have had
various experiences earlier in my career which I think

Noptel were relevant. At Sony I led the development of a very

successful in-car entertainment systems business based
on a car dealer option model with several leading
Noptel Oy, Teknologiantie 2, 90570 Oulu, Finland
Tel. +358 8 551 4351, fax +358 8 556 4101, info@noptel.fi, www.noptel.fi
marques and I also established a successful mobile
phone business initially based on a partnership with
Cellnet, the forerunner of O2. I set up a service provider

82 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

which was later sold on with a significant return on
investment. At NXT I led the licensing of our audio tech-
nology and saw it installed in cars from Toyota and PSA
among others and also in mobile phones from a number
of Japanese providers. This experience is relevant in
that it has told me how difficult it can be to bring prod-
ucts to market particularly when there is inertia in the
system. It is often necessary to promote industry coop-
eration first and then when the standards are agreed to
let the hounds of free competition lose. Because compa-
nies are understandably wary of appearing to cooper-
ate with their natural competitors, often these standards
are held up.
An example that I observed during my time at Sony
was that there was considerable disagreement over the
standards of what eventually became DVD. Once the
consortium had agreed how to divide the licensing fees
and formed an agency to promote and collect those fees
the take off of DVD was one of the most successful ever
in the history of consumer electronics. Of course, once
the standard was agreed the competition in the market
place between all the rights holders and their sub licen-
sees was as fierce as ever.
An even earlier example goes back to the early 1920s.
The British audio manufacturers of that time found it dif-
ficult to sell their products because the radio spectrum
was crowded with no consistency in broadcast quality
across Europe. A consortium of six manufacturers, the
original British Radio and Electrical Manufacturers
Association, approached the Government and pro-
posed that it set up and regulate the British Broadcast-
ing Corporation. They even offered to hire and pay for
the first Chief Executive, the later Lord Reith.
The lesson from this and many other technology devel-
opments is that there is a pre-competitive stage when
manufacturers and others should cooperate, share
knowledge and agree standards in order to enjoy the
fruits of a post competitive stage when all hell breaks
loose. Organisations like innovITS can play a key role in
facilitating this process. TH

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol x No x 83

Supporting
cast
MICHAEL AHERNE, chair of the POLIS
Traffic Efficiency and Monitoring
Working Group on the new challenge of
sustainable urban traffic management
Most European cities are faced with the permanent
challenge of traffic congestion with the associated
problems of reduced accessibility, environmental
degradation and lower quality of life.
The emerging solutions to these problems ultimately
rely on the twin approaches of (i) increased use and per-
formance of the more sustainable modes, and (ii)
reduced dependence and tighter control of car use.
Within Sustainable Urban Transport Planning, cities will
be setting objectives and targets for network managers
in these two areas.
However, the principal urban traffic management
philosophies and techniques developed over the past
30 years were generally intended (i) for a homogeneous
84 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
stream of vehicles and (ii) to accommodate increased
traffic flows, with reduced vehicular delay.
Fuzzy vision
At national and international institutional levels, we face
conflicting future visions of traffic management. Here
are three examples of vision (and there are many
more):
• Vision (i) The Technological Network - a vision of
high-tech vehicles in constant communication with each
other and with central control systems that provide each
vehicle with its optimum route and road position, to min-
imise journey time and to keep everything moving
• Vision (ii) The Quiet City - a vision of streets as
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quality living and working places, noise-free, pollutant-
free, safe, attractive and with minimal vehicular intru-
sion, with pre-eminence of cycling, walking and
recreational activity within the public realm, and with
(underground) public transport
• Vision (iii) The Responsible Citizen - a sustainable
city of responsible citizens, willing to choose the most
appropriate mode for the trip (pre-planned, of course),
interchanging effortlessly between walking, cycling,
driving, bus and train, etc
While these are conflicting visions in many ways, they
all share two common traits. The first is that each vision
is separately supported by the EU, through the various
research, cohesion, or structural programmes. The sec-
ond common trait is that each vision pre-supposes or
expects that congestion will disappear, i.e. that trans-
port capacity will match travel demand exactly. Let us
examine each trait more closely:
Is the EU riding two (or more) horses?
The fact that the EU would support multiple visions of
traffic management is not as odd as it might first
appear:
Vision (i) is largely associated with highway network
management. Development and management of a Euro-
pean-wide highway network is considered essential to
the EU economy, and the development of vehicle-to-
vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) tech-
nology is a logical path to the delivery of this vision.
Vision (ii) derives from an environmental and qualita-
tive view of urban living. Again, the EU recognises that
80% of the population of the EU lives in
the cities in Europe, and that quality of
life and health are key issues for the
“Many European
future. cities do not have
Vision (iii) is the vision to which more
and more urban planning authorities
stated objectives
are subscribing, since it appears to be for traffic”
the only vision capable of providing
accessibility, reliability and sustainability into the future.
Addressing the gap between this third vision and the
everyday commuting of European city life are at the
heart of EU, national and local administrative activity.
Congestion-free city regions?
The second common facet of these visions is of more
concern - each vision pre-supposes an absence of con-
gestion, or raises expectations that our cities can be
congestion-free. Of course, this does not sit with recent
European experience. The past 40 to 50 years can per-
haps be broken into four phases, each with an associ-
ated transport planning policy.
In the first phase (1960s- early 1970s), car ownership
growth was constrained primarily by affordability, and
so congestion levels were low. The prevailing traffic
management policy was accommodation through road-
side on-street parking, longer traffic signal cycle times,
and so on.
In the second phase (late 1970s to mid-1980s) predict-
and-provide policies attempted to accommodate not
only the current usage, but provide for future traffic lev-
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POLIS Network
els. This resulted in the huge growth in car ownership
and usage and generated the legacy of congestion.
The current phase is largely summarised by predict-
and-provide-public-transport; provision of competitive
public transport is expensive and difficult to deliver,
and of course, congestion levels remain high Europe-
wide.
Perhaps we are on the cusp of entering the predict-
and-reduce or predict-and-suppress era of transport
policy? The implementation of congestion charging in
London and Stockholm might be signs of change in this
direction.
However, unless we consciously address the reality of
congestion, and move into a new phase of contra-
congestion transport planning and traffic management,
we will continue to delude ourselves that the excess
traffic will simply “go away” regardless of which future
vision we choose.
(No) network management objectives
In the absence of a clear future vision, or an overall trans-
port policy, it is no surprise that most cities are unclear
on how the road and street network should best be man-
aged on behalf of the public.
The network objectives have become complex and
competing – EU Directives in relation to Noise and Air
Quality Management simply add to the list. Of course,
ensuring safety remains of paramount importance, and
is expected.
Sustainable Traffic Management objectives need to
be set locally as part of an overall Urban Strategy and
Transport Plan. These management
objectives and corresponding per-
formance targets are likely to include
new objectives such as:
• Competitive bus speeds;
• Reduced journey times;
• Increased cycling and walking for
shorter trip lengths;
• Absence of city centre congestion etc;
• Reliable and repeatable network performance
across all the modes.
(Incidentally, POLIS is partnering an EU project called
PILOT, which will generate guidance notes for European
Cities on how to develop Sustainable Urban Transport
Plans and objectives).
Many European cities do not have stated objectives
for traffic. Accordingly, the modern urban traffic man-
ager is like a circus performer spinning too many plates
on the top of poles – plate-dropping (i.e. incidents,
delays, malfunctions, queues, etc.) is ultimately inevita-
ble, and no sense of achievement or job satisfaction is
likely… what a lousy job!
Management paralysis
Indeed, the fear of such inevitable failure may bring
with it a certain paralysis: the member cities in POLIS
recently considered possible reasons why operators
appear to be reluctant to perform interventions on their
traffic signal UTC system. Apart from the candid admis-
sion of “not knowing how to intervene”, the other factors
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 85
POLIS Network
were:
1.The operator was uncertain if the intervention would
make the situation better of worse;
2. The operator did not get enough forewarning to
make a useful intervention;
3. There was no clear reporting structure - the traffic
was generally viewed like the weather; good some days,
bad some days. A poor traffic situation was attributed to
the traffic itself, and did not reflect on the quality of the
traffic management;
4. There were no clear management objectives – and
therefore no incentive to develop overall strategies or
perform interventions.
A poor traffic situation is made all the poorer without
pro-active network management. The development of
appropriate traffic management techniques and prac-
tices within traffic control centres, and control staff, is
now worth exploring co-operatively between cities.
The right tools for the job?
The main traffic management systems for our networks,
including SCOOT and SCATS, were developed and
installed 25 to 30 years ago, i.e. during the predict-and-
provide era. Their intended purpose was the accommo-
dation of additional traffic through adapting signals, and
reduction of vehicular delay. These systems (albeit with
subsequent development) remain as the backbone of
our urban Traffic Management Centres, despite the fact
that the challenges of sustainable traffic management
are very different, and that most European cities are try-
ing to reduce their dependence on the private car!
All urban areas are now dealing with a variety of traffic
modes. These include walking, cycling, bus, private car
and goods movement in all cases, and in many cases,
trams and taxis. The prime concern is now the move-
ment of people and goods, not vehicles. However, our
primary traffic management tools (cameras and loops)
concentrate on monitoring and responding to general
(private) traffic volumes.
We have a legacy of Urban Traffic Management sys-
tems within our cities, but in a new era of Sustainable
Traffic management, a question mark hangs over the
appropriateness of the systems in some cases, or the
method of their use in other cases.
The three-strand approach “There is a question
So what changes do we need to make, in
order to provide modern Sustainable mark over the
Urban Traffic Management? I suggest appropriateness of
that there is a three-strand approach to
develop new and appropriate manage- urban traffic
ment techniques, but all of them require management
the pre-requisite of setting network
(traffic) management objectives in the systems or their
first instance. The three strands are: method of use ”
1. Development of Optimal Interven-
tion Strategies:
This involves reviewing and analysing daily and sea-
sonal norms, and developing suites of interventions to
achieve optimal overall network performance.
There is a potentially strong role here for Decision
86 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Support Systems (DSS) to assist traffic managers to take
decisions and actively manage traffic challenges, in
order to strive for the pre-determined network manage-
ment objectives.
It would appear that there are two universal problems
which need specific and novel approaches: (i) the
boundary problem that exists between motorway/high-
way management and the multi-modal urban street traf-
fic management and (ii) the problem of managing the
evening peak discharge from a confined central area.
2. Multi-modal detection/control: There is a highly
developed technology for the detection of cars. Many
other modes are not counted, and therefore do not count.
Public transport modes may be detected, but are not
often weighted to take account of the numbers of per-
sons being carried.
Recognising the cost of data, the dangers of data over-
load, and the realistic opportunities for intervention, it
will examine in particular the type and level of data
required for effective management (real-time, batch,
trend, behavioural, qualitative and so on).
Ultimately, this module translates into the detection of
person-trips (rather than vehicle movements) and
behaviour across the various modes, performance
measures for these, and using the data effectively
through DSS.
3. Multi-modal Urban Traffic Management:While road
authorities are responsible for the management of
roads, they are not in a position to exercise management
control over all the modes, especially within the increas-
ingly competitive and privatised public transport
mode.
Sustainable urban traffic management will require a
partnership approach between key stakeholders in
terms of setting and agreeing overall network manage-
ment objectives, expected stakeholder activity and
performance, collaborative actions, data and systems
integration, co-ordinated interventions and emergency
responses etc.
There is scope for significant improvement of the
knowledge base on how this should be done,
including:
• Appropriate management philosophy (Manage-
ment by Exception, Management by Increment, Man-
agement by Objective etc.),
• Management structures (within
agencies, between agencies etc.) for
overall network management, incident
management, intervention manage-
ment, data exchange etc.
• The transparency and accountabil-
ity of network management to the
wider public etc.
• Audit procedures to identify /
prompt management activity in vari-
ous areas of network management,
including human dependency, legacy and contractual
constraint, etc.
• Comparative study of network management in other
industry sectors, and identification of transferable tech-
niques and technology
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International trade fair for infrastructure,
traffic management, safety and parking

Amsterdam RAI
The Netherlands

1.2.3.4 APRIL
2008

Intertraffic com
®
POLIS Network

 
 

   



 

 
  
  
   

   

  
 
 
  

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HOW EUROPE
WORKS
Satellite Technology In The
Road Transport Sector:
a GIROADS Think Tank
2 April 2008/Intertraffic Amsterdam
2/4
Brussels thinking
Programme
Centre highways

H B Media luis@h3bmedia.com
www.h3bmedia.com

88 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


Overload management
In many walks of life, there are many managers who must
deal with peak loading on a repeatable daily basis –
sandwich shops, mobile phone net-
“Sustainable urban
works, electricity supply, ticket outlets,
airports, supermarkets to name but a traffic management
few. Many strategies are employed to
deal with such peaks (extra staff, incen- will require a
tivising the off-peak, queue manage- partnership
ment, network protection protocols
approach between traffic management goals over the past
etc.) in the best interests of the customer
and the business. key stakeholders” 30 years,but the management approach
Most urban networks are similarly
subject to peak traffic loads or overload, recurring daily
in cities and towns across Europe. Ask any road-based
commuter by bus, car, or bicycle (i.e. the customer), and
they will be able to identify where congestion points
predictably arise. However, ask the traffic manager
about the “overload management strategy” for the net-
work, and whether the current congestion points are the
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POLIS Network
best places to locate queues, and you may find that the
daily congestion points just happen to be the locations
where “not everything fits”.
Regardless of which management
approach is taken, clear provision must
be made for how the excess of traffic,
i.e. the overload, is to be managed.
Conclusion
The goalposts have shifted in terms of
and supporting systems have not nec-
essarily moved the same way or at the same pace. The
setting of clear objectives, coupled with appropriate
management structures, systems and techniques, lie at
the heart of Sustainable Traffic Management into the
future. There is much to be done! TH
For more information about POLIS and its activities
go to www.polis-online.org
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 89
Weigh in Motion

ONDREJ PRIBYL examines the

role of weigh in motion
technologies and techniques
in the realm of Intelligent
Transportation Systems

The transit of heavy, especially overloaded trucks is

a problem in many countries. It is certainly true of
the Czech Republic.This is proven, for example, in a
feasibility study prepared for the Czech ministry of
transport. For this reason, weigh in motion (WIM)
systems are currently receiving a fair amount of
attention.
The major objective of this article, though, is to intro-
duce the concept of weigh in motion. Rather than dis-
cussing the principles of WIM, the reasons for such
systems are provided and their need justified. Another
important objective is to discuss the possible usage of
WIM systems within the scope of ITS, with a focus on
electronic fee collection.
WIM refers to systems, which automatically measure
the weight of passing vehicles without the need for stop-
ping them. However, nowadays it is not generally true. In
most projects, the WIM system does not ensure suffi-
cient precision to provide exact weight measurement.
Rather, it is used to detect potentially overloaded trucks,
which are then asked to stop for a stationary check.

Effect of overloaded trucks on environment

In the first section, several areas in which heavy trucks
effect the environment, namely the effect on road pave-
ment and road infrastructure, effect on road safety, and
the effect they have on ecology are discussed.
It is generally well known that overloaded trucks have
a significantly greater effect on the destruction of pave-
ment. In order to quantify this effect, the Equivalent
Standard Axles (ESA) index is used. It compares the
effect of an actual axle load, Ac_AxelLoad, (not overall
weight) to a reference axle load, Re_AxelLoad.
By convention, an 18,000-pound (ca. 8165 kg) single
axle is 1.00 ESA equal. If a vehicle has, for example, 2.00
ESA, it means that its one passage is equal to two pas-
sages of an 18,000 pound axle. This ratio is not linear.
According to most studies2,3 a fourth power law is used, Effect of heavy vehicles on road safety
as in the following equation: Another important aspect that merits consideration with

[
[ 4 respect to overloaded vehicles is their impact on road
ESA = Ac_AxelLoad safety. Table 1 on the following page states the number
Re_AxelLoad of accidents and the number of deaths in accidents
caused by truck drivers in the Czech Republic in 2006.
This table demonstrates that the majority of fatal acci-
Similar to the effect on the pavement described here, dents are caused by trucks that weigh more than 12 tons.
the remaining infrastructure is also affected by heavy This finding is not surprising. Heavy trucks have signifi-
vehicles. For example bridges suffer greatly with over- cantly longer braking distance. Also large trucks have a
loaded vehicles. higher propensity to roll over, especially when a driver

90 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com


The weigh
forward
attempts to avoid a crash or perform a rapid manoeuvre.
This is dangerous especially on roads which are not
designed for usage by large trucks, or on places where
trucks interact with pedestrians.
Environmental studies
Another often discussed aspect concerning heavy vehi-
cles are the emissions and pollutions they produce. The
following figure depicts external costs of different vehi-
cle classes expressed in eurocents.
Despite the fact that large heavy vehicles have higher
www.h3bmedia.com
Weigh in Motion
emissions than light trucks, their emissions expressed
in relation to the amount of goods that can be trans-
ported (tonkm) are the lowest. This is an important
measure. With the assumption that given goods need to
be transported, using large trucks brings decrease in
emissions.
WIM-E system in the realm of ITS
The previous paragraphs have demonstrated the effect
of overweighed vehicles on road infrastructure, envi-
ronment, and safety. Here, some of the existing ITS solu-
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 91
Weigh in Motion

Table 1: Number of accidents and deaths in accidents caused by

truck drivers in the Czech Republic in 2006
Trucks (weight Less than 3.6-7.5 t 7.6-11.9t Above 12 t Not specified
class) 3.5 t

Number of 9219 6519 4248 10,905 438

accidents

Number of deaths 29 23 16 53 1

(Source: Official statistics of the ministry of transport, CR)

Figure 2: Marginal external costs for different vehicle classes (Source: Int Panis L., De Nocker L., Torfs R., Wuyts H., 2000. External
costs of heavy duty vehicles for goods transport and buses. Proceedings of the VI Urban Transport and the environment for the 21th
century. Eds. L. Sucharov & C.A.Brebbia.WIT press,Southampton , UK. 544.pp. 211-220.)

tions are discussed and some arguments for usefulness ment and road infrastructure. The first section of this
of WIM systems are provided. article showed that a truck with fewer axles causes more
According to the principle of elec- damage than a truck of the same
tronic fee collection (EFC) systems, “The setting of the weight but with more axles. The set-
road users should pay for their real ting of the toll rates in the Czech
usage to finance its maintenance as toll rates in the Czech Republic (similar to other countries)
well as the building of new road infra- Republic assumes assumes that a truck that has more
structure. The more road wear there axles is heavier, which is not always
is, the higher the financial participa- that a truck that has true. Also, it motivates the drivers to
tion of the user. more axles is heavier, lift axles and so to cause more dam-
Road usage in EFC systems is usu- age to the pavement. The reason why
ally expressed by the distance which is not always such a simplified scheme is used lies
traveled, vehicle weight class and the case” in the existing insufficient enforce-
emission class (the usage of emission ment methods. The existing enforce-
classes shows that not only the road pavement is in focus ment systems in the scope of EFC do not enable the
but also that the ecological aspects are taken into con- necessary detailed classification as the number of axles
sideration). Table 2 on the facing page shows the toll cannot be usually precisely verified.
rates inthe Czech Republic. The use of WIM, however, introduces new possibili-
This table, however, demonstrates that the vehicles ties. With such a system, a more detailed classification,
actually do not pay for the damage they cause to pave- the determination of the number of axles together with

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Weigh in Motion
Table 2: Toll rates in the Czech
Republic
Emission class Euro 0-2
Number of axles 2 3 4+
Toll (CZK/km) 2.3 3.7 5.4
Emission class Euro 3-5
Number of axles 2 3 4+
Toll (CZK/km) 1.7 2.9 4.2
their weight as well as the overall weight of the vehicle
can be easily determined.
In addition, the WIM system can be used for trigger-
ing cameras for proof material collection. The cost of
such a WIM system is not necessarily dramatically
higher than the cost of a common enforcement system
which usually uses advanced laser classification and
triggering systems. These are not needed with a WIM
system.
Invisible invasion
The biggest disadvantage of WIM is its invasive nature.
The induct loops as well as the piezo sensors (or other
sensors) must be embedded into the road surface which
can potentially lead to a decreased durability of the
pavement - the reason why it is not allowed in some loca-
tions. It must be kept in mind that the WIM system is
needed just at enforcement gantries. Even then, the
WIM solution could be installed just at selected gantries
while on others the standard classifi-
cation system could be used. “The cost of a WIM
Electronic fee collection systems
also have another negative aspect: system is not
some drivers avoid paying tolls by necessarily
using secondary roads that are not
designed for high volumes of large dramatically higher
trucks. It is true from all perspectives than the cost of a
discussed above: the pavement
(faster destruction and need for common enforcement
resurfacing), its geometry (for exam- system”
ple the curves are not always
designed for big trucks so the danger of a wrong
manoeuvre and consequently accident rates are
increased), as well as the environment (the secondary
roads go often through small towns and villages, where
the braking and accelerating actually increases
pollution).
A solution that is often applied is banning large trucks
from selected secondary roads. Even though this can be
done quite easily by displaying traffic signs, sufficient
enforcement is needed. For this reason, on selected sec-
ondary roads that are often used for bypassing the tolled
roads, the WIM system with photographic proof is highly
recommended, as it avoids manual processing.
WIM systems are using rather advanced technology
and collect a lot of detailed traffic data. Hence, they can
94 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
deliver valuable input for Traffic Information Centers
(TIC). For each vehicle (violator or not), its class,
weight,and speed are determined without vehicle iden-
tification (e. g. by making a picture of an offending vehi-
cle), thus traffic data collection is done without privacy
violation. This data is aggregated in a predefined inter-
val and can be further sent to other TICs. With this infor-
mation, the level of service can be easily determined.
Furthermore, the data can be used for traffic planning.
ROBOT’s WIM-E System
In this section the WIM system developed by ROBOT
Visual Systems GmbH is presented. It uses the acronym
WIM-E, which denotes that it is a WIM system with auto-
mated enforcement. It means that the weight of vehicles
passing under free flow conditions is measured and
proof material is automatically collected in case of
exceeding of the weight limit(s). The system’s basic
configuration is shown in Figure 3 below.
Figure 3: Basic configuration of a WIM-E system
Part of the proof material is the data from the weighing
system, a sequence of pictures that shows the trajectory
of the vehicle and proves its passage above the weight
sensors, and a picture from which the
license plate is automatically recog-
nized and which contains a clear view
of the face of the driver (optional,
according to local legislation).
An essential feature of the WIM-E
system is that it does not only meas-
ure the overall weight of vehicles, but
also the weight of each axle and of an
axle group. It can easily determine
vehicles that have incorrect weight
distribution since such vehicles again
cause a greater wear of the road.
According to the requirements of the customers, com-
binations of violations (axle weight, axle group weight,
total weight, and/or speed) can be defined and these
can be enforced using modern photographic enforce-
ment systems.
Automatic for the people
It is important to point out that the system works fully
automatically. There is no need to stop overloaded vehi-
cles. The owner of the vehicle receives a protocol of the
violation similarly to the case of a speed violation. In
order to provide such an automated system, several
conditions must be fulfilled.
First, the weighing system must ensure a minimum
www.h3bmedia.com
 Weigh in Motion

level of precision. The usage of highly precise sensors

and their dual configuration ensures such precision
(imprecision smaller than +/-5 per cent). The system
must also ensure that the data from sensors and pictures
cannot be tampered with.
This is done using an advanced key management sys- Computer Recognition Systems
tem and the digital signature of all materials collected.
Also the communication between particular system
components is done using secured protocols. Finally,
the camera systems use housing that is protected from
vandalism, detect any unallowed attempt to access their
components and send automatically an alarm signal to a
predefined center.

Conclusion
This article shows that EFC systems can be further
adapted to better fulfill their basic principle: the users
should pay according to their impact on the road infra-

eyes of a HAWK
structure and the environment. WIM systems are best
suited and thus highly recommended for this purpose.
In the scope of EFC, WIM can be used to achieve better

 

classification of vehicles and, thus, provides the data
needed for a “fair” EFC system. Furthermore, WIM sys-
tems are a good source for input data to TIC, thus enhanc-
ing remarkably the quality of traffic monitoring and
planning.

“Users should pay

according to their
impact on the road  "!
infrastructure and 
!!!"!
the environment” !! !!
#! !

WIM systems are much more efficient, when extended
by means of automatic enforcement. The introduced !!! !
ROBOT’s WIM-E system fulfils all requirements on a such  !!!!!! 
modern system. For more information on this product, !!!!
please contact directly ROBOT Visual Systems GmbH
!!!

(info@robot.de) or the author. TH
Ing. Ondrej Pribyl, Ph.D, of ROBOT Visual Systems
GmbH, can be contacted via email at  

    
Hawk kindly supplied by The Hawk Conservancy Trust

ondrej.pribyl@robot.de



The author would like to thank Dr. Hamed Amor for     
valuable comments to this article. 

 

 
References   
1 Pribyl, P. et al. “Podklady pro koncepci vázení nák-  
ladních vozidel v CR.” Projekt vedy a výzkumu minister-
  
stva dopravy - Etapová výzkumná zpráva za rok 2005 .
1F54L/057/120. Leden 2006. www.crs-vision.com
2 G. Arnold, et al. “Effect on Pavement Wear of  " #'&$)"!&"!)(%& %
Increased Mass Limits for Heavy Vehicles – Stage 3”. %#"!%)"%)*)"! )*) $%)*))
& )
) )

))  $
$$ $
Land Transport New Zealand Research Report 279. ISBN  %# 
0-478-25390-7. ISSN 1177-0600. 2005. USA: Davin Optronics Inc
334 Ebenezer Road * Knoxville * TN 37923
3 The U.S. Department of Transportation “Compre- t: +1 (865) 769 8010  $

$
$
#! %! 
hensive Truck Size and Weight Study.” Publication
Number: FHWA-PL-00-029 (Volume II). August 2000.

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No3 95

China
Across the
divide
In the second of two articles looking at ERTICO’s far-reaching
SIMBA project, MARIANA ANDRADE briefly assesses its impacts
on China - host for the rapidly looming ITS World Congress
Modibec Workshop in Beijing
By contributing to the establishment of European
standards in emerging markets, international coop-
eration activities provide early market access
opportunities for ERTICO – ITS Europe Partners. To
capitalize on this, ERTICO has identified several
key priority areas. One of these is China.
For several years now, ERTICO has made inroads into
China through ITS projects backed by the EC which help
to foster European and Chinese cooperation. One such
successful project, begun in March 2006 and funded
through the EC Directorate General for Research, is
SIMBA.
SIMBA has been bringing together the EU and the
nations of Brazil, China, India and South Africa with the
96 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
aim of creating an international cooperation network to
increase road safety, improve mobility and enhance
transport efficiency through the use of ITS, automotive
technological development and enhancements to road
infrastructure.
ERTICO is proud to be coordinating such an interna-
tional effort with vehicles as global products. As it is the
first ITS initiative to straddle four continents interoper-
ability is a key factor.
This year’s SIMBA China National Event is scheduled
to take place in Beijing on 9 October 2007 in parallel
with the opening day of the 14th ITS World Congress in
which will run from 9-13 October at the Beijing Exhibi-
tion Center.
Getting the message across
In addition, the introduction and take-up of TMC (traffic
message channel) as the Chinese national standard is
something that ERTICO is particularly proud of. Thanks
to the ITS cooperation project DYNASTY a new front for
TMC has opened. DYNASTY ran from November 2004
until January 2006 and was a European-Chinese ITS
cooperation project created with the help of key Chi-
nese authorities and a number of major European indus-
try players. DYNASTY was highly successful in raising
awareness of European-developed ITS technologies, as
demonstrated and validated by its consortium mem-
www.h3bmedia.com
 China

HOW EUROPE
WORKS
Transport’s Impacts:
A Climate Change Think Tank
3 April 2008/Intertraffic Amsterdam
3/4
luis@h3bmedia.com
www.h3bmedia.com

H B Media thinking
highways

www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 97

China

Above: The 2nd Annual Meeting on ITS in Beijing gets underway and below, a delegation from Shanghai pays a visit to ERTICO

98 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

Don’t even think of speeding.

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China

Above: Beijing Traffic Management Centre and below, right a demonstration of the DYNASTY project

bers. It made significant progress in China, where it pio-

neered the showcasing of European dynamic traffic
information services, TMC technologies and vehicle on-
board navigation technologies.
In late 2006 the Chinese National ITS Standardisation
Committee announced that it would accept the RDS
TMC-based Chinese standards for real-time traffic
information. This was in great part thanks to the dedica-
tion and support of ERTICO’s European and Chinese
partners in the DYNASTY project. Formally submitted
by the Beijing Transportation Research Centre, with the
support of ERTICO and the TMC Forum, the new stand-
ards have been implemented throughout China since
April 2007.

Building on a strong foundation

Launched in January 2007, the MODIBEC project – a two-
year initiative that aims to promote and support RTD
cooperation between the EU and China in the field of
digital broadcasting technologies, especially in terms
of convergence with mobile communications – has been
riding high on the success of DYNASTY. MODIBEC plans
to demonstrate DAB/DVB-TMC in December 2007 and
has enjoyed strong support from the EC and Shanghai
governmental departments and enterprises.
A series of workshops were also planned by ERTICO
in Guangzhou and Shanghai in late August 2007. They
focussed on encouraging European and local stake-
holders to discuss research priorities and find areas and
themes suitable for European and Chinese
cooperation.
ERTICO is happy to see its activities in China move
from the stage of defining key priorities to actually facil-
itating the use of European knowledge, technologies,
systems and services in the country.We remain commit-
ted to our relations in China and look forward to further
cooperation in this vital emerging market. TH

100 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com

 HOW EUROPE
WORKS
1st European Road
Pricing Think Tank
4 April 2008/Intertraffic Amsterdam
4/4
luis@h3bmedia.com
www.h3bmedia.com

H B Media thinking
highways

THIN KING
HIG HW AYS
IS PROUD TO BE THE
WORLD ITS
DIRECTORYʼS
STRATEGIC MEDIA
PARTNER FOR
NORTH AMERICA
AND EUROPE
 Do you need help
lining up your
ducks?
www.whitewillow.biz
Advertisers Index
Aselsan ..............................................................................................73
Bosch ...................................................................outside back cover
Capita Symonds ...............................................................................88
Computer Recognition Systems ..................................................95
Consulting Stream ..........................................................................65
GMV...................................................................................................93
H3B Media’s 1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank ... 29, 31, 33, 34, 36
H3B Media/Intertraffic 2008 Think Tanks ........25, 47, 88, 96, 101
Image Sensing Systems ...................................................................07
Jupiter Systems ................................................................................45
Intertraffic Amsterdam 2008 ........................................................87
Kapsch TrafficCom ..........................................................................59
Neavia ................................................................................................78
Noptel ...............................................................................................82
PTV AG..............................................................................................83
Thinking Highways
For more information on the advertisers in this
issue please go to www.h3bmedia.com and click on
READER ENQUIRIES
104 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Q-Free ASA .......................................................... inside front cover
Redspeed International ..................................................................41
ROBOT Visual Systems GmbH ....................................... 17 and 19
Satellic Traffic Management ...........................................................15
Siemens AG München...................................................... 02 and 03
Sodi Scientifica .................................................................................99
Swarco ...............................................................................................60
Telefon-Gradnja ...............................................................................09
Thales ................................................................................................13
TranspoQuip 2008 ..........................................................................97
Truvelo ..............................................................................................46
Vitronic .............................................................................................66
White Willow Transport Intelligence ....................................... 104
World ITS Directory ................................................................... 101
WSP ........................................................................inside back cover
www.h3bmedia.com

made mainly by the Member States, regions and cities
themselves. The aim is to encourage and motivate
regional and urban networks to create partnerships to
address the core issues facing all EU regions.
News from Jaspers, Jeremie and Jessica
These initiatives, announced in the last issue (Volume 2,
Issue 2), will be dealt with by three new regional offices
to be backed by the European Commission, European
Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruc-
tion and Development. The first is operating out of War-
saw and is helping authorities in Poland, Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania to prepare major investment projects
(including roads) supported by EU funds. A Jaspers
office has now been opened in Vienna to assist authori-
ties in Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia
in preparing major projects and another office will be
established in Bucharest. Also, the European Invesment
Fund will be setting up a Jeremie office in Athens.
EU research and innovation
The EU’s Research and Innovation 7th Framework Pro-
gramme (FP7) has several specific programmes but the
largest and the only one of interest to ITS is the Coopera-
www.h3bmedia.com
Funding and Finance
tion Programme – the core of FP7. The Cooperation Pro-
gramme fosters collaborative research across Europe
and other partner countries, according to several key
thematic areas. Among these themes are information
and communications technologies, transport, space and
security. The Commission’s Directorate-General for
Research and Innovation has proposed a total budget
for FP7 of €50,521m for the period 2007-13 – an average
of €7,217m per annum. This is one and a half times
larger than the 6th Framework Programme. The budget
for the Cooperation Programme is €32,292m, taking the
largest share of all programmes.
The budget for aspects of possible interest are:
€9,050m for information and communications technolo-
gies, €4,160m for transport (including aeronautics),
€1,430m for space with security receiving €1,400m. At
least 15 per cent of funding under the Cooperation
Programme will go to SMEs.
The Cooperation Programme includes the new Joint
Technology Initiatives.These are industry-driven, large-
scale multi-financed actions, supported in some cases
by a mix of public and private funding and are not sub-
ject to the Calls for Proposals approach. This Programme
also includes the coordination of non-community
research programmes (i.e. non-EU framework pro-
grammes), aiming to bring European national and
regional research programmes closer together (e.g.
ERA-NET), and the new risk-sharing finance facility to
enhance backing for private investors. (The European
Research Area - ERA - is a research policy concept.)
Special attention is also being given to multi-
disciplinary and cross-theme research, including joint
calls for proposals between themes.
Safe and secure
As security is an important issue it is worth noting (for
those not aware) that a new organization, the European
Organization for Security (EOS), has been formed,
headed by Luigi Rebuffi and is now operational. ERTICO
is a founding member and reports that “EOS is an indus-
try initiative open to private non-governmental stake-
holders engaged in civil security (companies, industry
associations and research centres).
Its formation is a direct result of the recommendations
made by the European Security Research Advisory
Board (ESRAB), which advocated a close private/public
interaction in security research under the EC’s 7th
Research Framework Programme. ERTICO’s contribu-
tion to EOS will look at how ITS can improve the security
of road transport.” Further information about EOS can
be obtained from Sara Goldberger (PR & Communica-
tions Manager), sara.goldberger@asd-europe.org.
Currently there is an FP7 joint call for proposals
between ICT and Security themes on Critical Infrastruc-
ture Protection with a budget of €40m. The deadline for
proposals is 29 November 07 and further details can be
obtained from www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7. References
FP7-ICT-SEC-2007-1; OJ C 181/24 dated 3 August 07.
TH
Margaret Pettit is principal of Clematis Consulting.
margaret.pettit@btinternet.com
Thinking Highways Vol 2 No 3 103
 Do you need help
lining up your
ducks?
www.whitewillow.biz
Advertisers Index
Aselsan ..............................................................................................73
Bosch ...................................................................outside back cover
Capita Symonds ...............................................................................88
Computer Recognition Systems ..................................................95
Consulting Stream ..........................................................................65
GMV...................................................................................................93
H3B Media’s 1st UK Road Pricing Think Tank ... 29, 31, 33, 34, 36
H3B Media/Intertraffic 2008 Think Tanks ........25, 47, 88, 96, 101
Image Sensing Systems ...................................................................07
Jupiter Systems ................................................................................45
Intertraffic Amsterdam 2008 ........................................................87
Kapsch TrafficCom ..........................................................................59
Neavia ................................................................................................78
Noptel ...............................................................................................82
PTV AG..............................................................................................83
Thinking Highways
For more information on the advertisers in this
issue please go to www.h3bmedia.com and click on
READER ENQUIRIES
104 Vol 2 No 3 Thinking Highways
Q-Free ASA .......................................................... inside front cover
Redspeed International ..................................................................41
ROBOT Visual Systems GmbH ....................................... 17 and 19
Satellic Traffic Management ...........................................................15
Siemens AG München...................................................... 02 and 03
Sodi Scientifica .................................................................................99
Swarco ...............................................................................................60
Telefon-Gradnja ...............................................................................09
Thales ................................................................................................13
TranspoQuip 2008 ..........................................................................97
Truvelo ..............................................................................................46
Vitronic .............................................................................................66
White Willow Transport Intelligence ....................................... 104
World ITS Directory ................................................................... 101
WSP ........................................................................inside back cover
www.h3bmedia.com
 WSP, the
Intelligence
in ITS
WSP develops ITS and transport
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