Make The Most Of Infrastructure: Harnessing Demand Management for enhanced urban mobility and traffic efficiency
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In today's rapidly urbanizing world, managing urban traffic and mobility effectively has become crucial for improving the quality of life and sustainability of cities. Kapsch TrafficCom is at the forefront of integrating advanced technologies and strategies in demand management to address these challenges, providing solutions that not only optimize traffic flow but also encourage smarter mobility choices among city dwellers.
"Traditional transportation policy approaches focus on management of supply and demand, but managing mobility demand is crucial, because simply increasing capacity is not enough. Current traffic management solutions optimize traffic flow but lack influence over driver behavior. There is minimal direct communication with drivers, with the exception of Connected Vehicles technology – but the focus of that technology is primarily on road safety, at least at the moment. To overcome these limitations and mitigate the effects of traffic, a new dynamic between vehicles and road infrastructure is essential", says Tim Wray, Kapsch TrafficCom Sales Director UK & Ireland.
What is Demand Management?
Demand Management is an innovative approach that goes beyond traditional traffic management techniques, which focus primarily on managing the flow of vehicles through infrastructure like traffic signals and signage. But relying on traffic lights and signages have proven to be insufficient for reducing congestion and improving air quality, as they are not flexible enough to adapt to traffic flows and changing modal habits of residents. Instead, demand management encompasses a broader strategy that influences how and when people choose to travel.
“Demand management allows cities to sweat their assets,” explains Tim Wray. “By using the existing infrastructure more efficiently, traffic authorities can improve road conditions without having to invest in expensive changes to the infrastructure, or even build new roads, which are short-term fixes at best.”
By leveraging data from in-vehicle systems and drivers’ mobile devices, smarter and more effective traffic management strategies can be developed. For instance, vehicle data powers innovative navigation apps that optimize traffic routes and ensure compliance with transportation standards. Additionally, AI and machine learning enhance smartphone and in-vehicle apps, allowing drivers to anticipate upcoming traffic lights (red, yellow, or green) and set optimal driving speeds. These measures improve safety, traffic flow, and air quality by reducing fuel consumption. Global cities like Vienna and Buenos Aires have deployed this technology to great success, improving their traffic flow and reducing congestion.
What can be achieved with this technology?
By utilizing advanced technologies and data analytics, cities can implement strategies that encourage the use of alternative transport modes, optimize road and parking usage, and reduce congestion, which in turns improves air quality. The key is to provide real-time, accurate information on mobility options via dedicated routing apps and incentivize (“nudge”) to users to adapt their modal habit to choose options that guides them along underutilized routes to free up capacity at intersections, resulting in less congestion and fewer unnecessary stops (load balancing).
- This new routing service called collaborative routing takes into account the real predicted traffic state at the time the car will arrive there, including the cars that will be using that route. This way, the capacity of free routes can be used and congestion can be avoided. Moreover, traffic can be routed in a way that protects sensitive areas like school zones, residential areas, etc.
- In addition to the structural impact, Demand Management and using this collaborative routing is particularly useful for management of large events on the mobility landscape. Existing infrastructure can not sensibly be adapted to irregular surges in demand, for example for large sporting events or big concerts. In this situation, it is essential to adapt the whole network to the demand hub, and guide people to all mobility options, instead of relying on hundreds of thousands of people to make optimal mobility decisions without complete knowledge. By encouraging event visitors to use the proposed app, they can the be nudged in accordance with the specific mobility strategy for the event, including routing and parking.
- Another incentive to use this new routing service is the inclusion of traffic light information in the app. This so-called GLOSA service (Green Light Optimal Speed Advisor) tells the drivers how to adjust their speed in order to reach the traffic light at green, so that they don't have to stop. It also shows the remaining time until green in the case that a stop is unavoidable.
Read the article by Tim Wray in this year's ITS UK Review Magazine of Intelligent Transport Systems UK "Unlocking smooth urban mobility: tackling the growing road access challenge"
A Unified Approach to Regional Traffic Management
All these services (large-event management, GLOSA, collaborative routing) can be part of a new region-wide strategy management that aims to provide information and unified traffic management across the region.
KapschTrafficCom's EcoTrafiX™ suite integrates the existing multiple traffic management systems into a single, coordinated environment and allows for a unified regional strategy. It acts as an umbrella system that brings together data from multiple traffic management systems – including traffic lights, signage, congestion charging, access control, and others. Crucially, EcoTrafiX™ can overlay onto existing platforms and solutions and does not require a full replacement of traffic management software. This data is then combined with other rich data from vehicles, smartphones, and navigation systems to support far better routing and traffic management, similar to its applications in cities like Madrid and Buenos Aires and regions like Dallas, coordinating traffic management across multiple jurisdictions. This comprehensive approach allows for seamless traffic control, dynamic message signs, and overall unified traffic management, enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of urban mobility networks.
Through these advanced technologies and strategies, Kapsch TrafficCom is setting new standards in urban traffic management, promoting more sustainable, efficient, and responsive urban environments. These innovations not only improve traffic flow but also foster a more sustainable approach to urban planning and mobility.
Real-world Applications and Benefits
Cities like Vienna and Buenos Aires have implemented Kapsch TrafficCom’s traffic management solutions, demonstrating significant improvements in traffic flow and reductions in congestion. In Vienna, the integration of automated rule-based adjustments to traffic light plans has optimized the flow of traffic, making the city more navigable and less prone to traffic jams.
Read more about our projects around the world below
Why partner with Kapsch TrafficCom to reduce congestion and emissions?
The potential of demand management to revolutionize urban traffic and mobility is immense. By integrating advanced technologies with strategic planning, cities can enhance the efficiency of their transportation systems, reduce environmental impact, and improve the overall quality of urban life. The efforts of Kapsch TrafficCom in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in traffic management reflect a commitment to fostering sustainable and intelligent urban environments.
For cities looking to adopt similar strategies, exploring the extensive portfolio of Kapsch TrafficCom in traffic management and demand management solutions offers a pathway towards more sustainable and efficient urban mobility.
