Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS): an area to be strengthened in the Transport sector
ITS offers non-traditional solutions in an effective way. UNECE's main focus on ITS regulations has so far been through the World Forum (WP.29) which has been dealing with communication between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure.
Technical specifications for autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning systems are just two examples of products from the World Forum.
Significant improvements in vehicle related safety and pollution reduction of vehicles have been achieved at the global level through the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). However, further improvements on safety and the environmental performance of vehicles, particularly with regard to global warming, can be achieved with ITS applications streamlined into the work of WP.29. In addition, the integration of the technologies ruled by its legal instruments with those of all other aspects of transport activities, in particular infrastructure, must be managed.
The Transport Division is aiming at improving high level information concerning Intelligent Transport Systems available and their meaningful integration into the work of several bodies: WP.29, as well as Working Party on Road Safety (WP.1), Multidisciplinary Group of Experts on Road Safety in Tunnels (AC.7), Working Party on Inter-modal Transport and Logistics (WP.24), Working Party on Customs Questions affecting Transport (WP.30) and Working Party on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (WP.15). All these bodies, have expressed their wish that UNECE Transport Division as being their secretary provides strategic guidance and administrative support to them with regard to ITS first particularly in the following areas:
(a) Mitigating traffic congestions.
(b) Reducing road fatalities.
(c) Reducing pollution and noise
(d) Improving fuel efficiency
The Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section would provide member countries first with ad hoc and later with more regular assistance to ensure that WP.29 and the other Working Parties on Transport can effectively address these issues and they can assist countries to increase their capacity to successfully address transport management issues, at all levels. This will also facilitate the protection of vulnerable road users (pedestrian, cyclists, children, disabled people) to have access to information, knowledge and services on transport management.
There is also a need to increase the capacity of countries by linking and mainstreaming the work of WP.29 to other international agendas, and focus on those components that can enhance results in some key areas such as:
(a) The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), in particular MDG 7 to ensure environmental sustainability
(c) Draft resolution of the UN General Assembly A/C.2/62/L.38, titled "Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind" and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
(d) General assembly resolution on improving global road safety (A/62/L.43).
Intelligent vehicle systems
Among the technologies that allow us to achieve "managed" transport networks and better land sustainable mobility generally come under the umbrella of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). In the field of vehicle construction UNECE, has increased meaningfully at global level the safety and pollution reduction of vehicles through the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), tackling in this field the issue of implementation of intelligent technologies in wheeled vehicles. These technologies result as Intelligent Vehicle Systems (IVS), capable to interact between vehicles and road infrastructures. The World Forum has already adopted 127 UNECE Regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement and 10 global technical regulations in the framework of the 1998 Agreement, covering both vehicle safety and their environmental performance. Regulations are based on performance requirements (not in specific technologies) under the principle of not restraint the development of new technologies.
Since the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), one of the first IVS system used in motor vehicles, until the Electronic Stability Control system, introduced for buses and heavy duty vehicles and more recently for passenger vehicles, several IVS systems for vehicles have been introduced in vehicle regulations developed by the World Forum, a few examples, are:
(a) Cruise Control
(b) On Board Diagnostic
(c) Adaptive Front-Lighting Systems
(d) Airbags
(e) Automatically commanded braking
(f) Cornering lamps
(g) Electronic Stability Control
An ITS informal group on Vehicle Intelligent Systems, depending directly to the World Forum, works in this area, but the systems are introduced in the regulations by the different Working Parties subsidiary to the World Forum.
Innovative technologies, such as Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems, are under study by an Informal Group under the responsibility of the Working Party on Brakes and Running Gear (GRRF), to develop legal instruments to allow their diffusion in the market.
Public consultation on the UNECE strategy for the promotion of
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
Have your say!
Policy field
International Transport – Intelligent Transport Systems
Consultation period
Now – July 2011
Objective of the Consultation
UNECE believes that ITS are the future because they can make transport more efficient, safe, green and connected. But as we know, the deployment of ITS has come up against various obstacles.
UNECE is addressing ITS-related matters in a cross-sectoral way in its working parties on road transport, road safety, vehicle regulations, rail, dangerous goods, border crossing facilitation and inland waterways.
An ITS background document for information has been developed in collaboration with the Italian ministry of transport and SINA.
The strategic note has been prepared by the secretariat to which we invite your comments.
Following the public consultation the strategic note will be finalized and the UNECE Road Map on ITS with a timetable of actions will be prepared.
The UNECE Road Map on ITS will deal with the primary concerns of how governments, international organizations and UNECE in particular can promote the deployment of ITS, and what key policies and actions in the pursuit of these aims should be; in the short, medium and longer run.
The UNECE vision for the future of ITS is the transformation of inland transport into an effectively managed, well-integrated, universally available and affordable system that provides for the safe, secure, efficient and economically viable mobility of people and cargo; a system that enhances customer satisfaction and is compatible with environmental concerns.
All stakeholders and organisations involved in ITS are invited to respond to the public consultation. UNECE is equally interested in getting the views of citizens, governments, business associations and relevant stakeholders. If there is any further issue on ITS on which you would like to comment please feel free to do so.
Target groups
Governments; regional and local authorities; infrastructure managing companies in the different transport sectors; transport service providers / operators; research institutes; financial institutions; non-governmental organisations; business associations and citizens are welcome as well to contribute to this consultation.
How to submit your contribution
Stakeholders are invited to contribute with answers to the questions of their concern and are invited to mention the section in the Background/Strategic note they might referred to. In addition, general comments are more than welcome. Contributions could be submitted via e-mail consultation@unece.org.
If stakeholders wish to submit best practices on ITS that could have a general interest they are warmly invited to attach them to their e-mail. If you do not wish your contribution to be made public, please indicate this in your reply. In that case, no reference to your input will be made in future UNECE documents that may refer to this consultation.
Related documents
Strategic note on ITS
Background note on ITS
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01/02/2012 - UPDATE
This is the first news update in 2012 regarding the UN kick-off event on ITS for sustainable mobility, which will take place in 28 days from now on.
We are happy to inform you that we could win Mr. Nico Anten, Managing Director of Connekt - ITS Netherlands, to speak at our event, and he would like to share this with you:
"Mobility is the driving force for our economy. However, at the same time, it is a threat to our well-being. Due to the increasing volume of passenger and freight transport, the Netherlands is in danger of permanent traffic congestion and an overload of the public transport system. In addition to investing heavily in state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Netherlands is also focusing on managing traffic flows by influencing consumers’ attitudes and behavior. Furthermore, there is a growing emphasis on sustainability issues. The Netherlands is thus taking on the challenge of ensuring that mobility and logistics are smart and sustainable, and making better use of the current infrastructure. ITS is a key enabler in addressing this challenge." -
20/12/2011 - UPDATE
This is the third news update regarding the UN kick-off event on ITS for sustainable mobility which will take place in 9 weeks from now on.
Today, Mr. Richard Harris, International Director of ITS UK, would like to share his thoughts with you. We are happy to have him on board for the event:
"Access to transport and mobility services directly impacts on society. ITS makes our transport systems safer, more efficient, greener, more accessible and aids economy performance. ITS is enabled by technology but is not about technology, it is about supporting policy objectives and business outcomes. We have many good examples of how ITS provides benefits but there is much more that needs to be done to promote and explain its true potential. I welcome the growing involvement and commitment of UNECE to increasing understanding of ITS and to help capitalize on the potential that ITS can unlock." -
08/12/2011
This is the second news update regarding the UN kick-off event on ITS for sustainable mobility which will take place in 10 weeks from now on.
Today, Dr. Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa would like to share his thoughts with you. We are proud that we could win him to speak at the event:
"As a fairly new ITS market South Africa has the benefit of leapfrogging to newer and more efficient ITS systems because we are not tied down with numerous legacy systems that demand continued support to older technologies, says Dr Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa. Transport related challenges include reducing congestion, promoting public transport, reducing road fatalities and minimising the carbon footprint of the transport sector, and ITS is a key tool in achieving this. The collective challenge is to integrate ITS better into mainstream transport policy, planning and operations to achieve the goal of smart mobility for all." -
28/11/2011
It is with great pleasure that we want to inform you, that Mr. Vladimir Kryuchkov, CEO ITS Russia, just confirmed his participation as speaker and he would like to share this with you:
"We live in an information society with the racing speed of life. We want to live comfortably, safe, in the harmony with other people and nature. We like modern technologies, if they make our life and the life of our families better. The United Nations kick-off event on ITS for sustainable mobility gives a unique opportunity to share vision for smart cities, smart roads and smart cars with smart people from different parts of the world. ITS opens the way for people and goods to move faster from one place to another, from country to country, from continent to continent to enjoy life, full of innovations, new knowledge and new experience."
United Nations kick-off actions promoting Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for sustainable mobility
28 February 2012
You are invited to join the United Nations kick-off debate on ITS for sustainable mobility, on 28 February 2012 from 15h00 to 18h00 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
High-level speakers, governments, experts and academia from all the around the world will come together to put ITS on the policy makers agenda and to contribute to the policy-segment and launch of the UNECE strategy package on ITS that is expected to mark a milestone for future United Nations activities on ITS. The strategy package contains three different publications dealing with a general overview on ITS, a strategic note looking at the gaps and impediments to the use of ITS and the UNECE Road Map on ITS identifying 20 global actions to be performed by UNECE until 2020.
Be there and be part of the global kick-off that will focus around the Rio+20 goals, road safety, regional integration and leapfrogging development as well as possible ITS values for a better society. One action of the "UNECE Road Map on ITS" is that UNECE will host yearly Round tables on ITS where we aim to unbundle all the different issues and dig deeper into the matter.
We believe that there is the need to accelerate improvements in the use of ITS as much as linking it to the bigger policy agenda where, e.g. pollution, poverty and urbanization are involved and to develop policy indicators.
Intelligent Transport Systems play an important role in shaping the future ways of mobility and the transport sector. We expect that through the use of ITS applications transport will become more efficient, safer and greener. The huge potentials and benefits however can only be reaped if ITS solutions are put in place – internationally harmonized as much as possible.
Our research has shown that ITS are under-utilized and already today we witness the development of different standards around the world and its regions as well as the appearance of diverse liability problems.
The core objective of the UNECE strategy on ITS is to lobby for new actions and policies where ITS improve the quality of life and make sustainable mobility available across borders.
Given the importance of the debate at the ITS policy segment your personal participation would be most appreciated. I believe that the kick-off event will offer a unique opportunity to meet politicians, government officials, private sector and academia representatives.
The meeting will be conducted in English, French and Russian with simultaneous translation.
Should you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Anastasia Barinova (tel: +41 22 917 2761; e-mail: anastasia.barinova(at)unece.org) or Ms. Dörte Schramm (tel: +41 22 917 3410; e-mail: doerte.schramm(at)unece.org).
See you in Geneva.
Yours sincerely,
Éva Molnár
Director
Transport Division
Practical information: please fill the registration form and send it to anastasia.barinova(at)unece.org or doerte.schramm(at)unece.org.
Note: the policy segment on ITS is held in the framework of the 74th annual session of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) from 28 February – 1 March 2012.
The agenda of the 74th ITC session will include many other topics both for decision making and for stock-taking, among them are the UNECE Plan to implement the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, the development of efficient, safe and secure Pan-European (TEM TER) and Euro-Asian transport networks (EATL), sustainable road, rail, inland water and intermodal transport and logistics including climate change adaptation, transport and competitiveness, CO2 reduction in inland transport, harmonization of vehicle regulations, border crossing facilitation, the implementation and modernization of the TIR Convention, transport of dangerous goods, assistance to countries in transition etc. In addition, the future priorities for the transport work of UNECE will be at the heart of the discussion. For more information, please visit our dedicated page.
UNECE moderated Executive session at the 8th ITS European Congress (Lyon, 2011)
During the 8th ITS European Congress in Lyon, 6-9 June 2011, UNECE was invited to present the Executive session "ITS for adaptive and resilient cities".
UNECE activities on ITS
The UNECE Transport Division has put ITS on its policy agenda. We just closed a public consultation on ITS and are now assessing the received input in order to present the UNECE strategy package on ITS. As one part of this, we will publish the UNECE Road Map on ITS laying down concrete actions to be performed in the future to deploy ITS globally.
About the Executive session
Cities and regions are living. They are subject to multiple influences which will have an effect on their evolution. Social factors, such as housing and employment location, building of leisure centres, behaviour of elderly inhabitants, as well as economic factors, such as price of energy, local and international commerce, result in a need for ITS to monitor these drivers, taking them into account in the management of networks, and influencing their effects on mobility and transportation trends. ITS provides the possibility to react, even in case of unpredictable events. Cities will be resilient only if accessibility is maintained at a high level for all citizens in any circumstances. Whilst protecting the urban legacy, ITS as a part of the urban and regional planning process will allow mobility for all citizens, even during emergency situations.
Speakers
Mr. Eric-Mark Huitema, Smarter Transportation Leader Europe, IBM, The Netherlands
Ms. Hélène Jacquot-Guimbal, Director General, French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks – IFSTTAR, France
Mr. Claudy Lebreton, President, Côtes d’Armor County Council / ITS Bretagne, France
Mr. Hans Fiby, Project Manager, ITS Vienna Region, Austria
Presentations
Mr. Edoardo Gianotti, UNECE focal point on ITS
Mrs. Hélène Jacquot-Guimbal, PhD, IFSTTAR
Mr. Hans Fiby, ITS Vienna region
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For more information on the 8th ITS European Congress please visit: http://2011.itsineurope.com
For more more information about the ITS activities of UNECE please contact our Secretariat:
Mr. Edoardo Gianotti or Ms. Dörte Schramm
UNECE side event on ITS at the International Transport Forum (Leipzig, 2010)
Presentations:
Edoardo Gianotti
Frank Albrecht
Hermann Meyer
Richard Harris
Antonio Lucas-Alba
Background note on ITS:
The World Forum and ITS Deployment
Vehicle Regulations and ITS Deployment
UNECE Keynote speech at the "Fully networked car event", 2 March 2011, Geneva
UNECE Keynote speech at the 5th International Road Federation (IRF) Policy Committee on ITS, 9-10 March 2011, Stockholm
UNECE presentation at the ITU-Radiocommunication Study Group 5 A meeting on ITS, 14 June 2011, Geneva
