Private firms to invest €100m into transport systems

AN INVESTMENT of up to €100 million in “intelligent transport systems” is to be made by private companies over the next three to five years.

The money will be invested on a range of technologies that can monitor road conditions from temperature to traffic volumes, providing “real time” information that can be used to lower speed limits, close lanes and divert traffic from specific areas.

Intelligent transport systems also cover public transport and address such issues as satellite positioning, passenger information systems and “smart” or integrated ticketing.

Under an EU Directive on Intelligent Transport Systems adopted this summer, the technologies should also be able to take into account policy issues such as road usage in terms of times of the day and days of the week, as well as traffic management in cities, and management of European trans-national routes.

Guidance issued by the EU Commission said technology being developed should cover smart or integrated public transport ticketing, “satellite navigation, traveller information, emergency systems and electronic fee collection for tolls”.

Ireland has just 18 months to transpose the new directive into Irish law, while the EU Commission has a further seven years to adopt common standards as the technology is rolled out.

The new traffic management systems to be deployed here will be discussed at an inaugural meeting of Intelligent Transport Systems Ireland, to be held in Cork later this week.

The conference, sponsored by Siemens, which has developed a “smarter cities” initiative, will feature a keynote address by Magda Kopczynska of the EU Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.

Mrs Kopczynska is expected to address the timescale for the implementation of the technologies and touch on the environmental aspects of intelligent transport systems, particularly the need for “clean” transport.

The conference will also feature a report on the deployment of infrastructure for the Government’s electric car programme which aims to see 10 per cent of the vehicle fleet being electrically powered by 2020.

Among the reports that are to be presented to the conference is a presentation on existing levels of intelligent transport systems by Dublin City Council, which manages the M50 among other routes.

The National Roads Authority will present a report on the first two years of barrier-free tolling. Director of policy with the AA Conor Faughnan will also address the conference.