The UK-based Highways and Transport Solutions provider Clearview Intelligence, an ITS UK Executive Member, is boosting its international profile by hosting a special webinar explaining the environmental benefits of its Solarlite road stud solution.

The company says high quality road markings are a vital part of road safety, and that for more than two decades, Clearview Intelligence has been delivering solar road studs that illuminate the road at night.

These studs mean drivers can see the road layout 900 metres ahead, which is ten times further than traditional reflective studs.  Independent studies have shown that where solar studs have been installed, the number of night-time accidents have fallen by 70%.

But Clearview points out, these solar studs not only deliver road safety – they’re key in the battle against climate change too.  Because they are solar powered, they are a zero emission alternative to streetlighting, they deliver carbon savings of nearly nine tonnes of CO2 per mile per year compared to the most energy-efficient LED lamps.

The webinar takes place from 1600-1700 CET on Thursday 15 June where Clearview Intelligence’s Head of Technical Sales, Peter Cattell, will guide viewers through the solutions and answer questions.

Sign up here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1689126268976993882

(Picture – Clearview Intelligence)

The Network of National ITS Associations presented a special interest session on Smart Intermodal Freight at the European ITS Congress in Lisbon.  The session attracted a full house which joined in a lively and informed discussion.

The ITS associations of Finland, Norway, Germany and Estonia contributed speakers and ITS Ireland helped out with the organisation of the session.  Thanks to the ability of the Network to harness expertise from so many different European countries, the panel included experienced professionals from rail, marine and road freight, and was able to talk meaningfully about how to achieve seamless intermodality and remove cross border friction.

The discussion centred on two themes:  how to turn research and demonstrations into permanent implementations, and what the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) might be in the future freight sector.

As in other areas of ITS, projects and testbeds seem to be more ubiquitous than permanent applications.  The panel agreed that in some ways this perception is unfair;  it is just that the time lapse from first research topic to fully embedded system can be ten or even twenty years, which can give the impression that few things actually translate into everyday usage.  In other aspects it is true;  issues of piecemeal and somewhat arbitrary funding, lack of effective collaboration between bodies which really should be active partners, and poorly executed stakeholder engagement, can all slow down or even sabotage eventual implementation.

Talking about AI, the panel agreed that this will definitely be important in the future freight sector.  Making an analogy with automated vehicles, they suggested that AI will be gradually adopted by the freight industry and rejected the idea of a current or imminent “revolution”.  Some promising use cases proposed included security both of loads and of staff, the speeding up of cross modal and cross border transfers, and better conditions for drivers achieved by more intelligent and adaptable routing and rostering. 

A very good case was made for the importance of universally accepted standards and protocols, if full digitisation of the end to end logistics chain is to be achieved.  That it needs to be achieved in order to unlock cost savings, less environmentally damaging freight moments, and improved conditions for all the humans involved in them, was not in doubt.

The panelists were:  Lone-Eirin Lervåg from Norway, Tim Knutzen (Germany), Heiti Mering (Estonia), and Jukka Lepistö (Finland).  The session was moderated by Jennie Martin on behalf of the Network and co-organised by Donal Hodgins of ITS Ireland.

(Picture by Paul Hutton)

The organisers of the successful ITS European Congress 2023 in Lisbon have posted a highlights video showcasing the buzz around the event.

It features quotes from organisers along with images of the exhibition, sessions and social events.

Watch it here:

(Picture – Highways News)

The Senior Adviser to the ERTICO-ITS Europe, Professor Eric Sampson has affirmed that the ITS European Congress 2023 in Lisbon has shown that European ITS can deliver mobility that is accessible, equitable, affordable, resilient, has zero fatalities and has zero emissions.

As Chief Rapporteur, Prof Sampson was giving his final closing summary at a Congress as he retires from his role, which allowed him to reflect on the successes of the transport technology industry.

However he gave a warning to the delegates saying, “Hitting two or more of these targets at the same time is still very hard. Most of the technologies are ready but the policy makers are lagging behind. If we had a clear political drive; if we accepted the price of deciding to reach key goals quickly – then Zero fatalities Zero emissions are within our reach.”

Prof Sampson added that “the problems that remain are mostly about waiting for the perfect solution or unwillingness to adapt our behaviour. The message to all of us is that we need to change – NOW. I live in a farming area in North Yorkshire where there’s a saying – Don’t wait for the storm to pass – learn to work in the rain.”

His closing summary pointed to how the earliest Congresses were “showcases for declassified military technology or research projects seeking new knowledge”, rather than exploration of new services. 

“There’s now much more joint working so instead of suppliers telling users “Our system does this you should buy it”  the focus is now “tell me what you want to achieve and we’ll work together to design and deploy solutions that deliver it”,” he said.

And Prof Sampson gave an emotional farewell concluding by saying, “It’s time for me to share the pleasure and the privilege of leading the rapporteur teams so I’m handing over to Wolfgang Hoefs who will do all I do but with more energy and more stamina. Goodbye.”

He was given a standing ovation by the audience and the ERTICO CEO Joost Vantomme then gave a short speech praising Prof Sampson’s unique contribution to the ITS Industry and its World and European Congresses.

(Picture – Highways News)