News

How will Australia’s most innovative transport leaders use intelligent transport systems, real-time data, automation and cooperative corridors to transform mobility ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games?

That’s just one of the topics you’ll hear about on today’s Highways Voices from the ITS Australia Summit on the Gold Coast.

These podcasts are brought to you thanks to the support of TomTom, Nicander, AGD Systems Australia, TraceMark Flow an NGIS Solution, Westcotec and TRL.

Today we’ll hear how the region is preparing its transport networks for unprecedented demand ahead of Brisbane 2032, including insights from industry leaders on sustainability, efficiency, automation and network resilience, we’ll bring you the first-ever tour of the newly launched Gold Coast Cooperative Corridor, revealing how real-time roadside sensing, collective perception and DSRC communications are reshaping road safety and multimodal management, and we’ll discuss global best practice in mapping, data intelligence, asset management, enforcement, and connected systems, with perspectives from leading companies deploying technology across Europe, Australia/New Zealand and the Middle East.

Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!

Today’s guests:

·     Dean Zabrieszach  – CEO, Ohmio and HMI Technolgies

·     Ralf-Peter Schäfer – Vice President, Traffic & Travel Information, TomTom

·     Luke Capelli – C-ITS Specialist, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia / Lexus Australia

·     Kim Thomas – Managing Director, Integrate

·     Oliver Looker – General Manager, Location Intelligence, Transport and Mobility,  Sustainability and ITS, NGIS (TraceMark Flow)

·     John Piper – Sales Director, Jenoptik

·     Ritchie Jones – Interim Managing Director, Jenoptik Traffic Solutions Australia

·     Susan Harris – CEO, ITS Australia

(Picture – Paul Hutton)

The webinars of the EU project X_HeERO are entering the third round! After two very successful editions on PSAP upgrade support for NG eCall and the future collaboration in the eCall community, X_HeERO is inviting participants to another webinar on 27 October 2025. This time, the focus will be on testing, validation and accreditation.

X_HeERO Webinar #3: Testing, Evaluation, Accreditation
Monday, 27 October 2025, 13 to 14 h (CET)
Online via Teams
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7ce421c5-1d12-4a91-b071-ab1bfb410998@e91b8a92-a4e8-4cd8-ad67-763902c9d9e6

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The Danish intelligent transport professional Søren Sørensen has been named ITS Nationals network person of the year the organisation’s annual awards ceremony in the Polish capital, Warsaw.

The event was sponsored by SWARCO, The Traffic Group, Daktronics, IDASO, Intertraffic and the 2027 ITS World Congress in Birmingham.

Mr Sørensen is the chairman of the ITS Denmark organisation, and he is also the leader in NEMU – the Nordics ecosystem mobility unlimited, making its systems work cross border in the Nordic countries and beyond, and also playing a major role in the Mobility as a Service Alliance for technology and standardisation

Announcing the award, Richard Neumann from sponsor SWARCO told the group: “I would like to make a parallel to the Danish football team. They have a great slogan: The supporters of the Danish football team, they shout, you are red, you are white, you are Danish dynamite. So that’s what you are, Søren, Danish dynamite, thank you for your contributions to the ITS industry in general.”

the reason that I can stand here is not because of me, it’s because of the IGs Nordic plus the idea that we came together and worked together and created both the previous project Nomad, which was the strategy part of it, and now we’re going into implementation mode. And we’re doing that with the help of all the IGs organization in the Nordics, and in fact, the project is now owned by Nordic plus, so I think we can bring that as a showcase here to ICS nationals, that each country may be a small contributor, but working together, we can really move things and create better mobility for all in Europe.

The other winners were ITS Germany, ITS Ireland, ITS Serbia, ITS Italy and a collaboration between ITS UK, Finland, Estonia and Latvia.

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The gala dinner and awards ceremony for the network of national Intelligent Transport Systems associations – ITS Nationals – will take place tonight (Tuesday 7 October) in Warsaw.

They are sponsored by The Traffic Group, Daktronics, IDASO, SWARCO, Intertraffic and the 2027 Birmingham ITS World Congress, and follow last year’s inaugural event in Switzerland.

It recognises how the individual associations support public and private sector ITS bodies across their countries and picks out leading examples of best practice to share among all members.

There are six awards,  

1. National Policy Champion Award – Sponsored by The Traffic Group

The association most successful at influencing ITS Policy on a national level during the past year.

2. Membership Champion Award – Sponsored by Daktronics

The association with the best testimonials from Members of how they have helped them from the last twelve months.

3. Next Generation Champion Award – Sponsored by IDASO

The association evidencing the most effective activities to support early careers professionals during the past year.

4. Excellence in Transportation Award – Sponsored by the 2027 Birmingham ITS World Congress

The association which stands out as being the most active and effective during the past year.

5. Network Collaboration Award – Sponsored by SWARCO

The association that can demonstrate the results of working with other organisations either in their country or internationally.

6. Network Person of the Year Award – Sponsored by Intertraffic

The individual most valued by the Network for their contribution.

(Picture shows last year’s winners – ITS Nationals)

In order to provide new impetus for the future collaboration within the European eCall community, the EU project X_HeERO is hosting its second webinar:

X_HeERO Webinar #2: Future eCall Collaboration
Wednesdays, 8 October 2025, 15:00 – 16:00 MESZ
Online via Teams
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/af81728e-49bf-42d7-8b7a-967fa0031b19@e91b8a92-a4e8-4cd8-ad67-763902c9d9e6

In the past, the European eCall Implementation Platform (EeIP) brought together relevant stakeholders and the European Commission to discuss progress, problems, and solutions for the technical and organisational development of eCall. The concept of an eCall Association has been developed to install a stable platform for future eCall cooperation.
The webinar will provide an overview on the status of reactivation and coordination to bring interest groups together and discuss options for sustainable eCall development. X_HeERO invites all organisations and possible stakeholders who are interested to be part of a future eCall community to participate.
Participation is free of charge. The webinar language is English.

The agenda and registration can be found here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/af81728e-49bf-42d7-8b7a-967fa0031b19@e91b8a92-a4e8-4cd8-ad67-763902c9d9e6

X_HeERO is co-funded by the European Union.

The Network for National ITS Associations (ITS Nationals), which is made up of 29 national Intelligent Transport Systems organisations across Europe, will recognise the leading national associations when it hosts its second annual awards ceremony in October.

Six awards will be presented during a gala dinner ahead of the Network’s plenary meeting in the Polish capital Warsaw on Tuesday 7 October.

“Last year, our inaugural awards got our member organisations thinking about what they do really well, and that led to some great sharing of ideas that have been picked up and shared with their international colleagues,” commented Network Chair Dónal Hodgins.  “The national associations are committed to supporting their members delivering transport technology, and these awards help us identify the best ways of implementing positives changes for the public.”

The six awards are:

1. National Policy Champion Award

The association most successful at influencing ITS Policy on a national level during the past year

2. Membership Champion Award

The association with the best testimonials from Members of how they have helped them from the last twelve months

3. Next Generation Champion Award

The association evidencing the most effective activities to support early careers professionals during the past year

4. Excellence in Transportation Award

The association which stands out as being the most active and effective during the past year

5. Network Collaboration Award

The association that can demonstrate the results of working with other organisations either in their country or internationally.

6. Network Person of the Year Award

The individual most valued by the Network for their contribution.

To enter one of the first five awards, any of the ITS national associations apply with details of the way they qualify for the award and they must get at least two testimonials from relevant organisations such as members, government ministries or fellow associations. An independent panel will judge the submissions and also choose the winner of the person of the year.

The gala dinner and awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday evening October 7 2025 at the Hotel Mercure Warszawa Centrum, which will also host the ITS Polska 17^th Polish ITS Conference (October 6-7, 2025).

The individual awards may be sponsored by any company or public body who are a member of a National ITS Association making up the ITS Network.  Prices are just €1,200 including two places and a chance to introduce the relevant award at the dinner, continent-wide publicity across ITS National Member organisations, their name associated with the prize in all publicity and to brand themselves as sponsors of the ITS National Network Awards 2025.  More details are available from ITS Nationals Honorary Communications Lead, Paul Hutton.

In order to enable as many association members to attend as possible, places at the award dinner are priced at just €125 per person (plus relevant taxes).

(Picture shows last year’s award winners, sponsors and judges at the inaugural event in Bern, courtesy of ITS Nationals)

All stakeholders interested in Next Generation eCall (NG eCall) are invited to register now for the first webinar organised by the European X_HeERO project:

X_HeERO Webinar #1: PSAP Upgrade Support for NG eCall
Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 11 to 12 a.m.
Online via Teams
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/69861a06-ca71-406b-9753-76b0aadeec9b@e91b8a92-a4e8-4cd8-ad67-763902c9d9e6

According to an Amendment to Delegated Act No. 305/2013 existing eCall infrastructure must be enabled for Next Generation eCall (NG eCall) by 1 January 2026. Within the EU-funded project X_HeERO technical descriptions (blueprints) are developed and evaluated to provide support for the upgrade realisation.
The webinar will provide an overview on the technology, show ways to get technical support, and inform on test and evaluation options. It addresses all responsible parties for PSAP upgrade in European Member States, interested organisations, and providers for technical support.
Participation is free of charge. The webinar language is English.

The agenda and registration can be found here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/69861a06-ca71-406b-9753-76b0aadeec9b@e91b8a92-a4e8-4cd8-ad67-763902c9d9e6

X_HeERO is co-funded by the European Union.

The former ITS (UK) Secretary General, Jennie Martin MBE, who was inducted into the ITS Hall of Fame during the 2024 World Congress in Dubai, has finally received her certificate. TTS Italia secretary general Olga Landolfi, handed over the award in London last week as Jennie was unable to attend the ITS World Congress, and it was Olga who collected the trophy on Jennie’s behalf in September. Also pictured (left) is TTS Italia president Rossella Panero.

Jennie joins Prof Eric Sampson CBE, Prof Phil Blythe and the late Richard Harris as UK recipients of the honour.

She was honoured for her work on women in ITS, early careers and her work with the ITS Nationals.

Mrs Martin told Highways News in September: “I am delighted and surprised to receive this recognition, joining other UK recipients such as Professor Eric Sampson CBE, Richard Harris, and Professor Phil Blythe.  I consider the award to belong to the whole of the UK ITS community, where I have been a part for nearly 30 years, and to everybody who helped set up the Network of National ITS Associations 20 years ago.  This is why I am honoured to have Olga Landolfi of TTS Italia receive the award on my behalf.  Olga and I are ITS women of the same vintage and were both actively involved in the creation of the Network, which remains a force for unity and collaboration in European ITS.  

“I have seen many exciting implementations and groundbreaking research during my three decades in ITS.  I am most proud of always bringing the end user perspective and the considerations of under-represented groups to any ITS discussion where I have taken part.  The technology is pointless, no matter how smart, if it does not benefit the whole of the travelling public. ” 

(Pic: Rukshan Soysa/ITS UK)

Planning for the 33rd ITS World Congress in Birmingham is accelerating, following a productive meeting between the organisers, ERTICO – ITS Europe, and representatives from the host region, the West Midlands. Held in London, this strategic session marked a key milestone in shaping a high-impact global event that will take place from 25–29 October 2027 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

Expected to welcome more than 15,000 participants from across the globe, the 2027 edition will feature an extensive exhibition, a high-level summit for transport leaders, five days of technical and special interest sessions, hands-on demonstrations, technical visits, and robust networking opportunities. Under the theme “Connect Ideas. Transform Transport.”, the Congress will serve as a unique platform to showcase how intelligent transport systems are transforming mobility worldwide.

The London meeting focused on deepening collaboration across key areas, including stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and outreach to new audiences who may not have previously attended a World Congress. As planning enters a new phase, ERTICO and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) are working closely to ensure the Congress reaches a broad, diverse, and global audience, including the forthcoming promotion of the joint stand exhibition at the 2025 ITS World Congress in Atlanta.

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Europe’s leading event for smart mobility and digital transport, the ITS European Congress, is now open for registrations.

Taking place in the vibrant city of Seville from 19 to 21 May 2025, the 16^th European Congress, organised by ERTICO – ITS Europe, will bring together more than 3,000 of industry professionals, policymakers, researchers, and innovators to explore cutting-edge developments shaping the future of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

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