Technology Profile |
Growing smarter with
multimodal thinking
| Need to know bringing together all public
If transport networks
fail to provide enough
overall capacity, the
outcome often leads to
gridlock, high pollution
and poor public health
064 Traffic Technology International September/October 2019
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
the concept ensures stability.
This approach requires an open
discourse between previously
siloed organizations and a
change facilitator.
Kapsch, as well as being a
solutions provider, positions
itself as a change manager. This
involves bringing to bear the
company’s experience and
working with cities and
governments to solidify
thinking and realize
approaches, avoiding pitfalls
along the way. It means
encouraging openness, both in
terms of the discourse between
previously siloed organizations
and in terms of standards.
An important part of making
multi-agency solutions work is
the adoption of open standards,
and Kapsch has a long history
of involvement with the bodies
that formulate standards for the
mobility and other sectors.
Open standards protect the
As their economies evolve
from largely agrarian to
more of the value-added
industries that generate higher
GDPs and per capita incomes,
the Pacific Rim region is in the
vanguard of the global
urbanization trend.
Within its member states, the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) expects to see
90 million more people living in
urban centers by 2030.
This presents significant
transportation challenges.
Rising incomes may facilitate
access to personal transport,
for example, but more cars
only mean more congestion.
Increasing housing and so
population densities can reduce
the distances that people have to
travel, but if transport networks
fail to provide enough overall
capacity, the results will often
be gridlock, high pollution and
poor public health.
Simply building more road
capacity isn’t always practical,
even in developed, prosperous
nations. The Republic of
Singapore has a total area
of 722.5km2/279 miles2 and
a population of 5.7 million.
It is the second-most densely
populated nation in the world.
Already, some 12% of its land
mass is paved over for mobility
purposes. It cannot give up
more space.
Smart solutions
It is, therefore, important to
become much smarter about
how people and goods are
moved. Solutions must be
sought that offer an acceptable
or improved user experience
while balancing demand across
all modes. More capacity from
less infrastructure is the answer.
This means getting away
from long-accepted norms, such
as the single-occupancy vehicle,
> More capacity must
be derived from less
infrastructure, moving
away from long-accepted
norms such as the
single-occupancy vehicle
> The project implemented
by Kapsch in Buenos Aires
focused on bringing
agencies together to
coordinate and better
access transport
information
and private mobility providers,
adopting and promoting new
forms of travel such as ride- and
vehicle-sharing, and facilitating
the individual to walk or cycle.
Across the spectrum,
technology exists to enable us
to do this. The emergence of
apps that provide travellers
with access to real-time
information on all available
options makes seamless,
cashless journeys increasingly
possible across multiple modes.
The concept of Mobility as a
Service (MaaS) is now enshrined
in planners’ thinking.
Managing change
Long before a solution is
implemented, there must be
clearly defined goals and how
they can be achieved. Starting
small and simple, with a few
well-articulated intentions,
before building and socializing
Above: Fluidtime supports
MaaS development
Right: Kapsch can help
highway and urban traffic
management scenearios
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