Feabruary 2013

In this Issue:

Interview with Abel Caballero

Mayor of Vigo (Spain)

Changing technology and evolving consumer demand

Future trends in personalised mobility

The “Internet of Mobility”

Building better ITS services in Europe

ERTICO eMagazineWelcome to the

Editorial

Welcome to our February edition

Dear readers,

Whether you were in Rio, Cologne or Venice or in your office wishing to be in Rio, Cologne or Venice, we hope you had a nice Carnival celebration.

In this edition of our eMagazine, we take a detailed look at the future of ITS services.

On 13 February, ERTICO flew to Barcelona to participate in the workshop on ITS and new services, organised by ERTICO and FIA (representing the Users Sector Platform). During the vibrant discussion some specific issues concerning personal mobility came up. Particular attention was given to open and high quality data for traffic information, free and fair competition and new and sustainable business models for service providers and automobile clubs. In the article Laura Johnstone looks deeper into these three big themes keeping an eye on the consumers needs.

Many of those challenges will be tackled under a new ERTICO partnership project which started at the end of January: Mobinet. The project will explore the endless potential of an ‘Internet of mobility’

and Ian Bearder

attended the Kick-Off meeting to see what the project is all about.

We also look at the year that will come with an emphasis on the ERTICO’s activities. With two Congresses coming in June in Dublin and in October in Tokyo; three new projects (Compass4D, Mobinet and HeERO2) starting; and numerous events and workshops to be planned, 2013 will be a year to be remembered. With ECOeffect, COSMO and EcoMove projects coming to an end, we also are pleased to announce their forthcoming final events, discover what and how in the article.

Speaking of new starts, another project Compass4D kicked off few weeks ago in the exotic city of Vigo in Spain. On that occasion Carla Coppola had the opportunity to speak with Abel Caballero, Mayor of Vigo and former Spanish Minister of transport. Mr Caballero explains us the importance of cooperative systems in urban mobility safety and environment.

We also would like to anticipate that the registrations for the 9th European Congress in Dublin will open at the end of this month, keep an eye on the Congress website (www.itsineurope.com) and, for the most tech people, follow the latest news on twitter @ITS_Congresses.

As always we hope you will enjoy this edition of the ERTICO eMagazine.

The Editorial Team

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The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of ERTICO or its Partners.

contents

Editorial

The “Internet of Mobility”

Changing technology and evolving consumer demand

2013 is looking better than ever

Interview with Abel Caballero

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We needed to be at the venue for

10:30 so we could setup and prepare

everything before the guests all

arrived at 11:00.

“No problem” I thought, as I walked

off to find someone who could help

me call a taxi in French.

My optimism was short lived.

Just minutes later I discovered that

Brussels’ taxi drivers were on strike

from 10am - the exact time we

needed a lift! In fact, it was the exact

time that all the attendees from our

34 project partners would also need

a taxi. This was bad news.

Most, if not all of the guests were

arriving from other parts of Europe

so they would already be in Brussels

and I had no way to contact them.

Furthermore, most of them would be

unfamiliar with the local transport

network and unaware that they could

get to the venue on the number 83

tram or bus number 84. If only there

was an easy way to notify them...

As it was, there was very little we

could do, so we set-off early and

hoped for the best. We arrived OK and

depite the taxi strike and atrocious

weather our guests eventually

found the venue. A little-bit wet,

but otherwise in good spirits our

project team had arrived from across

Europe and Project Coordinator Paul

Kompfner was ready for business.

The kick-off meeting could begin.

As mentioned, we were about to

launch a new project called MOBiNET.

But, you’re probably wondering

what MOBiNET is, right? Well, let me

explain...

MOBiNET is a new ERTICO-led project

which plans to develop and run an

‘Internet of mobility’.

This ‘Internet of mobility’ is quite

difficult to explain, but put simply, it

will be a platform that links transport

services and end users.

By developing a set of common tools

and standards (collectively known as

MOBiNET), the idea is make to mobile

transport services, such as journey

planning, automated ticketing,

billing and vehicle tracking more

accessible and more usable.

As a ‘cloud based’ system MOBiNET

will make it much easier for software

developers to create new online

transport services (good for business)

and make it much easier for people

like you and me to use them - which

is good for consumers.

Is it necessary?

I think the travel problems we

experienced at the start of our

day highlight exactly why it is.

Modern intelligent transport

systems and services (ITS) use

mobile communications networks

The “Internet of Mobility”Building better ITS services in Europe

by Ian Bearder

On 29 January 2013, I arrived at the office a little bit early, so I could check my emails and help with last-minute

arrangements for the launch of our exciting new project called MOBiNET. I was given an important task. I was to

arrange a taxi to take me and my colleagues from the ERTICO office in Brussels to the Volvo office on the other side

of the city.

and information technology

(Smartphones, GPS trackers etc.)

to make travel safer, smarter and

cleaner. However, developing,

deploying and using these services is

still problematic.

If a simple interface existed that

could harness the power of online

communications, multi-modal

travel planners, online mapping

and automated ticketing – our

unexpected taxi strike wouldn’t

have been a big deal. Our guests

could have been quickly informed

and easily rescheduled their travel

arrangements.

Let’s take telematics as another

example. The telematics industry

provides vehicle monitoring and

information services. These services

have been developed by insurance

companies who may now offer

products based on the way that their

customers drive.

The problem is however that many

of these systems have each been

developed independently, using

different specifications and different

standards. This means that its

frustratingly difficult (not to mention

expensive) to integrate them with

other, similar services. From a

user’s perspctive, this means added

complexity and confusion, and it

often means that additional software

applications (apps) are required to

run each service.

Think about it. How would you

currently find these apps? How would

you pay for them? And would any

single app be able to complete all

the travel planning, monitoring and

billing required?

These are some of the problems

MOBiNET will try to address. By

creating a standardised platform,

MOBiNET would increase the

compatibility of transport services.

This increased compatibility means

less duplication, less duplication

means less confusion, and less

confusion naturally makes life easier.

‘Ease of access’ sits at the core of

MOBiNET.

The real project buzzwords are

well known to software developers:

compatibility, extensibility and

usability.

Jacques Amselem, CEO of Allianz

Telematics and a member of the

MOBiNET project team explained the

problems with the current market:

“The issue we have with telematics is

that all the solutions we have seen so

far are very vertical and very propriety

and this is causing some issues in

terms of business development and

customer perception. That is why we

believe that MOBiNET is the right way

to go and we believe that it is the

solution for the future development

of telematics”

Marco Annoni - Innovation Area

Manager at Telecom Italia, said his

company had joined the project

to help define a common set of

standards: “In our view, the project

is innovative because it is a common

approach which is not just targeting

common interests. In the past we

have seen many vertical deployments

based on local requirements. With

MOBiNET we are aiming to find a

solution which is more general, more

flexible and more re-usable. Once we

have a common view at a European

level it will become an enabler for

many different stakeholders.”

Breaking New Ground

As a research project, MOBiNET is

an interesting entity. Not only is it

truly trans-European, with project

partners from across the continent,

but it also aims to continue as a

working organisation at the end of

the project. This means there are

both technical and administrative

aspects that need to be considered

and the consortium will have to

set out a viable business case for

MOBiNET.

Project Coordinator Paul Kompfner,

Head of SmartMobility at ERTICO,

is under no illusion that this will be

easy: “Our ambition is to establish

MOBiNET as THE connected mobility

and transport service platform Paul Kompfner, Head of Smart Mobility at ERTICO and MOBiNET

coordinator

for all of Europe’s travellers and

transport service suppliers; it seems

a staggering challenge but we are

confident we can achieve this since

we have the right solution features

and partners to do it.”

To help deliver a working and useable

system, MOBiNET has adopted a

method of accelerated development

known as ‘agile’. This means that a

fully operational, first-generation

system will be released just 16

months after the project is launched.

Tests will take place at eight pilot

sites across Europe and the feedback

and results gained will then provide

input for the development of the

system ahead of the next product

release. Testing will be conducted

with businesses from both inside

and outside the project consortium

and potential users of the platform

are thus invited to work alongside

the project team to gain an early

experience of MOBiNET’s advantages.

If you are interested in this unique

opportunity I would be happy to hear

from you.

Finally, I am pleased to say that

despite bad weather and taxi-chaos

our kick-off meeting in Brussels was

a great success and everyone at

ERTICO would like to thank those who

attended. As always though - the real

value of MOBiNET will be crafted over

the coming months and years as the

project progresses.

I look forward to following this process

and reporting news and updates as

the MOBiNET project develops. If, in

three years time we have integrated

services which can transport me, in

the most efficient way, from place-

to-place despite heavy rain and a

taxi strike - MOBiNET will be one ‘big

cloud’ I am happy to see.

The MOBiNET platform• An online B2B

directory of Europe-wide transport data and services

• Aunifiedmobileaccounting, payment and clearing system, giving users a single account valid throughout Europe and simplifying roaming among providers

• Anopenbusinessenvironmentenablingproviderstointegrate third-party services with their own products

• Asecureenvironmentforin-vehicleandportabledevices offering users a dedicated app-store, and service providers access to MOBiNET-compliant user devices

• Abusiness-to-businesse-marketplacefortheautomatic negotiation of service agreements

• A Service Development Kit to simplify the creation of innovativeMOBiNETservicesforend-andbusinessusers.

ERTICO are delighted to welcome two new members to the ERTICO Partnership.

Michelin

Michelin are dedicated to helping to enhance sustainable mobility, and by joining ERTICO they have expressed a desire to initiate, develop and implement projects with key ITS players and to fulfil their commitment towards a cleaner, safer, more affordable and better connected mobility.

FUJITSU TEN Europe

FUJITSU TEN Europe are focused on ITS activities not only as an execution of their social responsibility initiative but with a focus on new market opportunities – especially telematics and fully connected vehicles.

We look forward to working with both companies over the coming months and years.

New ERTICO Partners

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Changing technology and evolving consumer demand Future trends in personalised mobility

The rapid advance of technology has changed many aspects of our daily lives to an extent which was entirely unpredictable just a decade ago. At the turn of the millennium, few would have foreseen our society become so inextricably entangled in the web of new communication tools which we have come to rely on so strongly in such a short period.

Mobility is no exception, and

technology here is moving perhaps

faster than in many other sectors.

Technologies which were novel just

a few short years ago are evolving

almost beyond recognition thanks to

the emergence of low-cost, open-

source tools, the decrease in mobile

hardware costs and the widespread

mobile coverage which we now take

for granted.

Services are more consumer-driven

than ever before and the vehicle is

the next frontier of the connectivity

revolution, with unprecedented

potential for new services and

features targeted at travellers. On

13 February, ERTICO Partners and

FIA members were hosted by the

RACC in Barcelona to assess the

upcoming trends in personal mobility

and to discuss the opportunities and

challenges for automobile clubs.

Three issues in particular arose in the

presentations given and subsequent

discussions: ensuring the availability

of open and high quality data for

traffic information, safeguarding free

and fair competition alongside safety

and driver privacy when it comes to

in-vehicle services, and identifying

new, sustainable business models

for service providers and automobile

clubs.

Trafficinformation

Personal navigation devices have

come a long way since their original

rise in popularity during the early

part of the last decade thanks to

the availability of GPS and the

commercialisation of map making for

this purpose, with ever more routes

mapped out and made available to

drivers at the touch of a button.

Moreover, the advent of the

smartphone has provided travellers

with thousands of possibilities for

calculating the smartest way to reach

their destination. Indeed, a quick

glance at the most popular navigation

apps page on the Apple Appstore

shows 240 apps enticing the user to

beat the traffic, avoid getting caught

out by speed cameras or find the

cheapest car park in the area.

Whilst free competition and choice

is undoubtedly good for users and

a positive force in the market, the

question of quality arises: what are

the data sources for all of these

apps, and are they really providing

high quality information that gets the

user from A to B following the most

efficient and safest route?

At policy level, the European

Commission has shown its support

for optimising the use of road, traffic

and travel data and providing a

free minimum information service

as one focus of the ITS Action

Plan. Furthermore, the need for

by Laura Johnstone

cooperation between the public

and private sectors regarding the

exchange of data, the deployment of

monitoring devices and management

of data quality was highlighted in the

guidelines for ITS deployment in urban

areas on multimodal information

recently published by the EC Urban

ITS Expert Group. Such actions should

crack open sources of reliable data

and also help to meet policy goals

by providing consumers with more

quality choices and encouraging

travellers to shift to other modes of

transport.

Automobile clubs themselves have

already made a strong foray into

the smartphone world, with many

of them providing a variety of apps

for their customers and for motorists

in general, a common one of which

is of course traffic and travel

information. But in the face of such

stiff competition, notably from those

offering similar services for free,

how can the clubs differentiate their

offering to an extent that consumers

are willing to part with their cash?

The answer again lies in the quality

of data. More and more traffic and

travel information services are based

on huge data aggregation operations,

which certainly provide plenty of

information, but as it is difficult to

verify the quality of such volumes

of data, the information provided to

the user may not always be accurate.

By focusing on ensuring high quality

data in their apps and utilising the

club brand, automobile clubs are

able to compete with the larger,

international players in this field.

Safeguarding free and fair

competition alongside safety and

driver privacy when it comes to in-

vehicle services

The implementation of the EU-wide

eCall service in 2015 is set to be the

largest deployment of an in-vehicle

telematics system ever seen. eCall

is purely a safety device, but its

implementation is widely viewed as

opening the door for many other in-

vehicle telematics based services,

ranging from b-call services and

remote diagnostics to new insurance

services and even entertainment

functions.

The possibilities in this field are

exciting, both for consumers who

have become so attached to the

smartphones and the apps that make

our lives easier - extending smart,

useful and dynamic services to the

vehicle is an appetising prospect, and

for industry which sees an opportunity

to join the connectivity boom and

utilise services to reach goals such as

increased safety and cleaner mobility.

However, there are a number of

issues to be solved in order to reach

widespread deployment of in-vehicle

telematics systems, including how

to minimise driver distraction and

develop a common HMI, ensuring the

security of data and driver privacy

and who controls the system and its

content. Even how the telematics

system will operate is up for debate;

some envisage embedded systems

as we will experience with the eCall

system, whilst others see a link

between the smartphone and the

vehicle, as has been developed by

several vehicle manufacturers and

suppliers.

It is widely acknowledged that in-

vehicle telematics services are set

to play a big role in personalised

mobility in the coming years, and for

the automobile clubs it is especially

important to ensure that consumers

have free choice in selecting the

best services - which should be

safeguarded through an open market

and free competition in the context

of the relevant legal frameworks.

Identifying new, sustainable

business models for automobile

clubs

The rise of the internet has opened

up a whole new market, with

new key players, new audiences

and new ways of doing business.

The traditional business models

of telecommunications operators

often didn’t fit with this new way

of connecting, communicating and

experiencing products or services

and as a result a new generation of

tech companies sprang into action

with innovative organisational and

business models, based on shared

content and shared revenue.

In an online world dominated by just

a small number of monoliths which Professor Eric Sampson presents a vision of mobility for 2050

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are both able and keen to diversify

their business, traditional technology

and service providers have had to

adapt to keep up with evolving

consumer demand. Consumers have

become used to having the freshest,

most relevant information in their

hands with just a few swipes of a

touch screen, and this is especially

the case when it comes to travel

information. Identifying a clear

position in the virtual market, with

strong differentiation of products and

services from those of competitors is

key to survival.

Outside of the stranglehold of the big

players, firms tend to differentiate

on the basis of quality, and seek to

capitalise on a brand name that has

been built over years in the real

world, as we see with the automobile

clubs traffic and travel apps.

But can long established brands retain

this niche in the market in the face

of a new generation of consumers

– those who are connected almost

from birth and are more familiar with

doing business online using innovative

ways of paying for content than with

the traditional idea of simply paying a

fixed price for a fixed service?

This will pose a great challenge in

the future, and given that we have so

far been unable to accurately predict

how or to what extent our connected

society will continue to transform,

technology and service providers

need to pay extremely close attention

to developments and the emergence

of new trends in the market.

However, whilst attempting to look

forward and predict trends is both

worthwhile and necessary, it is also

risky. Just look back three decades to

the 1970s and consider the astounding

technological progress that has been

made since then – the world is almost

unrecognisable! In three decades

from now – around 2050 – what will

our society look like, and will we be

looking back at 2013 and reminiscing

about a simpler time?

Technology and service providers,

including the automobile clubs, are

embracing opportunities to provide

more diverse and higher quality

services to travellers. The success

of new services, especially from

established brands, demonstrates

that, for now at least, quality of

information and quality of service

is valued by travellers. Continued

innovation and responsiveness to

consumer demand will be vital in

ensuring this success in the future.

Finally, in order to overcome the

many uncertainties of this dynamic

and sometimes erratic sector, it

is clear that strong coordination,

exchange of information and positive,

forward-looking cooperation between

all stakeholders must be actively

pursued and promoted.

2013 is looking better than everAn introduction to the ERTICO partnership activities in 2013

After our in-depth review of what was a very exciting 2012, this month we take a glimpse at 2013 and we can say without doubt that 2013 couldn’t start better!

Three major projects, Compass4D, MOBiNET and HeERO2, kicked-off in January and you can be sure that you will hear more about them in the next years.

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by Carla Coppola

With 31 partners and 7 pilot cities,

Compass4D is hoping to deploy

cooperative services that will make

mobility in cities safer and greener.

The particularity of Compass4D is

that different means of transport will

be involved; not only private cars

but also buses, taxis and emergency

vehicles will undergo the testing

in these 7 very different cities

(Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Eindhoven-

Helmond, Newcastle, Thessaloniki,

Verona and Vigo). The kick-off took

place in Vigo, Spain; the meetings

and media encounters will then move

to Copenhagen at the end of April,

and so forth for the next three years

until the final event in Bordeaux in

2015 during the ITS World Congress.

With its eye on the future of

transport and mobility, MOBiNET has

the ambitious goal of developing

and deploying a Europe-wide cloud

platform for ITS services. With a bulky

budget of 15.6 million Euros, this

44-month project will provide tools

for developers of next-generation

mobility “apps” for users, as well

as business enablers for providers

of all types of mobility services

and content. MOBiNET features

include single user identity and

mobility services account; Europe-

wide virtual transport ticketing;

business-to-business directory of

European services and content and

E-marketplace; and a MOBiNET “app-

store” and user interface.

2013 Spring and Autumn seasons

will be sparkling with ITS. After

the outstanding exhibition and

programme presented in Vienna last

year, ERTICO is working on two major

ITS events: the 9th ITS European

Congress in Dublin and the 20th ITS

World Congress in Tokyo.

In Europe, with the call for papers

is now closed, with over 300

papers submitted (good luck to the

reviewers), and with the registrations

to be opened at the beginning of

March, it is easy to imagine how

busy ERTICO Congress team is. The

exhibition will be up and running at

the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD)

in the heart of Dublin City on 4 June

for four full days with hundreds of

sessions carefully selected to appeal

all the ITS heads participating in the

event.

Following Dublin, we travel to

Tokyo where the Japanese hosts are

putting all their efforts to guarantee

a spectacular event in the Tokyo Big

Sight, one of the largest convention

venues of the city. As the 20th ITS

World Congress will take place from

14 to 18 October, attendees still

have a few more months before they

are stunned by the excellence of

Japanese transport systems.

On the activities side, energy

efficiency and reduction of carbon

emissions is becoming a central issue

amongst Member States as the focus

on several projects is testifying. The

ECOeffect training programme has

started its second demo-tour around

Poland, Romania and Czech Republic

to support truck drivers in finding

a more efficient way to drive and

save fuel. The third demo tour will

coincide with a big final event in

September where public authorities

will be invited to discuss and touch

with hands the eco-driving benefits.

Another two EU funded projects,

COSMO and eCoMove, will conclude

their activities in 2013 with two

final events respectively in May and

November. In the past 2 and half years

COSMO looked at demonstrating the

benefits of cooperative services in

realistic conditions by quantifying the

effect of different traffic management

systems – for example multimodal

real-time travel information systems

- on fuel consumption and traffic

emissions.

Along the same lines, eCoMove

focused its research on vehicle-to-

infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-

to-vehicle (V2V) communication

technologies to create concrete

solutions such as eco-driving support

and eco-traffic management, to

reduce energy consumption for

passengers and goods vehicles. The

project results will be presented

in Aachen, Germany, during the

project’s final event on 20 and 21

November.

eCall is still considered one of the

most EU high profile projects and it

will remain a central issue after 2015,

when all new European vehicles will

be equipped with the emergency

call service. The pilot projects

implementing the service, HeERO

1 and HeERO 2, will run in parallel

throughout the year until the 2nd

International HeERO Conference in

Bucharest in November, which will

mark the end of HeERO1 and unveil

the final results. This conference will

also be an occasion for interested

stakeholders to discuss HeERO 2

preliminary results in the 6 new test

sites in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark,

Luxembourg, Spain, and Turkey and to

participate in demonstrations on how

eCall is activated and received by the

system in the national protection and

rescue offices.

Part of the ERTICO activities involves

studies on driver behaviour and their

impact of road safety. In June 2012,

the EuroFOT project concluded that

driver assistance technologies might

have a positive effect on the driver

behaviour and, as consequence, on

road safety, traffic efficiency and

environment. This year we carry

on the research on large-scale

naturalistic driving studies (NDS)

and field operation tests (FOT) with

two projects UDRIVE and FOT-Net.

Between February and October,

several workshops will be organised

in Brussels and elsewhere to look

deeply into these studies and their

possible benefits.

Another initiative, the coordinated

and supported action (CSA) 79GHz has

set up ambitious objectives for 2013.

The project will look at speeding-

up worldwide harmonised frequency

allocations for vehicular radars in the

77 GHz to 81 GHz (79GHz) frequency

range while focusing on different

countries in Asia (Japan, India, China)

and Americas (USA, Canada, Brazil).

For technical reasons, the frequency

range between 77 and 81 GHz

provides an exceptional performance

for the Short Range Radar (SRR)

used for different applications.

Considering that European vehicle

manufacturers and their suppliers

make business at a global level,

79GHz project will provide a wide

range of benefits by avoiding the

segmentation of the overall market

by region specific frequency variants

that increases the cost of production

and reduces competitiveness. Also,

79GHz will focus on the recently

founded “IARREG - International

Automotive Radio Regulations Expert

Group” promoting the interests of

the worldwide automotive industry

concerning regulatory issues on

radio based automotive systems

and components; the use of the

appropriate harmonised frequency

bands for radio based automotive

application within the existing and

future regulatory environment; the

maintenance of appropriate existing

frequency bands.

To sum up new projects, new policies

designed for citizens’ safety and

environment protection, new business

models knocking on the door with

international cooperation remaining

a central focus for ERTICO. What has

been mentioned so far represents

only few of the planned activities

of the ERTICO partnership for 2013.

Even if this year we will have one day

less (2012 was a leap year in case you

were wondering why you were so tired

in December) we are convinced that

it will be a great year for Intelligent

Transport Systems. Be ready for the

ride.

For more information on the ERTICO partnership activities, visit the ERTICO website.

management in real time of the

traffic flow. The control room of

the traffic management and control

centre is equipped with 23 screens,

a video wall (to monitor the cameras

in the city) and 3 synoptic panels to

monitor the urban tunnels and the

traffic light networks in the city. This

control centre manages and controls

traffic light networks; the 6 urban

traffic tunnels; the access control of

the historic part of the city; and the

communications infrastructure.

I think that these concerns are shared

by many other medium-sized cities

and it is this kind of urban agglomerate

that local administrations have to

invest in now for the future. Investing

in transport and mobility not only

means improving the quality of life

of citizens every day, but also making

the city more welcoming to external

bodies and businesses. They all need

information to make their driving

safer, less stressful and more energy

efficient.

Vigo is one of the seven cities

taking part in the EU Compass4D

project. What is the advantage for

Vigo to deploy cooperative systems

for transport? Would you like to

share your expertise and cooperate

with other European cities?

In Vigo, we are aware of the fantastic

opportunity that Compass4D

cooperative technologies can

provide to improve safety and

energy efficiency and reduce traffic

congestion. Vigo is a city very much

related to the automotive business;

we have very big factories and we are

second in Europe with 500.000 cars

produced every year. We have a very

large harbour with ships for exporting

cars and we are very much interested

in the technology, having also CTAG

- the Automotive Technological

Centre of Galicia - working every

day on research, development and

innovation of traffic technologies for

different automotive companies.

Also, Vigo has invested a lot in

new route systems; it is a city set

on a mountain and having good

roads that can assure safety to our

citizens especially in dangerous

turn is fundamental. I would say

that the geographical structure of

the city, together with the efforts

on regenerating traffic networks,

makes Vigo an excellent test site for

development and testing of the three

services (Forward Collision Warning;

Red Light Violation Warning; Energy

Interview with: Abel Caballero, Mayor of Vigo

What do you think the

challenges are that cities,

and in particular Vigo, are facing

nowadays in terms of transport and

mobility? And what advice would

you give to local administrations

to improve citizen’s every-day

mobility?

Vigo has around 300.000 inhabitants

and a frenetic city life due to its

diversified economy linked to the

fisheries and automotive sectors, and

the naval industry and services. As a

consequence, every day, the urban

roads are populated with more than

500.000 people, including a significant

part of freight and logistics.

This growth of the urban planning

is of course very positive for the

city economy but it represents a

challenge for the transport network

management. In order to face these

challenges, the city council has

deployed, over the years, a huge

infrastructure for the control and

11

Compass4D Press Conference in Vigo. Rasmus Lindholm (ERTICO), Pierpaolo Tona (ERTICO and Compass4D Project coordinator), Mayor Abel Caballero and

Francisco Ferreira.

Efficient Intersection service) that

the project will implement. I am

confident that the Council of Vigo,

together with the team of local

partners involved in the project

such as CTAG, VITRASA (the city bus

company) and ESYCSA (the local

traffic and communications provider)

will play a fundamental role in

achieving the project targets.

With this basis, Vigo will certainly

become one of the city leaders in

cooperative systems, we are working

hard to create a smart city and we

are very much in favour of sharing our

experience, also through Compass4D,

with the other Spanish cities as well

as European ones. Let’s not forget

that Compass4D is deploying services

in seven cities very different from

each other.

With the current financial

crisis, several industries are

facing economic problems. Why

do you think that entrepreneurs

and administrations should invest

in the automotive industry? Do

you consider Intelligent Transport

System an additional cost or a way

to increase cost efficiency of urban

mobility?

In such a situation of global

economic crisis like the current one,

administrations and large industries

have to make a big effort, bigger than

if they were in a normal situation.

Intelligent Transport Systems are

an investment for the future for a

better life of our citizens.

What type of policies that

benefit cities do you think the

EU should focus on? What more can

be done at European level?

The EU has to create a strong link

between national and regional

administrations. We need a solid

starting point and cooperation if

we want to prove the benefits of

European policies that citizens need.

Therefore an important part of the

European Institutions work should

focus on coordinating and well

planning the future policies to invest

in our future.

The city of Vigo has 297,124 inhabitants, with an extended metropolitan population of 468,654, making it the 14th largest metropolitan area of Spain. At the beginning of 20th century Vigo had less than 50,000 inhabitants; in 2012 its metropolitan area had almost half a million, making Vigo one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe.

Vigo is one of the leading industrial areas in Galicia, with car factories, shipyards, and auxiliary industry. Situated in Vigo is Galicia’s leading employer, PSA Peugeot Citroën, which in 2007 produced a total of 545,000 vehicles, of which more than 82% were sold outside Spain.

Compass4D services will be deployed in a route that crosses the entire city centre and connects two of the main entrances to the city: AP-9 and A-55 highways. As soon as the city centre will be equipped, Vigo will have a complete area, covering urban and interurban environment, available to test and deploy cooperative services. This route was selected because the conditions for testing these services will be optimal and the city council is really interested in witnessing the positive effects of Compass4D services in this area.

There will be 17 equipped intersections and the system will be tested by 40 vehicles (buses, taxis, private vehicles and emergency vehicles).

About the City of Vigo

The Control and Management Centre in Vigo oversees the traffic flow in real time.

For more information on Compass4D, visit the website (www.compass4d.eu) and follow us on Twitter: @Compass4D

ERTICO Partnership events

Other dates for your Diary!

28February2013 ERTICO Strategy Committee meeting

Brussels (BE)

19 April2013 ERTICO Supervisory Board Meeting

Brussels (BE)

7May2013 ERTICO Forum

Brussels (BE)

21-24May2013 2nd TPEG Testfest

Munich (DE)

Dublin, Ireland, 4-7 June 2013, 9th European ITS Congress, www.itsineurope.com

Tokyo, Japan, 14-18 October 2013, 20th ITS World Congress, www.itsworldcongress.jp

Helsinki, Finland, 16-19 June 2014, 10th European ITS Congress

Detroit, USA, 7-11 September 2014, 21st ITS World Congress

Bordeaux, France, 5-9 October 2015, 22nd ITS World Congress

2013 2014 2015

World Congress2013 2014

2016

Melbourne

For further information, please contact us:

Avenue Louise 326, B-1050 Brussels Belgiumt +32 (0)2 400 07 00f +32 (0)2 400 07 01pr@mail.ertico.com www.ertico.com