…, which shall be efficient and safe and which is supportive of the goals for climate change. Once the hard infrastructures are in place of new corridors as well as of existing networks and cities, services are required to optimize their performance and integrate their use. Services, using and providing information, which optimize local performance, provide cross-border continuity and seamlessness and provide the basis for multimodality.
A modern road-based transport system will be dependent on a number of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS), based on telematics, components, automated systems for traffic control and management, fleet management (public transport and goods vehicles) and road pricing. The vehicles using the network are increasingly being equipped with automated support systems and services to enhance driving safety and efficiency.
The maximum benefit to end users and other stakeholders will be created from these systems when they are fully integrated or harmonized so that they can share data and operate together in a coordinated manner.
Effective cooperation is also needed if stakeholders want to offer advanced services such as cross-modal traveller information and cross-organisational and cross-border traffic management. These services are only feasible by seamless collaboration of ITS actors in ITS value chains and networks, as these require information sharing, particularly if multi-modal journeys or transport are to be promoted.
By creating and using a European ITS Architecture, the components that it identifies as being required for ITS implementation:
- can refer to a “common language” for discussion and help to ensure system compatibility across Europe
- can be derived from “ITS reference architectures” which are developed as examples/patterns to be transferred to the architecture of real ITS-services
- can be based on, and include, stakeholders’ market and business strategies
- can be specified and deployed in a logical manner;
- will be easy to manage
- will be easy to maintain and extend or enhance.
It also enables issues of integration, risks (in development, deployment and operation) plus business and organisational relationships to be resolved without any of the individual components having to be designed, purchased or installed. This means that any changes needed to enable alternative configurations to be studied can be made at a very low cost.