Infrastructure and environment minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen and 12 regions are allocating the funding for intelligent transport systems (ITS) over the next three years. The goal is to serve travellers with personal, real-time and location-dependent advice. Another aspect is the use of innovative forms of traffic management, leading to better traffic distribution on the roads after an event or in times of congestion.
A total of nine projects are being set up in the combined regions in the Netherlands to deploy new services and gain practical experience with the latest technology.
Schultz said: “There is a wealth of information available on the internet about factors that affect congestion on the roads, such as the weather, roadworks and nearby festivals. But it’s not until you piece together the puzzle that you can really give travellers customised travel advice and driver support. The new intelligent systems give road users individual advice based on real-time information, enabling them to anticipate what they are going to see for themselves, as well as what is happening outside their field of vision. Not only do cars communicate with each other and with the roadside to achieve this - in the very near future, they are going to communicate with traffic lights as well.”
The nine ITS projects on various themes are being set up jointly throughout the country. For example, the Groningen-Assen, Arnhem-Nijmegen and Midden-Nederland regions and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area are collaborating with Ahold on a tool to improve supermarket logistics by enabling smart heavy goods transport. In this way, 200 lorry trips per day can be avoided in the regions involved.
Another project is being started up to reduce the build-up of traffic due to incidents. It is being rolled out in Brabant and Noord-Holland to begin with. Each year, more than 20,000 lorries and 150,000 passenger cars break down on the main road network. Improved sharing of information means that both traffic management and road users can make allowance for incidents more effectively. With national coverage, this can result in 2.5% congestion reduction, the Dutch government believes.
Major improvements may also be made in terms of congestion around festivals, congresses and concerts. Each year, festivalgoers account for five million rush-hour car trips in and around cities.
The Netherlands is seen as an excellent place to to develop, test and implement the smart technology for reasons including its dense traffic network and high levels of traffic management and smartphone use as well as extensive penetration of 4G.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
