Examples are emerging of the role ITS can play in reducing emissions and helping the road transport sector meet climate impact mitigation targets
By John Challen
Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (or ITS) have made a huge difference in helping to improve safety and efficiency of vehicles, but many believe they have more to offer. For example, there is a huge opportunity for ITS to help local authorities or road operators when it comes to emission reduction.
One organisation that has recognised the potential is the International Road Federation (IRF), which established a task force in November 2020 called ITS for Climate Impact Mitigation. The task force published a report in late 2021 identifying ten different tools to combat emissions and decarbonise roads, transport and mobility.
Some of the solutions – road user charging, driver behaviour and speed management – are fairly mature already. However, there’s a push to go beyond existing technologies.
One of the most interesting ideas is around “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS).
“I think MaaS is part of what I would call the perfect solution, which involves applying all of the tools everywhere,” says Paul Kompfner, an ITS and smart mobility adviser – and CIHT Fellow. “The whole idea of MaaS is that a user can access and use a vast number of different means of transport all through the same app and only pay once to their service provider. “MaaS for climate means that, as a very minimum, all the vehicles on the platform should be electric, hydrogen or zero emission.”
There’s clearly a long way to go for MaaS to have a major impact on climate change, but Kompfner highlights Shotl – an on-demand bus platform – as an early success story. The system has provided Moray Council, in the remote Scottish Highlands, with a low-cost and greener mobility solution. The demand-responsive transportation system will eventually include 14 vehicles offering a door-to-door service for users.
IKEA is opening city centre stores in Denmark, Sweden and Finland that are only accessed by walking or cycling because there is no parking available. “It’s a much more efficient way of operating because it saves having to drive miles to and from the store and also prevents huge areas of tarmac outside being used for parking,” says Kompfner.
“If you can keep the customer’s buying experience the same – and organise the delivery of everything efficiently – it’s got to be a step in the right direction.”
Photo credit: Shutterstock
