ITS World Congress spotlights innovation for mobility and transport
ITS professionals were thrilled to gather together after several months with no exhibitions for the ITS World Congress in Hamburg that focused on innovation and technology.
Some weeks ago, Hamburg welcomed thousands of transport and mobility professionals from around the world who finally gathered together since the pandemic began. This pending time has led to ambitious research and developments. According to Claire Legrand, Project Manager at PARIFEX, “Excitement was felt during this very first exhibition post pandemic. All the visitors, exhibitors, speakers, companies… were so pleased to meet again and see what their partners have become.” With more than 13,000 visitors, the ITS community has reasserted the major issues to improve mobility for every user: pedestrian, cars, trucks, bus, bikes…
Innovation
The congress has reveladed the latest technological progress: drones, no-contact ticketing systems, data collection systems…, attracting visitors’ curiosity. Marie-Pierre Aguirregabiria, Project Manager says “The ITS industry is rich in innovation through its dynamic players and numerous solutions and services. The sector is moving fast even if it is still looking for answers about the evolution of mobility. We are talking about many things, but there is still a lot to do to spread them worldwide.” The future is really building up by players who aim at offer a safer and eco-friendlier world to every user.
“The profession builds up today the world of tomorrow and tomorrow’s infrastructure to improve urban flows where every user could travel safely.”
Safety
Once again, road safety was the main topic of many debates. As speed has been identified by the World Health Organization as a key risk factor, it contributes to about 30% to 50% of deaths on the road. Auma Obama, Sauti Kuu Foundation Chairwoman that aims to give children all over the world an opportunity to realise their potential, pointed this plague during the Opening Ceremony. “I have espacially liked the Auma Obama’s speech that highlighted different transport issues, like in Africa.”, says Claire Legrand. Indeed, she rightly reminds that road accidents are still the major cause of death on the Kenyan roads. A substantive work will be necessary to change people’s behaviour and reduce speed violation, pedestrian injuries, etc. Cutting-edge solutions allow to strengthen safety on roads and in city centers such as speed enforcement, control of priority, traffic light, etc. According to Marie-Pierre Aguirregabiria, other global players are affected by road safety issues “We met developing markets in mobility such as countries in Eastern Europe, like Romania and Estonia. Countries worldwide are involved in improving road safety even if it is at different scales.”
