IET Claims New Technology Could Revolutionise Public Transport

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) has launched a guide that aims to help local government improve public transport.

The IET is a large industry body with 160,000 members across 127 and ITS is one of its multidisciplinary research journals.

According to the report, by making use of new technology such as big data analytics and cloud computing, authorities will be able to “revolutionise” their local transport systems and reduce costs.

The IET claims its guide demonstrates how some councils have already used technology in transport system improvement and how this has helped to manage costs or reduce them in a time of budgetary constraints.

Suggestions mentioned in the document include smartphone apps that determine road and cycle path conditions and Bluetooth systems that allow transport operations to analyse journeys across multiple transport modes in near real-time.

Issues such as open standards, security and privacy when approaching these new technologies are also addressed.

“Given today’s challenging financial environment, local authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to deliver the transport systems that people need,” claimed Miles Elsden, Department for Transport (DfT) acting chief scientist.

“This new guide gives a comprehensive overview of the potentially cost-saving new technologies available for local transport, which will hopefully encourage more local authorities to take a fresh approach to the way they plan and procure for transport in the future,” he added.

England And Irish Authorities Already Advancing

Councils named in the report as already embracing changing technology include Dublin City Council, Sunderland City Council, Hampshire County Council and Milton Keynes City Council.

“Recent advances in transport technologies offer excellent advantages for local authorities to deliver transport services more effectively and efficiently – but there a number of barriers to overcome, from lack of awareness of what is possible to the need for new, more flexible procurement,” claimed Alison Carr, IET director of governance and policy.

“The guide aims to open local authorities’ eyes to the new world of possibilities out there when it comes to developing their transport systems – and to the opportunities new technologies present to reduce costs,” she added.

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