New Global Roadmap of Action to Guide the Future of Mobility
The Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative launched yesterday the Global Roadmap of Action toward Sustainable Mobility (GRA), a tool to guide country decision-makers on "how to" achieve mobility that is efficient, accessible, safe and green. The event brought together global leaders in the sector to discuss country and city actions for achieving greener, safer, more efficient, and equitable mobility. The GRA follows the 2017 launch of Global Mobility Report, the first-ever global assessment of the transport sector across all modes.
With growing urbanization, increasing world trade and new technologies, the global mobility system is stressed. More than 1 billion people, or one-third of the global rural population, lacks access to all-weather roads and transport services - a major barrier to social and economic advancement. The GRA will help tackle this urgency by taking a holistic approach of sustainability and offering concrete policy solutions countries can adapt and adopt to achieve sustainable mobility. As a tool, the GRA helps countries identify gaps, crucial steps, and appropriate policies to ensure that transport contributes to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and improve the sustainability of their transport system.
How to mobilise partnerships and build an evidenced-based approach to improve road safety?
This week, representatives from national and local governments, NGOs, the private sector, media and academia have taken part in a two-day training workshop in Senegal designed to equip and mobilise different partners to join forces to improve road safety data. The data training culminated in a joint concrete action plan to assess risks, improve conditions, and advocate for greater road safety around schools.
The participating organizations were invited because of the role they play either in road safety, strategy and education, or infrastructure. Stimulating partnerships between these diverse organisations will improve data quality, increase available resources, and promote data sharing. Present at the workshop were representatives from Ministry of Transport, Road Agencies, National Police Service, Local Police forces, NGOs, Private sector, Academia as well the media.
The Middle East in Focus: Transportation, Innovation, Disruption and Gulf Traffic
Gulf Traffic, an annual event that takes place from the 9 – 11 of December this year, will bring to light some of the latest technologies and systems from global suppliers to Dubai – the centre of business in the Middle East and North Africa.
We caught up with Rahul Rawat, Exhibition Director of Gulf Traffic to explore the growth of the industry, and how the international industry can benefit from the opportunities that the region provides.
How do you see the Transport Industry evolving in the GCC?
Rahul Rawat: Motivated by the vision of becoming a regional powerhouse that attracts investments and to branch out from oil, the GCC countries are some of the world’s most determined, when it comes to developing large-scale infrastructure. Transport is the second-largest planned projects sector in the Middle East region.
With increasing technological advancements in the sector, it’s safe to say that the industry is on an upward incline. Leading the way are Saudi Arabia and the UAE – According to MEED, the UAE is the second biggest transport projects market in the region, with about USD 106bn worth of projects planned or under way, trailing behind Saudi Arabia, which has more than USD 311bn worth of transport projects planned or under way.
Infact, Dubai foresees becoming a global driverless mobility leader by 2030. This only goes to show the growing industry in the Middle East which international suppliers can benefit from.
What sort of investments have been made in the GCC region?
Rahul Rawat: A recent report by Orient Planet Research noted that worldwide, the UAE and Saudi Arabia rank among the top 12 global markets for infrastructure investment. The total value of active infrastructure projects in the GCC has reached to USD 1.14 trillion with roads, highways and bridges among the highest number of projects.
It further noted that there was a total of 1,069 road projects in the region, the highest number among all infrastructure projects, with a combined value of USD 122.6 billion. Saudi Arabia’s investment in road infrastructure has increased from USD 2523 to USD 3506, and UAE from USD 2633 to USD 2865.
What technological advances has the industry made?
Rahul Rawat: Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things is already influencing every aspect of our lives and and the compatibility of AI and transportation applications is a somewhat of natural fit. AI and IOT also poses as a massive disruption in the Traffic and Transport Industry.
Technology such as hyperloop, drones, UAVs and autonomous vehicles are slated to be the biggest disruptors in the future of the transport industry.
Speaking locally, Dubai plans to use Intelligent Traffic Systems in making roads safer and reduce traffic jams and congestion levels, while Saudi Arabia is gearing up for the USD 500 billion mega-intelligent city project ‘NEOM’ is planned for a new way of life built around the best technologies of the future such as AI, big data, and IoT including robots, flying taxis and many more .
What developments do you see in the Parking Industry?
The parking Industry is moving towards digitalisation - with sensors and payment technology integrated into the management system. We now have unique features like parking guiding system and data analytics. Some of the bigger players have introduced Smart Parking Apps which allows for reduced operation costs, maintenance, and minimum personnel.
With the help of smart parking, smart cities in the GCC will be able to balance queues and on-street traffic flows by re-routing cars to alternate parking locations, based upon real-time occupancy data.
How do these promote sustainability?
Rahul Rawat: Telematics enables Fleet to be fuel efficient by allowing drivers to select the shortest route possible by avoiding traffic and further reducing emissions associated with Traffic Jams. Technology allows for autonomous cars and public transport to be fuel-efficient.
How is Gulf Traffic instrumental in the growth of the Industry?
Rahul Rawat: Gulf Traffic brings together suppliers with break-through technology and AI to the Middle East and welcomes buyers from the region to facilitate business in the Industry. The show will also have a co-located conference led by global influencers, which gives delegate the opportunity to learn new practices, while earning CPD and CAPP Credits.
More than just an exhibition, Gulf Traffic is a reflection of the trends in the industry and a place for the industry to connect and grow.
What new products or features are at the show?
Rahul Rawat: We’re excited about this! We have so many new launches this year. From Mobile Video Surveillance from Streamax, to live video monitoring, Focus of Attention, with AI and video analytics by Avigilon.
Sparkbit will launch an AI-based application to monitor driver's behaviour analysis. Sphere will be premiering the noise traffic sign in Gulf Traffic that detects the oncoming vehicles, and based on the noise they are producing, will start displaying the warning message intended for the drivers to ease up on the gas pedal.
MechaSapien Core, by Stech.ai is a comprehensive cutting-edge suite of AI and deep learning-based video analytics for Traffic and Crowd Management sector and so much more.
The 2019 edition of Gulf Traffic is also being inventive with the adoption of AI-powered B2B matchmaking which allows exhibitors and visitors to connect to their ideal buyers before and after the exhibition. To bring student innovations to the forefront, we will be organising the Driving Innovation Awards that nurtures future talent.
All in all, we can assure you that Gulf Traffic 2019 is turning out to be an unmissable event for the Traffic and Transportation Industry.
The 18th edition Gulf Traffic is organised by Informa markets and is the region’s largest and longest running traffic event that focusses on 6 sectors, namely Traffic Management, Transportation, Road Safety, Infrastructure, Gulf Parking and Fleet Management. The 2019 exhibition expects to welcome over 150 exhibitors from 30 countries and more than 2,500 unique attendees from 50 countries, making it a truly international gathering for the Traffic and Transport sector.
To visit Gulf Traffic, visit: www.gulftraffic.com
To exhibit, contact: Rahul Rawat at Rahul.rawat@informa.com
Safer Road Infrastructure discussed at UK Ministerial Conference
The conference programme included keynote speeches from road safety experts and provided an opportunity for discussion and sharing of best practice around areas of common challenges in tackling road safety globally.
A key theme of the summit was providing support for the developing world to improve road safety performance, including discussion around the Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative and the next decade of UN Road Safety action.
The conference finished with a look forward to the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, taking place in Stockholm in February 2020.
Future perspectives for Road Safety in Africa
The SaferAfrica project hosted its final conference in Tunis on 18th September to present and discuss results of three years of work and also to discuss future development opportunities for addressing effectively road safety in Africa. IRF DG, Susanna Zammataro animated the final roundtable bringing together key stakeholders engaged in the continent and internationally.
Opened by the Tunisian Minister for Youth and Health, Mrs Sonia Ben Cheikh and the Minister of Equipment, Mr Noureddine Selmi, the conference was attended by prominent international institutions, African regional and national bodies’ representatives, policymakers, researchers and civil society organizations. “There’s a wealth of knowledge which has been created: Now it’s time to go and implement it” was the opening statement of Mr William Bird from the European Commission. Indeed the project has produced a significant number of analysis on key issues, country capacity reviews, training tools and methods and African stakeholders are already engaged thanks to the African Road Safety Observatory (www.africanroadsafetyobservatory.org ) and the African-European Dialogue Platform – both created within SaferAfrica-and linkingpolicymakers, donors and professionals to plan and design road safety actions. At the core of the dialogue, a Management Board composed by high-level members, including ten top-level international Institutions active in the field of road safety, namely: European Commission (EC), World Bank (WB), African Development Bank (AfDB), Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) World Road Association (PIARC), World Health Organization (WHO), International Road Transport Union (IRU) and International Transport Forum (ITF).
Coordinatedby the Research Centre for Transport and Logistics of Sapienza, University of Rome (CTL), SaferAfrica counts on a Consortium of 17 partners from both Europe and Africaclosely working with more than 200 African stakeholders coming from 41 African countries and in tight connection with the SaferAfrica Management Board.
The Conference held in Tunis provided the opportunity to discuss – in between others - projects’ implementation plans which have been prepared as part of the SaferAfrica deliverables. Thanks to this work some African countries more closely involved in the project are now stepping up action on standards for vehicles and for roads, on education and capacity building and on institutional reforms.
The recommendations of the EU-Africa Task Force on Road Safety acknowledge the contribution of the SaferAfrica project and suggest to the future ARSO to build upon the knowledge base, tools and network of SaferAfrica thus continuing its legacy. As stated by Prof. Luca Persia – SaferAfrica coordinator - “The members of the SaferAfrica stand ready to support this transition with their expertise to ensure a rapid and effective transition”. That will in the end translate into concrete actions to save lives in the African continent. “United we deliver” concluded Mrs Susanna Zammataro, IRF DG, by closing the final roundtable about future perspectives.
You can access all the deliverables from the SaferAfrica Project here: http://www.saferafrica.eu/en/publications
A short video on the Final conference is available here:
https://www.facebook.com/2217217145208468/videos/620313085165515/?sfnsn=mo
