Page 56 - TrafficInfraTech Magazine | Linking People Places & Progress

MASS TRANSPORT

Digitalization alone cannot solve the problems of traffic performance,
but it is a part of the solution. A centralized information system
gathering mobility services to have a better real-time view of offer
and demand and to connect both of them faster is necessary.

We should work to link demand and the sum of optimized subsystems The increasing intensity in the
offer in a more sustainable way and does not lead to an optimized development of autonomous vehicles
providing more societal value, which system clearly expresses the need and the emergence of new ideas, such
also needs to work of new offer, on of integrating mobility services in a as Hyperloop, give new perspectives
new systems. Two main work packages proper way to lead to an efficient and wake up past projects that were
must be therefore addressed: system. These systems should be sacrificed due to a conservatism spirit
1. Designing innovative transportation locally managed (each region has its of key people. New transportation
means that integrates digitalization specificities) and extend themselves means can and need to be developed
and proper technologies to reach as a federation of systems. These in order to reach better performances.
better performances than existing systems must also be independent of The case of Swissmetro in Switzerland
transportation means, on existing the various mobility solutions and not is a good example of a new system to
and new infrastructures. associated with a defined technical complement existing ones. It is a fully
solution or transport mode. underground high capacity solution
2. Operating all transportation means,
existing and new ones, as services For the first work package, there is a that has proven to be profitable.
to offer a door-to-door capability strong psychological barrier to remove, but Small industrially built tunnels allows
and a real-time adjustment of offer here also, all the software and processes for low infrastructure costs and offer
and need with an agile scheduling from engineering design to engineering a safe environment for automation,
allowing freedom for users to system, safety and manufacturing are reduced pressure in tunnels reduce
define their own constraints and evolving to make innovation much easier the energy consumption. The research
to allow spontaneity. to develop, even at the system level. programme started in the 80’s and
There is indeed a growing contrast with its industrial development was about
Considering the progress done to start in 2000. The project is now
in information technologies, what can be achieved in other domains owned by the Swiss federal institute of
complex algorithms development by a proper use of modern engineering technology in Lausanne, EPFL and new
and smartphone capabilities, the design processes and tools, associated studies are investigating its present
second work package can be with new manufacturing techniques on potential to complement existing
handled efficiently with existing one hand and, on the other hand, the mobility services in a more sustainable
technologies and present trends. lack of innovation in transportation to manner. It is a good example of an
It leads to the perspective of address the sustainability issues in the innovation in transport designed
integrating complementary mobility past decades. with standard existing technologies
services, some of them based on new To give an example, in matter of integrated together.
transport technologies, in a general space travel, it was notorious that a
mobility management system that large organisation was required to The need for new processes to make
optimize constantly offers to needs build and operate a rocket to reach innovation work within a network of
by mixing adequately transportation space. This was certainly true during mobility services
means under the constraints of the space conquest in the 60’s and The car has been for more than
users and to achieve sustainability. 70’s. Elon Musk has shown that it was a century an exceptional mean of
The goal of a globally sustainable possible to handle it from a private transportation with a door-to-door
transport system cannot be reached company with Space X with private capability. Its development has led
by uncoordinated competing services funding. Copenhagen Suborbitals have to a saturation of road infrastructure.
that will concentrate on main traffic also shown that with a vision, courage The impossibility to cope with
lines, generates economic benefits and motivation, the building and this problem makes the solution
for themselves and let the non- operating of rockets can even be done of developing mobility services
profitable rest to public authorities. on the basis of a non-profit, amateur, instead of developing car sales more
The Bellmann theorem stating that all-volunteer organisation. attractive to reduce saturation on

56 December ’17 - January ’18 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com