By George G. Wynne,
APTA Director, International Programs
Heinz Sodeikat, director for communication and standardization with Siemens and
president of ERTICO, based in Brussels, Belgium, spoke about Europe’s experience with
Intelligent Transportation Systems Dec. 1 as part of the ITS Best International Practices
Workshop in Washington, co-sponsored by APTA and the Federal Transit Administration.
ERTICO is the European counterpart of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
Sustainable mobility is not possible in cities without ITS, Sodeikat said: ITS
technologies that ensure smooth traffic flow are the key to reducing congestion and
improving the modal split in major metropolitan areas, but they depend on area-wide
integration of all transit components.
Sodeikat singled out Berlin, the reunified capital of Germany, as the lead metro-polis
in which real-time mobility management of all traffic elements is already a working
reality. The Berlin approach is well on the way to achieving sustained mobility in spite
of increasing traffic flows, he noted; it already shows a 60 percent to 40 percent modal
split between public and private vehicles, and the goal is 70-30.
The integrated elements of Berlin’s mobility management, according to the ERTICO
president, include real-time travel information and a sophisticated "neural
network" composed of real-time information superimposed on accurate statistical
traffic patterns. Private and commercial traffic are covered as well by such current
standard tools as intersection priority, on-board navigation screens, and dynamic parking
guidance.
He explained that earlier European approaches concentrated on multinational research
projects that did not involve all traffic components, and on occasional initiatives such
as "car-free" days that had no long-term impact on congestion and pollution.
Nearly 100 transit planners, managers, and service providers participated in the
two-day ITS workshop, which began Nov. 30. Other presentation topics included the federal
commitment to ITS; pending rules for ITS implementation; examples of regional planning in
the Washington metropolitan area and northern Virginia; examples of coordinating ITS
projects; and a report on current ITS applications including the "511" national
traveler information number, dedicated short range communications, and U.S. DOT’s
Intelligent Vehicle Initiative.
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