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Intelligent Transport Systems

Intelligent Transport Systems and Services

Innovation Platforms:Time, Distance and Place (TDP) Road Pricing

The Challenge:

The desire of society to have the convenience and status of personal transport, together with new trends in the distribution of freight brought about by developments in e-commerce, represent a major challenge in terms of congestion, pollution and the need to preserve road safety. The Technology Strategy Board has recognised the challenge, and the opportunities it presents, and has launched a pilot Innovation Platform focused on Intelligent Transport Systems and Services in response.

The market for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is global, and demonstrating success in one of the most congested parts of the world, should provide the ideal stepping-stone for UK companies to this wider market. To fulfil the potential of ITS, and to capitalise on the market opportunity, far greater cooperation and integration of applications is required. As technologies mature, it is becoming more important to address complex problems. For example, intelligent transport applications might require co-ordinated research which includes location positioning, spectrum efficiency, antenna design, network security, user authentication, access authorisation, IT systems, geophysical modelling, regulatory policy, government policy and socio-economic impact. Complex problems such as this need a co-ordinated approach.

The Intelligent Transport Systems and Services Innovation Platform provides a framework to bring together Government policy makers, business representatives, academia and a range of other organisations to better understand the challenge, the future direction of Government and the solutions that business may be able to provide or should be working towards. By making future public procurement opportunities more visible to business, it provides a greater incentive to business to invest in R&D with the knowledge and confidence of future market opportunities.

The increased introduction of ITS represents a major opportunity for UK business both in terms of new market opportunities, but also reducing congestion estimated by the CBI to cost the UK up to £20 billion per year. Most of the building block technology is already available, but there is huge scope for longer-term technological innovation to generate higher performance, greater reliability, lower cost and smaller devices. As well as the technology to support the introduction and operation of ITS, it will also generate revenues from a whole new range of services such as location-based consumer life style services and the needs of vehicle fleet managers, particularly the retail logistics chain.

The vision for this platform is for Britain to become a “world-leader in innovation in intelligent transport systems and services”.

Progress so far:

The Intelligent Transport Systems and Services Innovation Platform is well underway. DTI and Department for Transport (DfT) Permanent Secretaries have formally agreed to support the initiative and the Platform Steering Group has formally met five times. DfT is an active member as the primary "owner of the policy challenge". Initial membership also includes EPSRC and SEEDA. All fund-holding members of the steering group have committed to coordinate their funding streams via the Innovation Platform. Funds coordinated by the Platform are now in excess of £34M.

In August 2006. SEEDA launched a £2.3m call for expressions of interest for collaborative projects to provide businesses or consumers with improved services, including transport logistics and congestion. Further calls, coordinated via the Innovation Platform, are expected.

In October 2006. Lord Sainsbury and Stephen Ladyman announced the first truly joint competition undertaken by the ITSS Innovation Platform at the ITS World Congress, held in London. The Future Intelligent Transport Systems (FITS) initiative was a joint call between DfT, DTI and EPSRC aimed at nurturing ‘next generation’ transport technology. FITS was a great example of how we can bring UK industry, government and academia closer together to address key research issues on transport. We expect to announce the projects we intend to take forward in the coming weeks.

In May 2007, DfT issued a notice in the OJEU of its intention to commission a Demonstrations Project to explore the systems and technology that could enable Time, Distance and Place (TDP) road pricing. Up to £7M of funding is also being made available by the DTI via the Technology Programme to UK businesses to stimulate or accelerate their plans for innovation in the development of telematics services and innovative services for road-users, in a manner consistent with the DfT’s exploration of road-pricing as a means of tackling congestion. More detail on this current competition can be found here.

The community of business interest, or Knowledge Transfer Network, is already up and running, with strong business engagement. DTI has committed £6.5m over the next five years to support the innovITS business-led network which is now identifying the business challenges. Other relevant KTNs are Industrial Maths, Location & Timing and existing trade bodies such as ITS(UK).