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Keynote speech to ITS World Congress

Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport

[Check against delivery]

  1. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's a great pleasure to welcome you all to London and the UK for the 2006 ITS Congress.
  2. We're genuinely proud to be hosting an event that celebrates the innovation, dynamism and diversity of global transport.
  3. Technology plays a crucial role in this industry, and it will play an increasingly important role in the future as it becomes more sophisticated, more adaptable - and more widely available to international markets.
  4. In today's world, great technological ideas aren't restrained by national borders, or different languages. They're shared, sold and spread around the globe faster than ever before, via the internet; through multinational corporations; or, indeed, at events like this.
  5. You only need to look at the programme for this week to see the breadth of subjects covered by the Congress.
  6. It shows that ITS is a body that unites a tremendous variety of different people, disciplines and technologies. And its members are world authorities in their chosen fields.
  7. But we all share a common objective - and that is our commitment to advancing technology to develop world class transport systems, so that passengers experience better journeys.
  8. Technology has always driven change in the transport world.
  9. From the canal system that supported the early industrial revolution in Britain....... to the railways that revolutionised travel in the 1800s...... to the motor vehicles and aircraft of the 20th century....
  10. Each innovation redefined our transport landscape. Each offered an ingenious solution to the mobility needs of the day.
  11. But today, the rules have changed.
  12. We cannot merely apply the lessons of the past to build a transport network for the future.
  13. Today we face new and global challenges.
  14. For instance, we all need to face up to the growing challenge of climate change - because carbon emissions do not stop conveniently at borders and boundaries.
  15. And as our economies have grown stronger, congestion on our roads has risen - and it will continue rising if we do nothing to address the problem.
  16. And sadly, as recent events in the UK have shown, transport remains an iconic target for terrorists, so we need to face this common threat together.
  17. Alongside all these challenges, the pace of change has accelerated dramatically.
  18. In the past, growth in demand for new forms of transport was comparatively steady.
  19. Of course there were times when the system was stretched. But in general, there was time to build a robust transport infrastructure, to assimilate and digest new patterns of travel, to predict and provide, so capacity was less of an issue.
  20. Change was more often an event. A measurable step forward.
  21. But today, change is constant: changing market conditions; changing customer aspirations; changing work and leisure patterns. And, of course, changing technology.
  22. The dramatic growth in computing power in recent years has had a huge impact on our lives, and a huge impact on transport. New technology means we can book air or train tickets over the internet, and get up-to-date travel information wherever we are.
  23. It means we can better fight congestion by managing traffic flow, and better design cars that protect not just passengers inside, but pedestrians outside, in the event of a collision.
  24. Surrounded by so much new technology, we like to think we have greater control over our lives.
  25. But the pace of change means the future's increasingly difficult to predict. And yet, we have to make decisions today that will affect us decades hence.
  26. Until fairly recently, transport planners and engineers had relatively simple priorities: most were concerned with speed, capacity, and cost. In other words, they wanted transport that went faster, carried more people, and kept within spending limits.
  27. If a road became congested, they'd think about building another one. If you were running out of capacity, you'd simply build more capacity.
  28. But today's world is significantly more complex.
  29. Our apparent inexhaustible demand for travel and mobility means we cannot operate as before - and our environmental obligations mean that this approach is just not sustainable.
  30. The answer to burgeoning transport demand in the 21st Century isn't just building more roads; more car parks; and more airports.
  31. No more can the environmental impact of transport growth be sidelined.
  32. And transport safety and security requirements are changing.
  33. In 2006, an Intelligent Transport System has to balance issues of capacity and demand with those of climate change.
  34. It has to balance safety restrictions with issues of personal freedom.
  35. And it has to balance issues of short-term demand with those of the long-term future.
  36. So we need to think boldly.
  37. And the technology we use needs to be cleverer - so that complex tasks can be made less complex.
  38. That's what this week is all about.
  39. But it's not about technology for technology's sake.
  40. We have to know how, when, and where technology can be best used. It has to be applicable, affordable, and make a difference to the passenger.
  41. Technology will be at the heart of the debate over future demand management schemes like congestion charging, or road pricing.
  42. Of course any road pricing solutions will have a big effect on the way people travel and live their lives - and so will need broad support.
  43. But road pricing may be able to make use of technologies that are already on the market
  44. For example, we are currently seeing a real revolution in services and technologies being offered to motorists - from vehicle safety improvements, to traffic information and satellite navigation systems and journey planners.
  45. My department is currently examining technologies and services being developed by the commercial sector to see how emerging systems could support a national road pricing scheme in the future - and by spring next year we hope to be working with industry partners on a series of demonstration projects to tackle some of the really difficult design issues on road pricing.
  46. Another good example of clever technology is smart cards, linking different transport modes in different areas, encouraging more integrated travel.
  47. Earlier this year I was pleased to announce the extension of the smart card ticketing system from the tube network here in London to over 300 rail stations, enabling passengers to move easily between rail, tube, Docklands Light Railway and bus using one ticket, rather than purchasing different tickets for different parts of their journey. This is all based on national standards sponsored by my department.
  48. It is through improvements such as this, which keep pace with the changes in people's everyday lives, that the use of public transport will continue to grow in the long term.
  49. The key to success is connectivity - with new technology developers, transport designers and passengers coming together for the common good.
  50. That means you and me. It means governments, local transport planners, transport users and operators, academic and research organisations, environmental groups, and many others.
  51. We are already linked more closely than we have ever been, and those links can only strengthen over time.
  52. But we need to do a lot more.
  53. And we will be able to do a lot more if we work together.
  54. New challenges like congestion, carbon emissions, and transport security are global in scale. And the solutions will be global. Global technological solutions, which can benefit from access to global markets.
  55. Make no mistake. Mankind will never stop searching for transport that's faster, more profitable, and more reliable. Speed, capacity and cost will remain key objectives as long as there's a demand for travel.
  56. But the changing nature of transport means we must develop a market for technology that also considers safety and sustainability.
  57. Transport policy must work for everyone. It must support and strengthen our economies, but also reach out to inaccessible communities. It must work on international, national, regional and local scales - with everyone working to achieve shared objectives.
  58. I hope each of you has a stimulating and enjoyable week. My officials are looking forward to meeting many of you on the Department for Transport exhibition stand.
  59. Our aim is that you all leave ITS 2006 better informed and better placed to tackle the challenges of your particular work.
  60. But I also hope everyone comes away with a renewed commitment to work together to face the new challenges of global transport in the 21st century.
  61. Thank you.

Delivered: 08 October 2006

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)