Intelligent Mobility for Tomorrow Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly, Socially Just
Mobility is a basic societal need and is crucially important for the development of the economy, our standing as an industrial location and for society as a whole. Mobility needs are increasing dynamically and it is essential that the rapidly growing volume of traffic is managed in a way that is sustainable, green and socially just.
Expanding public transport systems is an important step in this direction, and we are pushing ahead with this expansion. However, the transport systems of the future must also become smarter with the use of new technologies playing a greater role. I see great potentialhere for alternative drive systems such as electromobility, and in particular for intelligent transport systems (ITS), which enable improved traffic management and which should in future provide all transport users with the best possible support in making their mobility decisions.
After many years of research and development the necessary technologies have now matured to the point where their widespread use is both possible and indeed makes sense. In the last ten years my ministry has invested over 100 million euros in relevant research and development in Austria, stimulating the economy and enabling us to build a strong ITS industry in the country.
The challenge now is to implement these intelligent transport systems in real traffic. To do so, we need optimal interaction between people and technologies, a leveraging of synergies between modes of transport to offer mobility in a way that is environmentally friendly, safe and efficient. ITS services, ranging from information to booking and standardised billing systems across different forms of mobility, make an important contribution to achieving this goal.
The European Union also attaches great importance to intelligent transport systems, present-ing it’s ITS Action Plan in 2008 and issuing an ITS directive in August 2010. This ITS Action Plan lays out the strategy for implementing an intelligent transport system that is consistent with European guidelines for Austria, defining priority areas of action and emphasising the main points for a viable mobility system.