City to profit from transport revamp: report

The ITS could wipe out the biggest transport issues currently plaguing Bangkok, such as travel time, CO2 emissions and road collisions.
According to the new GSMA intelligence report, implementing ITS solutions in Bangkok could lead to a reduction in travel time of between two to four days per commuter per year. In addition, CO2 emissions contributed by road traffic could be reduced by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, or 3 to 5 million metric tones per year. Lastly, ITS solutions could reduce the number of road collisions by up to 8,000 per year.
Chris Zull, the GSMA’s spectrum director for Asia, said ITS involves collaboration between the different stakeholders in the value chain, in particular automotive manufacturers, connectivity providers as well as governments and their agencies.
Governments have an important role to play in defining a clear policy framework, in order to provide incentives to private-sector innovators and investors in ITS. Investment is required to build the ITS infrastructure, vehicles, information systems, marketing and awareness campaigns as well as the operation and maintenance of systems.
In many countries where ITS solutions have been successfully deployed, the governments have invested in implementation. For example, the South Korean government has committed to investing $3.2 billion (Bt113.92 billion) from 2007 to 2020 in ITS – an average of $230 million annually over the 14- year period.
ITS projects can be co-funded. For example, the central and local governments in New Zealand co-funded the deployment of integrated public transport fares and ticketing and real-time travel information on local roads and public transport networks.
Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have also proved to be effective in reducing the cost burden of implementing ITS in many countries. In Japan, vehicle information and communication systems (VICS) and electronic toll collection (ETC) systems have been implemented by linking the government and relevant ministries and agencies to the private sector.
“Governments need to implement flexible regulations that can adapt to the changing environment,” said Zull.
The mobile operators are also playing a key role in implementing ITS. ITS solutions can be delivered over a broad range of wireless and wire-line communications-based information and electronics technologies, while in emerging markets, where fixed-line infrastructure is underdeveloped, mobile technology will play an important role in delivering ITS solutions.
To achieve consistency and interoperability, governments in other countries should focus on allocation of spectrum in globally standardised bands for ITS solutions.
The possible applications of ITS in four broad segments include traveller information and traffic management solutions, transportation pricing and payment systems, pedestrian and vehicle safety applications, and travel-based applications that serve the sharing economy.
Under the ITS solution concept, data collected from vehicles, infrastructure or users is aggregated, analysed and then delivered back in the form of meaningful insights that enable more informed and timely commuting decisions.
The case study on Bangkok’s transportation indicated that ITS can also potentially result in long-term positive changes in commuter habits and encourage citizens to use safe and environmentally friendly ways of commuting, said Zull.