Establishing the basis for intelligent transport systems An EU-funded initiative has worked to provide the information needed for making decisions on transport systems in Europe's busy cities. Efforts thus address the continuing challenges of urban sprawl and citizen mobility. Digital Economy © Thinkstock The main aim of the 'Coordination of network descriptors for urban intelligent transportation systems' (Conduits) project was to develop a robust system of key performance indicators (KPIs) to be used by decision-makers for projects on intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Additionally, the consortium sought to promote the exchange of best practice experiences between municipalities with experiences on the topic. Other areas of activity deemed central to achieving the project's objectives included a review of ITS in Europe's cities, examining anticipated developments in ITS, and linking performance indicators with the current traffic situation. Work focused on highlighting the most promising areas and research avenues for urban ITS, and facilitating the decision-making process with a standard means of measuring the benefits of new systems. Also, partners recognised that by working to lower the risk and uncertainty of ITS application, more private high-tech investment could be attracted. Project efforts resulted in the launch of the Conduits website and the formation of a network of 34 cities ('city pool'). These span Europe and 5 international cities. City context was analysed and the background set up for reviewing ITS in cities, in Europe and internationally. Also, scenarios were defined for studying future needs and ITS applications. Conduits brought together transport authorities from five European cities, three universities, a private small business active in systems integration, and the networking organisation Polis. The KPI system was scheduled for testing through case studies in London (United Kingdom), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy).
