Intelligent Transport Intelligent Society.

Today, people travel more frequently and for greater distances than at any other time in our history. Whether by land, air or sea, they expect their journeys to be safe, reliable and quick. With this increase in travel, transport related accidents are now one of the most common causes of death and injury in the UK. On average, over 200,000 traffic casualties are reported each year at an estimated cost of £19 billion to the economy. On congestion, government statistics estimate road disruption to cost the economy over £8 billion a year. On our rail network, about 14 million minutes of delay are recorded each year, costing an estimated £1 billion to the economy. In order for the UK to remain economically competitive, the country needs to develop and deploy technologies which can solve these issues. This report outlines how Intelligent Transport Systems could help improve the safety of our transport networks, cut congestion, reduce the environmental impact of travelling, and present the UK with an attractive market opportunity. By introducing intelligence in to our transport network our mobility can become more efficient and economical. This report examines different types of Intelligent Transport Systems and the potential economic, safety and environmental benefits from their development. This report has been produced in the context of the Institution’s strategic themes of Energy, Environment, Transport and Manufacturing and its vision of &’Improving the world through engineering’.