Gent: the traffic management centre in the cloud!
By distributing real-time traffic information for all means of transport, people in and around Ghent decide how and when they best move.
The design of the traffic center is completely virtual. It will be 'in the cloud', accessible from any mobile device. This digital platform will constantly evaluate data on mobility and automatically inform residents and visitors if unexpected events occur. The city provides an operator on standby, in case the situation requires particular attention. The system then will alert the operator so that he/she can intervene immediately.
Gent chose to develop the regional traffic center in a pragmatic way, so that the first results are immediately visible and usable. Through smart partnerships, Gent wants to get as soon as possible relevant information on mobility for road users. Such partnerships have already been set up with De Lijn, the local police, other cities in the region, the Flemish Traffic Centre, (Ghent based) start-ups, colleges and universities .. Elderman Filip Watteeuw: "The establishment of a regional traffic center Ghent is an important step in the implementation of better and sustainable mobility. We want to make our city more accessible and ensure that every road user has access to accurate information. And this for all modes of transport "
In addition, the City of Ghent is proud to partner with Waze. Waze is the largest network of drivers in the world. This community is working together daily to navigate through smarter traffic in order to save time and money. The free Waze app always sets the fastest routes based on real-time data from over 50 million users worldwide. Ghent shares the publicly available information about roadworks with Waze. On the other hand Waze broadcasts all reports on traffic in the Ghent region through the Regional Traffic Centre Ghent. This includes information about accidents, congestion, delays, road works and dangerous situations on the road.
In this way, Ghent has joined the list of progressive cities like Los Angeles, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Jakarta, Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro that are part of the Waze Connected Citizens Program. This program gives the city of Ghent the opportunity to build on the technical expertise of experienced cities. On the other hand this forum provides Ghent the chance to test its ambitious international mobility vision. This cooperation is especially positive for Ghent and people moving in Ghent. Ghent is also happy to share the experience gained with the surrounding towns.
For more information: pieter.morlion@stad.gent