Traffic management as a Service in Ghent – a cost-effective and versatile solution for small and medium-sized cities

The main innovations of TMaaS relate to (i) the use of traffic and travel data that are readily available from various partners and companies, rather than installing own systems to gather data (eg, roadside traffic counters); (ii) a virtual platform for monitoring traffic – rather than a fixed traffic control centre – which can be accessed remotely by city staff through a tablet for instance; and (iii) personalised information to subscribed transport users - generated automatically by the platform – through social media.

The system is truly multimodal: it automatically checks all data coming in on journeys by bike, bus, tram, train or on foot and sends to subscribers real-time and personalised travel advice about their neighbourhoods or journey, such as accidents, traffic jams, delays, car-sharing vehicles available, train schedules, bike parking, parking spaces available and weather updates. Commuters therefore are not only informed about their journeys but can be notified of alternatives if need be.

The proposed TMaaS project budget, approximately €4 million in total of which 80% will be funded by the EU’s Urban Innovative Actions programme, will be shared between the city and a wide range of innovative companies, including start-ups

For more information about the project, visit the blog: www.tmaas.eu

Also Polis member Toulouse is selected as a winner: it will tackle poor accessibility to major employment areas by creating a partnership in order to change commuters travel patterns and habits. A combination of actions will be put in place including a new urban mobility collaborative management system, a digital platform to measure the impact of the measures that will feed into the decision making process based on real time data, new ways of working and new infrastructure (autonomous vehicles).