Transport Technologies

Transport Technologies

Experts agree that economic and demographic changes, technological advances and environmental concerns are fundamentally altering the transportation landscape. There’s a focus on a tighter connection between the role of transportation and the economic health of cities and its impact on people.

Increasingly, urban planners, transportation experts and scientists are realizing that old auto-centric models focused on easing traffic congestion aren’t enough to tackle issues like population growth and carbon emissions, and transportation is now, more than ever, an integral component to a city’s larger sustainability efforts.

Big cities around the world will have to work on making better use of their streets by adding more bus lanes, augmenting pedestrian walkways and expanding their rail options, while at the same time working with the private sector on advanced technologies that will allow a vehicle to drive itself and communicate with other vehicles and its environment, essentially making transportation intelligent.

The most sustainable places to live are those places that have multi-modal transport systems. You can’t be a globally competitive city if you don’t have a robust transportation network with at least the following technological aspects:

Connectivity – Communication between riders and drivers, between different vehicles and between cars and infrastructure is bringing transportation into a new era.

Automation – A fully automated transportation system that has the potential to improve safety by removing human error and increase the efficiency of car owners, who can get on with other tasks during a long commute.

Environmental concern – As the world races to avoid catastrophic climate change and countries work to meet ambitious emissions goals, these policies could also have a big impact on the future of transportation, spurring everything from zero and low-emission vehicles to apps that encourage more walking, biking and carpooling.

Redefining transportation – Technologies and trends that reduce the need for those trips – say virtual meetings or telecommuting – could also have a big impact on transportation.

NAEG’s “Next-Level” Think-Tank continues to seek alliances with other think-tanks that have adopted similar philosophies and understandings of the global future and the need for technological advances in the Transportation Technology sector.