This year’s IPENZ Transportation Group technical conference featured a broad range of topics and speakers and a diverse delegate list. Of particular interest to the Resolve Group team were the sessions on innovation, planning and design for cycling; asset management and technology (from big data to the development and potential use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and co-operative AV networks).

Plenary sessions by Dr Dean Peterson of Callaghan Innovation, Ernst Zollner of NZTA, Peter Clark of Auckland Transport and Richard Paling, Independent Transport Planner and Economist considered the following:

• New technology and innovation provide incredible opportunities at an ever-increasing rate
• There are very significant challenges for us to address in the medium term before we can optimise them
• The excellent outcomes from increased investment in Auckland’s Public Transport network go hand-in-hand with unprecedented projected growth rates for the city in the next decade
• Although un-sexy, freight is one of the most important components of the transport network, which will grow with the population and the economy, and needs to be actively planned for with the use of technology

Plenary sessions by Lester Levy, Chair Auckland Transport Board and Martin Matthews, Ministry of Transport, both looked at trends and visions for the future, along with associated challenges and opportunities.

Managing Director, Martin Leak attended the 22nd ITS World Congress in October. With a focus on intelligent mobility and better use of space, two of the more pressing concepts were the emergence of automation as a real focus for innovation that will not only lead to safer transport but also has the potential to change vehicle use and reduce individual vehicle ownership, and the changes of thinking around big data, which are creating a new paradigm for data sourcing, data sharing and data exchange.

Automation can improve efficiency, reduce fraud, help overall service management and contribute to service and policy outcomes. Automation of roads with effective incident detection and management can improve safety and efficiency. Automated management using decision support systems enables complex issues to be handled efficiently and effectively.

In the transport and mobility domains, satisfying individuals’ wishes for the best personal travel solution has long had priority over the needs of overall network management. The combination of better access to traditional transport related data and increasing availability of new sources of data coming from end users (smartphones, social media, crowd sourcing), transport and communication infrastructure and vehicles (probe data), creates a new paradigm for data sourcing, data sharing and data exchange. We may for the first time have the chance to satisfy the needs of both the users and the stakeholders in transport management.

Particularly interesting to Martin, was American speaker Abbas Mobaddes, who believes, “We are at a tipping point of emergence of mobility and information technologies… Connected and automated vehicle technologies are expected to have a profound impact on travel behaviour, research, operation, transportation business, and economies around the world.”