Smart Traffic 2008: Active Congestion Management - Infrastructure and Operations: the fifth international conference in the series will provide delegates with a comprehensive review of international best practice, current issues and solutions, a workshop environment to stimulate creative thinking and excellent networking opportunities.
Rising traffic congestion is a serious threat to the economy and quality of life. Tackling congestion has been rated a priority by the Australian Government and State Governments.
It is recognised that some congestion is inevitable and that appropriate solutions need to be implemented within an integrated transport framework. Widespread awareness of the threat of climate change will demand new solutions to address congestion including demand management, improved public transport infrastructure and services and new roads infrastructure. But the tightening fiscal environment will require enhanced management of the current stock of transport infrastructure and new methods of financing, delivery and operations.
Charging for road use continues to offer potential as a key strategy in an integrated policy response to congestion with electronic tolling as a key technology for delivering it. In Europe, Stockholm and Milan have recently deployed congestion charging (or similar) schemes. Together with London’s congestion charging and the few European heavy vehicle charging schemes these can be seen as successful but still somewhat fragmented deployments. In the USA, while the focus has been on facilitation of car use there is increased interest in tolling and advanced network management approaches.
There are no clear signs within Australia that road use charging is being seriously considered. Instead, tolling and advanced traffic management with some consideration of travel demand management appear to be the main approaches being put forward for dealing with congestion. Australia and New Zealand have the technology and capability to implement very advanced approaches to congestion management but have pressing constraints due to high urbanisation and limited resources.
Smart Traffic 2008: Active Congestion Management - Infrastructure and Operations: the fifth international conference in the series will provide delegates with a comprehensive review of international best practice, current issues and solutions, a workshop environment to stimulate creative thinking and excellent networking opportunities.
Key transport experts from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand will provide in-depth viewpoints on what focus should be put on congestion and present on effective strategies and approaches including:
- Congestion challenge and integrated transport policy context including safety
- Role of demand management including congestion charging
- Active traffic management, incident management and role of real time information
- Development of an “operational and services culture”
- Design of private financing of transport infrastructure and services for the public interest
- New relationships with stakeholders: community, private sector and between different levels of government
- Best practice in telematics/ ITS deployment
- Developing effective strategies
Over 20 invited presentations by international and Australasian speakers will be made. Key note speakers from the Europe and Asia-Pacific will report on latest trends.
Conference Format:
2 days of plenary sessions.
Venue:
Brisbane has been chosen as the location for Smart Traffic 2008 which will be held at a 5 star Brisbane Marriot hotel on 29-30 October 2008.
Further Information:
For more information contact Phil Sayeg by email on: p.sayeg@transportroundtable.com.au
