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Australia’s significant infrastructure projects were front and centre at the recent ITS Australia Roads, Tolling & Technology 2023 conference in Sydney.
ITS thought leaders gathered for the annual event which now encompasses not just tolls and charging, but all aspects of road technology and associated operations.
Australia is undergoing massive infrastructure changes, with all states and territories engaged in significant projects to enhance traffic networks, making them more connected, technologically advanced and data-driven. Spanning road, rail and active transport, these industry-leading projects will result in better efficiencies, safety and sustainability for users, operators, and government and private enterprise.
Visitors to Roads, Tolling & Technology 2023 received first-hand reports on these key projects including the Sydney WestConnex project. Nearing completion, it is Australia’s largest ever, road infrastructure project and expected to improve transport access for 40 percent of Sydney residents. With its traffic light free network, and by moving key arterials underground, the project will link the north shore and northern beaches, Sydney Airport and the southern suburbs.
Project insights for Melbourne included an update on the State Tolling Corporation which is looking into arrangements for the new North East Link Tolls, the biggest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east. Delegates heard how the North East Link Tunnels project will remove some 15,000 trucks off local roads a day and reduce travel times by an anticipated 35 minutes.
ITS Australia CEO Susan Harris said the focus of the event was to bring the industry up to speed on opportunities to integrate new and emerging technologies across all the individual projects that make up Australia’s current infrastructure boom.
“Attendees were left in no doubt that Australia is investing, developing, and constructing bigger and better transport infrastructure projects which are connected, smarter and networked.
“We want industry partners and international businesses to be fully aware that Australia is an intelligent transport leader and that we have opportunities to invest, partner and collaborate.
“That’s what the RTT conference is all about. It provides a learning environment, where great conversations are had between industry specialists. There’s no better way to appreciate what’s going on than to be present and hear directly from those involved,” said Ms Harris.
Earlier this year the Federal Government published their Draft Principles for a National Approach to Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) in Australia for consultation. Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) are interconnected systems of technologies that allow road vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, road infrastructure and data services, and with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Panellists representing the automotive manufacturing industry, planning and transport-traffic management, and ITS consulting joined in a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Silje Troseth, Vice President APAC and General Manager Australia at Q-Free Australia.
“As our cities grow and our population increases, it's essential that we embrace new ideas and invest in technology and innovation to create a more efficient and sustainable transport system.”
“RTT brought together industry experts and thought leaders to discuss the latest advancements in transport technology, including tolling, connected and autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, and new modes of mobility. With a focus on collaboration and innovation, Q-Free are excited to be at the forefront of this transformative movement and to be working towards a future where transport is safe, accessible, and environmentally sustainable for all Australians,” Ms Troseth said.
Also presenting over the two days were Rita Excell, Head of Transport – ANZ, Amazon Web Services; Professor Flora Salim, Cisco Chair of Digital Transport, University of NSW; Adriana-Simona Mihaita, Senior Lecturer, Lead of Future Mobility Lab, Data Science Institute, University of Technology Sydney; and Jennifer Loake, Head of Small & Medium Enterprise Sales – APAC, TomTom who shared their expertise on a panel titled Data Driving Clever Transport.
The broadening of the scope for RTT has led to a natural widening of the agenda. Susan Harris said these new topics have emerged as critical factors in future road, tolling and transport.
“This year, it was pleasing to see so many new faces. Fresh ideas and new perspectives indicate our industry is flourishing and it is also a reflection on how businesses and organisations are investing in the next generation of ITS professionals.
“How we store, access and analyse information is changing and something like edge computing, where local networks are utilised over cloud-based systems, is becoming increasingly influential.
“For example, delegates heard how IoT applications such as camera based networks require real time information typically sourced through the cloud. However, in emergency situations like a bushfire or flood, operators might need to optimise a local system, on the edge of the network to utilise lower bandwidth and faster processing times.
“Our industry is constantly innovating, evolving and adopting new approaches. No wonder it still fascinates those who have been in ITS for many years, as well as appealing to new audiences,” Ms Harris said.
RTT discussions and learnings will continue this year at the ITS Australia Global Summit (August 28-31) at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 1,000 professionals are expected to attend from Australia, Asia-Pacific and internationally for 4 days of technical tours, demonstrations, key note speeches, workshops and networking.
Closing out the conference, ITS Australia with the University of Melbourne, facilitated a workshop attended by a number of delegates and key stakeholders, invited for their subject matter expertise to investigate the potential for integrated connected data for safe, efficient traffic management. This was a lively interactive session taking participants through a series of questions intended to explore the potential applications for integrated connected data and identify potential sources for those data.
ITS Australia thanks RTT 2023 major sponsors: Cubic, Kapsch, Q-Free, Sice, Transurban and Vitronic.
For more about the Global Summit, 28-31 August, Melbourne, click here.
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