Press releases

62 percent of Austrian citizens are willing to limit car journeys to certain times in order to improve urban air quality.

Berlin. October 29, 2020 – 62 percent of German citizens are willing to limit car journeys to certain times in order to improve urban air quality. A vast majority of 87 percent are in favor of reducing traffic-related emissions by means of environment-friendly transport solutions. This was confirmed by the population-representative Kapsch TrafficCom Index 2020 survey in March of this year. Although a broad theoretical consensus already existed among the population, practice during the Corona crisis is proving to be at odds with expectations: Passenger numbers on local public transport have fallen dramatically and switching to electric cars remains the exception. On the other hand, we are seeing a sharp increase in switching to bicycles and e-bikes. Mobility experts advise exploiting this window of opportunity to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement by means of specific action. “The road agencies of many large cities have reacted swiftly during the pandemic and created more space for cyclists and pedestrians,” says Michael Ganser, Vice President Solution Consulting at Kapsch TrafficCom. “In order to maintain social distancing, cycle lanes have been widened and even new cycle routes have been set up in what has been a real success story. For the winter months, however, it is only a question of time before the numbers of cars on the road increase again. On the grounds of the current COVID-19 situation, many people will continue to avoid public transport whenever they can.” Those responsible should therefore grasp the opportunity existing now to get things back on the right track. Digitally integrated systems have proven in practice to be very effective here. Mobility can be managed effectively throughout the year despite rising car traffic volumes and without letting CO2 emissions return to pre-crisis levels. Smart city Madrid shows how this can work. Madrid has already demonstrated how this is possible. In order to fundamentally reduce traffic jams and airborne pollutants, the Spanish capital has implemented an intelligent mobility system developed by Kapsch. “An important component of this solution is a system of adaptive traffic light management which automatically adjusts to reflect the current traffic situation,” Ganser explains. This alone has enabled jams to be reduced by approximately 20 percent and emissions by around ten percent. “The key to even more free-flowing and therefore economically efficient traffic management lies in the use of anonymized vehicle data which are integrated into the traffic management network.” To this end, Kapsch has added over 200 permanent traffic measurement units to the existing network capturing traffic data on Madrid’s roads. Real-time traffic data are the key to further analyses and improvements. The Madrid authorities obtain an accurate overview of the current traffic situation based on comprehensive mobility data captured about pedestrians, cyclists, motorbike riders and car drivers. “These measurements are supplemented with data from other sources, such as local public transport providers and the police, before being integrated into and analyzed by our EcoTrafiX™ software platform,” Ganser adds. “This not only allows the municipal authorities to respond immediately to accidents and traffic jams; These data also enable the city to manage traffic flows and to continuously optimize urban mobility covering all modes of transport. People and the environment both benefit as a result.”  

London. October 29, 2020 – 63 percent of UK citizens are willing to limit car journeys to certain times in order to improve urban air quality. A vast majority of 81 percent are in favour of reducing traffic-related emissions by means of environment-friendly transport solutions. This was confirmed by the population-representative Kapsch TrafficCom Index 2020 survey in March of this year. Although a broad theoretical consensus already existed among the population, practice during the Corona crisis is proving to be at odds with expectations: Passenger numbers on local public transport have fallen dramatically and switching to electric cars remains the exception. On the other hand, we are seeing a sharp increase in switching to bicycles and e-bikes. Mobility experts advise exploiting this window of opportunity to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement by means of specific action. “Councils in at least 40 cities across the country have reacted swiftly during the pandemic and created more space for cyclists and pedestrians,” says Steve Parsons, Head of UK Sales Kapsch TrafficCom. “Cycle lanes have been widened and even new cycle routes have been set up in order to maintain social distancing. This has been a real success story, but it is only a question of time before the numbers of cars on the road increase again. And many people will continue to avoid public transport whenever they can because of the current COVID-19 situation.” Those responsible should therefore grasp the opportunity existing now to get things back on the right track. Digitally integrated systems have proven in practice to be very effective here. Mobility can be managed effectively throughout the year despite rising car traffic volumes and without letting CO2 emissions return to pre-crisis levels. Smart city Madrid shows how this can work. Madrid has already demonstrated how this is possible. In order to fundamentally reduce traffic jams and airborne pollutants, the Spanish capital has implemented an intelligent mobility system developed by Kapsch. “A system of adaptive traffic light management which automatically adjusts to reflect the current traffic situation is an important component of this solution,” explains Parsons. This alone has enabled jams to be reduced by approximately 20 percent and emissions by around ten percent. “With the use of anonymized vehicle data which are integrated into the traffic management network, we can have an even more free-flowing and therefore economically efficient traffic management.” To this end, Kapsch has added over 200 permanent traffic measurement units to the existing network capturing traffic data on Madrid’s road. Real-time traffic data are the key to further analyses and improvements. The Madrid authorities obtain an accurate overview of the current traffic situation based on comprehensive mobility data captured about pedestrians, cyclists, motorbike riders and car drivers. “These measurements are supplemented with data from other sources, such as local public transport providers and the police, before being integrated into and analysed by our EcoTrafiX™ software platform,” Parsons adds. “Not only can municipal authorities respond immediately to accidents and traffic jams; These data also allow the city to manage traffic flows and to continuously optimize urban mobility, including all modes of transport. This is beneficial to both people and the environment.”  

Santiago de Chile. October 22, 2020 – 81 percent of Chilean citizens urgently want to reduce emissions from road traffic. 82 percent blame noise, air pollution and other burdens for health problems – these are findings of the representative survey “Kapsch TrafficCom Index 2020”. New concepts such as the “15-minute City“ in Paris point the way to prolonging people's experiences with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times. The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis. While in Santiago a plan to reassign spaces for pedestrians and cyclists has been implemented in a busy downtown area, in Europe Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is pursuing nothing less than an urban planning revolution with her concept of the “15-minute City”: Parisians should be able to reach everything they need for life from their doorstep within fifteen minutes on foot or by bike: grocery stores, health centers, schools, parks and workplaces. To make this possible, Hidalgo’s first step was to block central traffic routes for cars and convert them into bicycle expressways. What we can learn from the “15-minute City”. “The city of Paris has succeeded in reacting quickly to the corona crisis with a new mobility concept that makes social distancing possible on the streets,” says Emilio Rivas, Executive Vice President Sales of Kapsch TrafficCom for Latin America. “The concept of the 15-minute City contains many important cornerstones, but it’s an approach for the long term that may take a long time to implement. There are intelligent transportation systems available today though, that are more effective to help keep traffic related emissions at the current levels and further reduce them in the future. They can bring quick results while also laying the basis for flexible long-term changes.” Digital technology provides opportunities. Many future-oriented cities are pursuing the goal of clearing the streets for bicycles and pedestrians. “But if traffic is just shifted to other city routes, the positive impact won’t be noticeable,” explains Rivas. For this reason, the expert recommends introducing a digitally connected mobility management approach. This includes, for example, traffic light control systems which automatically adapt to the current traffic situation. In pilot cities, it would reduce congestion times by up to 25 percent. The widespread use of SIM cards and vehicle-based GPS also makes it possible to capture and use real-time traffic data from all road users to manage mobility intelligently. “For quick success, government officials should focus on developing a strategy to make the best use of the possibilities provided by digitally connected mobility. Besides introducing driving bans for cars, it is also important to holistically manage and improve people's mobility. There are smart city solutions available today to prolong people's experiences with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times.”  

Buenos Aires. October 22, 2020 – 70 percent of Argentine citizens urgently want to reduce emissions from road traffic. 70 percent blame noise, air pollution and other burdens for health problems – these are findings of the representative survey “Kapsch TrafficCom Index 2020”. New concepts such as the “15-minute City“ in Paris point the way to prolonging people's experiences with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times. The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis. While the city government in Buenos Aires started the construction of “pop-up” bike lanes on the capital’s two major avenues, in Europe Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is pursuing nothing less than an urban planning revolution with her concept of the "15-minute City": Parisians should be able to reach everything they need for life from their doorstep within fifteen minutes on foot or by bike: grocery stores, health centers, schools, parks and workplaces. To make this possible, Hidalgo’s first step was to block central traffic routes for cars and convert them into bicycle expressways. What we can learn from the “15-minute City”. “The city of Paris has succeeded in reacting quickly to the corona crisis with a new mobility concept that makes social distancing possible on the streets,” says Emilio Rivas, Executive Vice President Sales of Kapsch TrafficCom for Latin America. “The concept of the 15-minute City contains many important cornerstones, but it’s an approach for the long term that may take a long time to implement. There are intelligent transportation systems available today though, that are more effective to help keep traffic related emissions at the current levels and further reduce them in the future. They can bring quick results while also laying the basis for flexible long-term changes.” Digital technology provides opportunities. Many future-oriented cities are pursuing the goal of clearing the streets for bicycles and pedestrians. “But if traffic is just shifted to other city routes, the positive impact won’t be noticeable,” explains Rivas. For this reason, the expert recommends introducing a digitally connected mobility management approach. This includes, for example, traffic light control systems which automatically adapt to the current traffic situation. In pilot cities, it would reduce congestion times by up to 25 percent. The widespread use of SIM cards and vehicle-based GPS also makes it possible to capture and use real-time traffic data from all road users to manage mobility intelligently. “For quick success, government officials should focus on developing a strategy to make the best use of the possibilities provided by digitally connected mobility. Besides introducing driving bans for cars, it is also important to holistically manage and improve people's mobility. There are smart city solutions available today to prolong people's experiences with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times.”  

Melbourne. October 22, 2020 – 68 percent of Australians urgently want to reduce emissions from road traffic. 64 percent believe noise, air pollution and other burdens for health problems – these are findings of the representative survey “Kapsch TrafficCom Index 2020”. New concepts such as the “15-minute City“ in Paris point the way to prolonging people's experiences with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times. The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis. The common approach in Australia is on zero emission public transport and the creation of urban congestion zones. In Europe, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is pursuing nothing less than an urban planning revolution with her concept of the "15-minute City": Parisians should be able to reach everything they need for life from their doorstep within fifteen minutes on foot or by bike: grocery stores, health centres, schools, parks and workplaces. To make this possible, Hidalgo’s first step was to block central traffic routes for cars and convert them into bicycle expressways. What we can learn from the “15-minute City”. “Paris was quick to react to the pandemic, minimising the impact of COVID-19 with a new mobility concept that made social distancing easier,” says Matthew McLeish, Executive Vice President Asia-Pacific at Kapsch TrafficCom. “While many cornerstones of the 15-minute City concept are basically correct, it is also a very long-term approach. But as our survey shows, we need quicker wins to keep traffic-related emissions at the current levels, and to reduce them even further in the future. We can offer intelligent transportation systems today to reduce congestion. These solutions not only allow for immediate improvements. They also lay the basis for flexible and sustainable long-term changes.” Digital technology provides opportunities. The goal of clearing the streets for bicycles and pedestrians is pursued by many future-oriented cities around the world. “But you do not achieve a significant impact by only shifting the traffic to other districts of the city. Cities need to adopt a holistic approach,” explains Matthew McLeish. That is why he recommends introducing a digitally connected mobility management platform. This includes, for example, traffic light control systems which automatically adapt to the current traffic situation. This would reduce congestion times in cities by up to 25 percent. The widespread use of SIM cards and vehicle-based GPS also makes it possible to capture and use real-time traffic data from all road users to manage mobility intelligently. “To take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities of digitally connected mobility, politicians should work with the authorities and suppliers to develop a comprehensive strategy. We have the tools and solutions to prolong people’s experience with cleaner air and less traffic in post-corona times.”  

The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis.

The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis.

The negative effects of road traffic have returned very quickly to the political agenda after the lockdown during the corona crisis.