– By David Brown –
In 1966, NSW transport was in the grip of a technical revolution on the road system. Microprocessors were being installed at traffic signal sites and a new project, the SCATS traffic light coordination system, was in development. SCATS would become a worldwide success and end up being sold to over 130 countries.
Perhaps it was because NSW traffic was so congested and we did not have the money to build an extensive motor way system that we had to try and squeeze as much as we could out of the road network we had.
The revolution was so significant that a new Institute was formed: The Australian Institute of Traffic Technology (AITT). The Institute has since modified its name to the Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM) to embrace a wider area of transport issues.
But now, on their 50th anniversary, they (and all of us) find ourselves in the midst of another revolution lead by technology. Autonomous vehicles, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and schedule operating system such as Uber are just some of the new technology that will have a huge impact on how, if and when we travel. Digital technology is also bringing about a radical change in the nature and the quantity of data we can collect and analyse.
In April 2016 the NSW Government held a major two day ‘Summit’ bringing together ‘thought leaders’, IT specialists, innovators, entrepreneurs, futurists, transport leaders and academics to talk about the future of transport.
It is highly significant that this was not just a collection of the usual engineers and planners that have made up most of the attendees at transport conferences in the past. The key note speaker was Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of the Apple organisation.
I was to attend the conference but had a clash of diary dates, but I know a wide range of people who did.
One opinion was the NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance, was very impressive in his opening address. Another comment was that after the presentations the attendees were broken into groups to do some barnstorming. Some groups apparently got bogged down in some details that were going over problems of the past. Nonetheless there was enough good information to embrace the new realities of the future.
The government has now released two reports from this exercise: The Post Summit Report (https://future.transport.nsw.gov.au/events/summit-2016/post-summit-report-2016/) and the Future Transport Technology Road Map (https://future.transport.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Future-Transport-Technology-Roadmap_2016__.pdf)
There are a lot of issues (and a lot of words) in these reports that focus on strategic directions with a strong focus on passenger trips.
The real value for fleet operators is that it will document major areas of development. From this information we will need to try to anticipate where these changes will go and how you can capitalise on them. Fleet operators must also ensure that their needs are being considered in government planning. Here are a few thoughts:
- There will be much more data available to manage your fleets which will help determine when is the best time to travel, what is the best route and what are the costs.
- Fleets will be affected not by just what is best for them but assessment of external impacts (such as choosing navigation routes that reduce or restrict travelling through sensitive areas e.g. quiet residential streets or past local schools).
- The use of the road system is likely to be managed more intensely, The role of fleets and there need to have a significant part of the capacity is a critical message. It may even come to the point of allocation of space when it is available
- Government levies/taxes will focus on more direct user changes for all your travel. Monitoring, planning and scheduling trips will become an even more critical part of cost efficiency.
- A focus on personalised service. In the past we just thought about the average trip maker or freight delivery task. If a road or a train fills up with people we must be doing the right thing. But technology will allow customers to more specifically state their need and companies deliver it accordingly.
- New forms of transport will be developed such as drones. Drones might not be used for the whole trip of freight but maybe much more for the last kilometre of delivery to a person’s front door.
- Shared transport systems will increase. This is not only for passengers (such as having a range of local cars to rent) but for freight. There are Uber style systems now being used for freight where capacity in a delivery vehicle can be booked on line. Unusual examples will arise. People have developed systems where you can hire out the boot of your car to deliver parcels to regional and other areas if you are making a trip.
In his opening address, Steve Wozniak emphasised that technology is only a means to an end. “The human is more important than the technology” he said. He might also has said that technology is only good for business if you understand your customer and your own needs.
