Transport is experiencing a radical transformation. Much faster than anyone expected, the application of new technologies in the car industry, Big Data and the sharing economy are changing the way people think about travel. These advances, together with the increasing global population, will contribute to an increase in the number of cars, threatening unsustainable levels of traffic.
This reflection on the future of mobility based on the conclusions drawn from the Road Tech Report prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) can be read in its entirety in ONTHEROAD magazine.
The main consequences of this growth in traffic are losses in productivity, more accidents, atmospheric pollution and a negative impact on public health.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that the number of cars in the world—currently around 1 billion—will rise to 4 billion by 2050. Vehicles are responsible for 17% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in addition to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particles. In the EU alone, this has resulted in 450,000 premature deaths, costing the region’s economies over $1.4 billion a year.
As a result, road infrastructure is undergoing a radical change. Once limited to physical components such as barriers and traffic signals, our roads now include elements such as wireless networks and artificial intelligence. Among other potential benefits, this intelligent infrastructure is an essential part of creating the conditions for autonomous vehicles, which promise to reduce traffic accidents by 90%. Dynamically managing traffic through techniques such as ramp metering and dynamic lane control also have the potential to reduce congestion and pollution…[read more]
ONTHEROAD is a magazine that wants to become an innovative space for the generation of ideas and debate around the universe of mobility. Promoted by Abertis, the world’s leading operator in the management of infrastructures at the service of mobility and communications, ONTHEROAD wants to participate in conversations, debates, initiatives and the search for solutions for the new challenges of this changeling world
