Issue 03/12 - Siemens Mobility

Issue 03 | 2012 | siemens.com/mobility 

ITS magazine 

The Magazine for Intelligent Traffic Systems 

The dream of flowing 

How to keep interurban traffic moving 

Innovation 

saves cash 

Enhanced efficiency 

of interurban systems

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Inhalt 

“ In such a highly complex 

2 

system like mobility 

everything is connected 

to everything else”

Dear Reader, 

Here it is, your copy of the first issue 

of the revamped ITS magazine. Now 

the layout of the most exciting views 

on mobility has become even more 

generous and reader-friendly – and, 

we hope, even more inviting to you. 

The new, crisp layout reflects the increasingly 

dynamic development 

witnessed in all areas of traffic and 

transport. At the same time, it will 

help us make the stories about the 

fascinatingly diverse aspects of mobility 

even more captivating. Especially 

in these times of shifting media use 

and constantly changing markets, 

the so-called story telling is seeing 

a true revival. 

This is also where our focus has 

been in the past years since the 

ITS magazine started to evolve from 

a customer magazine to a classic 

trade magazine, i.e. since the editorial 

team has shifted from a company-centered 

viewpoint to the wider 

perspective of our readers when 

looking at current trends, challenges 

and opportunities in the wide 

field of mobility. The recent facelift 

will not affect our approach to content, 

however. For the lead stories 

in the ITS magazine’s focus section, 

for instance, we will continue to 

interview internationally renowned 

thought-leaders, who have contri- 

butions to make that are of interest 

for the entire mobile society. 

The focus interview in the current 

issue, which chiefly deals with interurban 

transport, features Hermann 

Meyer, CEO of the European ITS network 

ERTICO. His answers are making 

one thing clear in particular: It will 

not be possible to solve the currently 

hotly debated problems of urban 

traffic without the implementation of 

efficient strategies for managing interurban 

transport. Because in such a 

highly complex system like the mobility 

landscape at the start of the 21 st 

century everything is connected to 

everything else. It’s not without reason 

that experts are frequently naming 

integration of individual solutions 

as one of the goals. Such an inclusive 

approach should really transcend 

all kinds of dividing lines, be 

it the boundaries between different 

transport modes or between city and 

countryside, or the borders separating 

different regions or different 

countries. 

And there is one more fact that the 

expert from Brussels highlights in 

no ambiguous terms: Intelligent 

transport technologies offer the 

potential to make interurban transport 

faster and safer and reduce 

its environmental impact – without 

Editorial | ITS magazine 3/2012 

expensive road construction and 

expansion projects. Even if we let 

ourselves be guided by the feasibility-oriented 

spirit of our times to 

concentrate exclusively on the cost 

aspect, there seems to be no real alternative 

to the increased use of effective 

ITS solutions. The economic 

losses caused by traffic congestion 

are estimated to total US$810 billion 

per year in the industrialized 

countries alone. Systematic traffic 

management has been demonstrated 

to lead to a significant reduction 

of traffic jams and accidents. 

Which systems have proven their 

effectiveness in the past, which solutions 

are favored by today’s experts 

and which concepts are the most 

promising for the future – you will 

find the answers to all these questions 

in this issue of our ITS magazine. 

I wish you interesting reading. 

Kind regards, 

Hauke Jürgensen 

3

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Focus 

Content 

Focus Trends & Events 

4 

06 

06 “Intelligent transport technology saves cash” 

ERTICO CEO Hermann Meyer speaks about global 

challenges in interurban traffic and the high efficiency 

offered by innovative interurban systems 

14 No faster country? 

Intelligent technologies make interurban transport 

faster and safer and reduce its environmental 

impact – without expensive construction projects 

18 Driving by numbers 

The user-pays principle for private mobility is 

currently implemented in different schemes around 

the world. The most promising in economic terms 

seem to be innovative satellite-based toll systems 

22 Avoidance strategists 

The Netherlands are testing a kind of anti-toll: 

Instead of having to pay for the use of overcrowded 

motorways, commuters are paid for 

avoiding them during rush-hours. The mid-term 

results are promising. 

Partners & Projects 

14 

24 Event news 

Short reports on the official opening of the Sustainable 

Cities center “The Crystal” in London and on 

the ITS World Congress in Vienna 

25 Shortcuts 

Recent traffic engineering projects realized in 

Belgium and Germany

Intelligence 

without borders 

Smoothly in, smoothly out: Innovative 

strategies for traffic flow 

optimization outside the city are 

part of the solution to the urban 

traffic problems that the discussion 

currently focuses on 

Know-how & Research 

26 Rolling phones 

While his last name stands for the automobile’s 

glorious past, his vision may well shape the automobile’s 

future: Henry Ford’s great-grandson Bill 

sees the best chance for preventing a global traffic 

gridlock in turning cars into rolling smartphones 

Mobility & Living Space 

28 Bright insights 

A new landmark for London – and a milestone 

for sustainable city development: “The Crystal” 

brings together expert knowledge and educational 

discovery under its spectacular 

crystal-shaped roof 

Focus | ITS magazine 3/2012 

22 28 

Profile 

30 “Walking the talk” 

Dr. Werner Kruckow, project manager of the innovative 

Sustainable Cities center “The Crystal”, 

speaks about the motives, the strategy and the 

expectations behind the £30 million investment 

Rubrics 

13 In the side-view mirror 

Reflections and lateral thoughts on the topic of interurban 

transport: “From A to B – really?” 

32 Imprint 

5


6

“ Intelligent trans- 

port technology 

saves cash” 


Interview Hermann Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of 

the European ITS network ERTICO, talks about the global 

challenges for intercity transport, the high efficiency of 

innovative interurban systems and a vision that he shares 

with EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. 

7


8 

Traffic flowing in and out of Shanghai: “Many of the problems that we are facing within the city limits have their origins outside” 

Mr. Meyer, already today over half 

the world’s population lives in cities, 

and that proportion is expected to 

rise to almost two thirds by 2030. 

With this as an input, any schoolboy 

with average competence in mathematics 

could work out that the development 

of efficient strategies for 

interurban transport will soon be 

only half as important as solving 

urban transport problems …? 

If we were just working on an abstract 

problem based on the rule of 

three, your schoolboy would be quite 

right. But in terms of content, we 

just cannot look at it that way. For 

years, most mobility experts have 

held the common view that we need 

to look at our transport systems 

holistically. That means for instance 

doing away with modal blinkers and, 

ideally, ignoring national boundaries 

too. Why should it suddenly make 

sense then to draw a strategic dividing 

line between urban and interurban 

transport? One could of course 

argue that urban transport profits far 

more than its interurban counterpart 

from the added value of modern 

“ ITS systems are 

playing a major 

role in China’s 

interurban 

strategy” 

traffic technology, not least in the 

field of safety. After all, city traffic 

still accounts for some 69 percent of 

accidents. But it is a fact that many 

of the problems that we are facing 

within the city limits have their origins 

outside, as I am experiencing 

every day here in Brussels. When 

traffic out on the freeways is well 

organized, then it is normally also 

quite easy getting around town. The 

source of congestion in the city is 

inadequate traffic management outside 

the city gates. 

Does this mean that optimization 

in the interurban field would also 

relieve the pressure on urban traffic? 

Of course we should always approach 

generalizations with caution. But I 

do think that this would definitely be 

the case in many agglomerations – 

although perhaps more in certain big 

cities than in others. 

Looking at different parts of the globe, 

what are the biggest transport- 

specific challenges that need to be 

overcome in interurban transport 

in the next few years? 

Between one region and another, 

the problems can actually differ 

quite considerably. In the USA at 

present there are relatively big difficulties 

in producing the necessary 

investments in the interurban field. 

Their strategic focus is on ITS applications 

that prioritize safety. However, 

faced with tight budgets, the authorities 

are not making the kind of 

progress that they would like to see. 

In China, the concern is first and 

foremost to expand infrastructure 

capacity as quickly as possible to 

satisfy the dramatic growth in demand 

for mobility. In this respect, 

intelligent transport technology

has a prominent role to play, as 

demonstrated by the recent signing 

of a Memorandum of Understand - 

ing between us and ITS China, for 

instance. Japan too focuses on intelligent 

transport technology, although 

slightly less on increasing capacity or 

road safety but more on solutions in 

the context of efficient evacuation 

concepts for coping with disasters. 

During the Fukushima crisis, ITS solutions 

proved their worth but there is 

nevertheless a desire to exploit the experience 

that was gained and achieve 

further improvements. And in the 

EU, as is well known, the current key 

themes are multimodal transport and 

so-called collaborative services involving 

communication between vehicles 

and infrastructure. 

In a recent interview with ITS magazine, 

EU Transport Commissioner 

Siim Kallas said that he dreams of a 

multimodal online journey planner 

that enables users to book and pay 

for trips by a range of transport 

modes right across Europe. How 

far are we today from that goal? 

In this respect, I think, it would be 

more accurate to speak of a development 

process rather than about a 

point in time. Services of this kind 

will be introduced in the market in 

the near future, but at first they 

will not meet all the requirements. 

Political decisions as well as the work 

of organizations such as ERTICO – ITS 

Europe can support the operators in 

introducing these services. What I 

can say for certain is that behind the 

scenes there is feverish activity aimed 

at implementing multimodal European 

mobility services – and this 

includes not only activities on the 

political level but above all among 

our member firms. 

Our analytical tour around the world 

has yet to look at the emerging economies: 

What are the challenges 

they are currently facing in the field 

of interurban transport? 

This is where there’s quite a wide 

divergence at present. Technologically 

highly developed countries like 

Korea and Taiwan are currently making 

enormous progress in their ITS 


“ The cost aspect 

argues quite 

clearly in favor 

of intelligent 

transport 

technology” 

solutions. Many African regions 

have only just started their activities 

in this respect, but there too the 

number of projects is going to rise 

rapidly. And the Arab countries are 

very interested in implementing 

ITS solutions. 

Casting your eye around the world, 

could you pick out a handful of 

countries with high-performance 

solutions that would make them 

suitable benchmarks in terms of 

interurban transport? 

If you take the two main criteria, 

namely a multimodal approach and 

the efficiency of freight transport 

on the so-called last mile, which 

represents the interface between 

interurban and urban transport, 

then Korea springs to mind, as do 

a number of European countries. 

There are some concepts in Sweden 

and Austria that I find highly promising, 

and also in the Netherlands, 

a country that has to integrate an 

additional mode of transport into 

the overall system, namely their 

waterways. 

9


ERTICO – ITS Europe: 

The network for transport intelligence 

ERTICO – ITS Europe represents the interests and expertise of around 100 

partners involved in providing Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS). 

The Brussels-based organization facilitates safe, secure, clean, efficient and 

comfortable mobility for people and goods in Europe through the widespread 

deployment of ITS. ERTICO offers its partners a unique networking platform for 

international collaborative research and development, where innovative ideas 

are transformed into tangible results. Close to the heart of European decision 

making, ERTICO is excellently positioned to inform and advise politicians on all 

ITS-related matters. By hosting thematic events such as the ITS World Congress 

organized in collaboration with ITS America and ITS Japan, the network promotes 

existing and future innovative ITS concepts to the press and the larger public. 

10

And at the other end of the quality 

scale, what is the outlook – which 

regions have the most catching up 

to do in your view? 

In this case, the task of juror is an 

even more thankless one, of course. 

That is why I would prefer to rely on 

assessments that are acknowledged 

by most international transport scientists. 

They suggest that in a comparison 

between continents, Africa 

has the most to do followed by America 

– and not only the emerging 

countries of the south but also the 

United States, where the public purse 

has less and less money available to 

implement intelligent solutions in 

transport technology. And this even 

though in the field of interurban traffic 

too, the cost aspect is one of the 

most powerful arguments in favor of 

modern ITS systems … 

“ Collaborative 

systems and optimized 

sensors 

are revolutionizing 

mobility” 

… because sooner or later the physical 

expansion of the long-distance 

networks eventually comes up 

against spatial or financial limits? 

That’s it. It explains why, in future, 

we have to communicate the message 

much more clearly than we have 

done so far, that intelligent transport 

technology makes it possible to use 

the existing infrastructure in a safer 

and more efficient way while taking 

more care of the environment at the 

same time. Only when these technological 

options have been exhausted 

should we start to think about expansions, 

which are by their nature more 

elaborate and cost-intensive. 

In other words: Intelligent transport 

technology saves cash? 

That is exactly the message, and we do 

have the concrete numbers to support it. 

And these are? 

Recently we put that question to renowned 

experts throughout Europe. 

The results speak plainly. On average 

the specialists rated the potential of 

ITS systems at 30 percent in the field 

of safety, measured on the basis of 

the numbers of persons killed or seriously 

injured in traffic accidents. The 

optimization effect on traffic flow 

and the expected reductions in congestion 

were rated at some 15 percent, 

and energy efficiency could 

be boosted by 20 percent using ITS 

technologies. All these estimates are 

based on the assumption that the 

players involved will invest systematically 

in innovative technologies over 

the next ten years. 

And if we look a further ten years 

ahead? 

By 2030 we expect to have a whole 

range of novel systems available that 

will lead to a further significant reduction 

in accidents, congestion and 

emissions. Just think for one moment 

about autonomous driving, for instance. 

The large-scale use of this 

technology is certain to start in the 

interurban field because the control 

tasks are far less complex there than 

they are in urban traffic. The early 

experiences gathered in so-called 

platooning of HGVs, which involves 

electronically-linked driving in convoys, 

are quite encouraging. And 

the further development of collaborative 

systems is also proceeding at a 

breathtaking pace. In 20 years’ time 

it will be normal for vehicles, road 

users, freight and infrastructure to 

communicate with each other in real 

time. This offers enormous improvement 

potential in terms of safety, 

traffic flow and energy efficiency. 

I would even go so far as to say that 

together with further optimization 

of sensor technology, this could revolutionize 

mobility. At some point we 

have to take care to avoid overtaxing 

the attention of motorists with a 


“ Electromobility is placing new 

demands on intermodality” 

bombardment of information from 

onboard displays and variable message 

signs. 

Let’s return to the present now and 

to the series of new congestion records 

like the stop-and-go spectacular 

in and around Beijing that lasted 

nearly two weeks in the summer of 

2010, or the 765-kilometer metal 

snake that crawled along the French 

autoroutes in August 2012. Are 

there innovative technologies available 

today that could already be 

preventing similar scenarios? 

Yes of course they could, but only if 

there is continuous investment in ITS 

systems. Then the infrastructure is 

able to recognize delays promptly and 

can propose favorable alternative 

routes to road users. In addition there 

are systems available that use up-todate 

information about hazardous 

conditions to prevent accidents and 

hence counteract the emergence of 

further congestion. All of which helps 

at the same time to increase energy 

efficiency and reduce emissions. An 

even greater effect can be achieved if 

the traffic management system is not 

limited to a single mode of mobility 

but attempts to organize demand 

more efficiently and to distribute it 

over a number of different modes. 

Even in the field of mobility financing, 

modern transport technology 

keeps opening up new options. 

What is your forecast for the future 

roll-out of satellite-supported highway 

toll systems? 

If possible, an institution like ERTICO 

should keep out of predominantly 

political discussions such as those 

concerning the implementation of 

toll systems. But I can say one thing: 

It is critically important for Europe 

that the member states come together 

and introduce on a unified system. 

It is deplorable that currently the 

HGV toll landscape is not uniform, 

but made up of diverging systems. 

11


12 

Among other things, ERTICO – ITS 

Europe offers a platform for research 

and development in the field 

of intelligent transport technology. 

What are the topics that have kept 

your members most busy recently, 

and what are the priorities that are 

looming for the near future? 

In the recent past it was mostly about 

co-modal approaches, holistic traffic 

guidance and information systems 

and the development of Car2X communication. 

While all of these will 

“We are making a further major step 

towards our ideal of Zero Accidents” 

Biography 

remain key topics, they will be joined 

by a whole series of new priorities. 

Automation of vehicles, integration 

of user-friendly services and permanent 

optimizations in the field of 

traffic management are just a few examples. 

And ITS solutions for vehicles 

with alternative drive systems, especially 

in the field of electromobility, 

will come more sharply into focus. 

Hermann Meyer is the CEO of ERTICO – ITS Europe, co-chair 

of the board of directors of the ITS World Congress, vicechair 

of the iMobility Forum and a member of the coordination 

committee of the Network of National ITS Associations. 

Prior to joining ERTICO, Mr. Meyer represented the interests 

of the Volkswagen Group in the EU institutions as Head of 

the Government Relations Office. He joined Volkswagen 

in 1995 serving as manager in the Sustainability Strategy 

Department and as Head of the Technology and Science 

Department in the Government Relations Office in Bonn and 

Berlin. He was seconded in 1996/1997 to the German Federal 

Ministry of Transport and from 2003 to 2006 to the European 

Car Manufacturing Association (ACEA). In addition, 

Mr. Meyer headed the Vehicle Working Group of the Sustainable 

Mobility 2030 Initiative of the World Business Council 

for Sustainable Development from 2001 to 2003. 

In particular for a transitional period 

while there are still limits to batteryonly 

range, drivers need a wide variety 

of information to answer essential 

questions such as: Where is the 

nearest charging station? Will I make 

it that far under the current traffic 

conditions? How is the topography 

affecting my vehicle’s energy consumption? 

Besides this, electromobility 

is placing new demands on intermodality. 

Car-sharing offers will also 

gain far more in significance. 

For a long time now you have been 

working with international partner 

organizations such as ITS America, 

ITS Japan and ITS Russia. What exactly 

are you expecting from these 

collaborations? 

With ITS America and ITS Japan we 

have discussed in depth the themes for 

the ITS World Congress in Vienna for 

example. Besides this our shared agenda 

includes objectives such as harmonization 

in the introduction of collaborative 

systems. Our work with ITS Russia 

chiefly concerns the implementation of 

the eCall emergency system.

Many experts regard intensified 

collaboration as the key to raising 

transport efficiency in general. 

What they have in mind in this context, 

is not only collaboration between 

individual regions and 

between politics and business, 

but also between road and rail and 

between systems within vehicles 

and the external infrastructure. 

Are the players involved in all these 

fields truly prepared for that? 

I firmly believe that the majority of the 

authorities understood long ago how 

important it is to have as holistic a 

view as possible in all matters of mobility 

– and a holistic approach to solving 

them. However, I rate a highly precise 

agreement on the content and goals 

of the collaboration as being at least 

as important as the basic will to cooperate. 

Otherwise there is a risk that 

the collaboration goes no further than 

mere lip service – or that the common 

cause is abandoned somewhere along 

the way because one partner realizes 

that he does not want to surrender a 

competitive advantage. Cooperation 

doesn’t just happen, you have to work 

hard to achieve it. 

As the CEO of ERTICO – ITS Europe 

you need to be well attuned to what 

is technologically and politically feasible. 

In your eyes, what advances in 

the field of interurban transport are 

realistic within the next 20 years? 

The first thing that springs to mind 

is the vision that I share with EU 

Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas: 

I believe that quite soon it will be 

possible to book and pay for intermodal 

trips throughout Europe with a 

smartphone or via the internet with 

just a few clicks of the mouse. Next, 

I am convinced that we will make a 

further major step towards our ideal 

of “Zero Accidents.” And because all 

good things come in threes, I also 

believe that in future, our perception 

of the road user will become more 

like that of a customer, for whom we 

must develop appropriate customeroriented 

solutions. But these goals 

can only be reached if all stakeholders 

cooperate closely. 

Mr. Meyer, thank you very much for 

talking to us. 

In the side-view mirror 


From A to B – really? 

People drive from A to B to get there. But do they? 

When cudgels were still the weapon of choice, our ancestors had 

many a good reason to head out for new places. Maybe they were 

looking for mammoth-rich plains or a wealthy neighboring village 

to raid - or a way to sack ancient Rome. Today all these motives have 

lost their validity, but the number of interurban trips is constantly on 

the rise all the same. 

This has led some researchers to suggest that our urge to move 

about is deeply anchored in our subconscious mind. Today’s automobile 

human, says the theory, is still driven by primeval love of adventure 

and curiosity for the unknown. At home there are hardly any 

worthwhile challenges left, so we travel from A to B in search of new 

impressions and things. 

Unfortunately though, our cities are more and more alike. So it’s 

kind of hard to find something in B that we wouldn’t already have seen in 

A. Squares, streets and pedestrian zones feature the same kind of fire- 

eaters and flutists and are lined with an undistinguishable series of mobile 

phone shops, dime stores and uniform coffee bars, the department 

stores in B look perfectly identical to those in A. An early-morning look 

out of the hotel window may unsettle unsuspecting guests with the 

question: Is this really Bielefeld, or am I still in Augsburg? 

The question is justified since Achim Held, computer science student 

in Kiel, developed his “Bielefeld Theory” in 1994. From his frequent encounters 

with the casual remark “You are from Bielefeld? That’s unbelievable!” 

he concluded that in reality Bielefeld doesn’t exist. 

A mere conspiracy theory? Maybe, maybe not … After all, when 

Google Earth went online, there were only empty areas of green pixels 

where Bielefeld should have been. It took Google close to six weeks 

to set things right and mount the image of the city into the green 

expanses. This would suggest that even confident visitors of Bielefeld 

cannot be absolutely certain that they were actually there. 

This leads to the suspicion that maybe already the trip from A to B 

could be part of a plot concocted by a secret department in the Transport 

Ministry, which sends us through labyrinthine motorway interchanges and 

confusing roundabouts to disorient us and fool us into believing that we 

really have gone on an interesting trip from A to B - just to keep us 

amused. If this is so, we have only one choice: Forget about B and 

travel from A directly to C. 

13


14 

No faster 

country?


System solutions for trunk roads Even with constantly growing traffic 

volumes, many regions neither have enough money nor space 

to expand the road network. Should motorists simply accept that the 

traffic jam reports on the radio are going to last longer and longer? 

Not necessarily. With the support of intelligent technology, long distance 

transport is becoming faster, safer and more environmentally 

friendly, even without expensive construction projects. 

Wherever the talk is of imminent 

gridlock, conurbations in particular 

are on the list of usual suspects. This 

is no wonder, given the worldwide 

trends of urbanization, the uncontrolled 

population growth of the 

megacities in developing countries – 

and horror stories such as those coming 

out of China, where for almost 

two weeks in the summer of 2010, 

traffic on the roads in and around 

Beijing made hardly any progress at 

all. But it was not long before this 

mega-jam started to appear relative: 

In August this year, a metal snake 

of a length of up to 765 kilometers 

crawled over the French motorway 

system towards the Mediterranean – 

spectacular proof that a lot of time 

and money is being wasted not only 

in cities, but also on motorways and 

highways. 

Both types of congestion are proving 

costly in developed countries 

around the world. Experts estimate 

that the costs incurred as a result of 

congested roads total around US$810 

billion. It hardly makes sense to calculate 

the respective contributions of 

urban and inter-urban transport to 

these costs, because ultimately everything 

is connected to everything 

else anyway, as ERTICO chief Hermann 

Meyer explains in an interview with 

ITS magazine (see page 8): “Today, 

many of the problems that we are 

facing within the city limits have 

their origins outside. The source of 

congestion in the city is inadequate 

traffic management outside the city 

gates.” What the interview with the 

CEO of the European ITS network 

also makes clear is that the deployment 

of intelligent traffic management 

can help increase road capacity 

without heavy investments in new 

sections of road or additional lanes – 

investments that the public sector 

can hardly afford anymore anyway. 

There are now quite a large number 

of impressive examples for such intelligent 

systems. 

Shortly after the commissioning 

of the traffic control system in Tyrol, 

the experts at Asfinag Verkehrstelematik 

GmbH recorded up to 40 

percent fewer accidents and up to 

20 percent less time spent in traffic 

queues. According to the operator, 

the additional capacity of the networked 

motorways and long-distance 

highways corresponds fairly closely 

to the equivalent of an extra lane. 

Similarly impressive are the effects of 

the traffic information and guidance 

system on the German A9 motorway. 

There, the number of accidents fell 

by 35 percent, while the number of 

injured was down 31 percent. And 

the environment is one of the win- 

ners too: Because less traffic congestion 

means reduced fuel consumption 

and less pollutant emissions. 

In flowing traffic, fuel consumption 

drops by up to 20 percent, nitrogen 

oxide emissions fall by 50 percent 

and carbon monoxide emissions by 

up to 33 percent compared to stopand-go 

scenarios. The many faces 

There are impressive examples of 

what modern transportation technology 

can achieve 

of the intelligent solutions for trunk 

roads are as varied as the traffic situations 

themselves. They range from 

motorway control systems and traffic 

management and information centers 

to dynamic traffic management 

with route recommendations, from 

network control to automatic incident 

detection and alarm systems. If 

the roads are underground, modular 

tunnel control centers and automatic 

incident detection systems as well as 

optimal lighting, ventilation and effective 

incident management all contribute 

to enhanced transport safety. 

For waterways as well, there are efficient 

solutions and equipment such 

as automation systems for locks and 

bridges, control and monitoring centers 

or electro-acoustic equipment. 

Every traffic control system project 

starts with the assessment of basic 

15


16 

Outstation with vari able 

message sign gantry: 

long-proven technology, 

which in some countries 

has become the relevant 

norm 

data such as traffic density and speed, 

or air and weather parameters. For 

all of these tasks there are modern 

sensors and detectors based on different 

technologies: video detectors 

with infrared technology and residual 

light amplification, high-resolution 

cameras to record traffic data, lane 

monitoring detectors, or weather 

sensors for fog, rain, visibility, black 

ice and wind speed. Sitraffic outstations 

convert the information thus 

generated into control pulses for 

With Sitraffic systems, an emergency 

lane or hard shoulder can 

now be used as additional driving 

lane as soon a certain traffic volume 

level has been reached. Of course, 

especially for safety reasons, a reliable 

flow of information between 

detectors, control centers and dynamic 

signs on the section of road 

is crucial for this measure, which, in 

practice, has proven to be an effective 

and inexpensive remedy for the 

usual morning and evening traffic 

Numerous special tools boost the 

effects of traffic management 

variable message signs. In all areas, 

Sitraffic uses long-proven technology 

that meets current standards such as 

TLS and in some countries has even 

become the relevant norm. 

The safety routines applied by 

these outstations go far beyond 

what is required by the applicable 

technical standards. They monitor 

not only all active lamps or LED 

chains, but also those units that are 

switched off. This ensures the availability 

of components that, though 

rarely used, are all the more important 

for the safety of road users. 

jams in and around cities. In Holland, 

the concept is known as “rush hourlane,” 

while in Bavaria, where it is already 

in use on the A8, A9, A73 and 

A99 motorways, people call it “temporary 

opening of hard shoulders.” 

A very effective tool to improve 

both capacity and speed levels is the 

situation-related ramp metering on 

motorway access ramps. As shown 

by measurements on a solution implemented 

in the Limmat valley in 

Switzerland, ramp metering can raise 

traffic speeds on the main lane by 

up to 25 percent and demonstrably 

increase road capacity. The fully 

integrated motorway management 

system in Switzerland is successful 

because it takes into account the 

overall traffic situation on the motorway 

network and a number of successive 

access ramps. 

Direct travel time measurement is 

also making an important contribution 

to the successful traffic management 

of the future because it provides 

a significantly more accurate 

assessment of the traffic situation 

than the existing systems. The new 

tool also addresses the fundamental 

question of intermodal transport: “At 

this moment, on a particular route, 

what is the fastest way to travel – by 

car or by public transport?” The recorded 

data can be fed directly into 

the traffic control and management 

center as the basis for a constantly 

updated comparison of current travel 

times. The results can then be passed 

on to road users, for example via dynamic 

information panels. 

One of the most effective special 

systems is the Sitraffic Stella module 

for local incident detection that warns 

motorists of dangers they may encounter 

on their route. The system 

can be installed either as a single 

autonomous system, or as part of an 

overall system that centrally collects

Intelligent traffic engineering can even help in 

financing infrastructure projects 

all available information. When constructing 

a detection network, even 

greater flexibility is possible by adding 

an outstation for example. 

In general, the key to greater efficiency 

in networking all the implemented 

traffic control devices is the 

use of fully coordinated, seamless 

systems. This is why Sitraffic has 

been modularly designed so that 

individual components such as motorway 

control centers, tunnels and 

waterways can be integrated under 

one roof, which can then be expanded 

step by step. And, of course, the 

standardized interfaces make it easy 

to integrate external systems, at any 

time and in any area. 

Alongside faster, safer and more 

environmentally friendly traffic 

on trunk roads, tight budgets have 

brought yet another issue to the center 

of attention of those in charge: the 

financing of infrastructure. Modern 

traffic technology can help here too, 

for instance with a wide range of effective 

toll solutions that offers the 

right system for any charging model 

the politicians want – for example: 

• Single lane tolling: The transparent 

use of barriers is all about lean 

processes linked up efficiently to 

the operator’s proven IT systems. 

• Automatic Number Plate Recognition 

using video technology: 

Reliable systems with a recognition 

rate of 99 percent make it 

possible to rapidly filter vehicles 

driving on special video lanes. 

• Manual toll booths: With success 

stories in the Austrian Alps, Portugal 

and Norway, these solutions 

impress with their ability to provide 

complete documentation and 

incorporate a variety of different 

payment methods. 

• Electronic toll collection systems: 

These are the trend-setting solutions 

that are in increasing use 

across the world – especially in 

conjunction with satellite technology 

(see also page 18). 

• Open Road Tolling: No barriers, 

no toll booths – these systems, 

which are particularly suited to 

toll charging in extensive road 

networks, mostly use satellite 

technology. 


A pilot project in Israel is demonstrating 

how modern know-how is 

now even able to dynamically adapt 

road use charges: Last year, on Highway 

No. 1 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, 

a system was installed that determines 

the current toll level on a “reserved 

lane” on the basis of the current 

traffic volume. And the first 

results confirm the thesis of many 

traffic scientists, that the application 

of market principles to traffic can enhance 

mobility: Calculated according 

to the laws of supply and demand, 

the variable fees charged for the use 

of the so-called Fast Lane do really 

manage to keep the traffic flowing 

and prevent congestion systematically 

– in the true sense of the word. 

17


18 

Driving 

by numbers 

Interurban toll schemes Implementing true-cost pricing, reducing 

congestion, minimizing environmental impact – there are 

a number of valid reasons for applying the user-pays principle 

to private mobility. A whole range of different schemes are 

currently in use around the world. The most promising in economic 

terms seem to be innovative satellite-based toll systems. 

One may not suspect it right away, 

but the problem has been around for 

a full 1,000 years already – as has the 

solution, by the way. As far back in 

European history as the 11 th century, 

road financing already used to be a 

major headache. Up to that period, the 

time-honored institution of corvée – 

“ User financing could achieve 

far greater stability” 

subjects owed a certain number of 

days of forced labor to their lord or 

the state – had been seen as the 

means of choice in road maintenance. 

But then somebody came up with an 

idea that seemed a bit fairer: Charging 

road toll to all road users took 

some of the burden off the local residents’ 

shoulders. 

Today this idea is as widely discussed 

as ever, though under a different 

name: “Road pricing” is the 

tool that most international transport 

scientists consider as the only suitable 

option when it comes to financing 

the construction and upkeep of 

traffic infrastructure in times of tight 

public budgets. With tax money 

alone – which is something like the 

present-day equivalent to the corvée 

– the authorities would have a hard 

time meeting the ever increasing demand 

for personal mobility in most 

of the world’s regions. 

As Professor Dr. Werner Rothengatter 

from Karlsruhe University 

explained in an interview with ITS 

magazine, compared to tax financed 

infrastructure, user financing offers 

several advantages beyond merely a 

way out of acute financial straits. “Another 

aspect is much more important,” 

says the former chairman of the World 

Conference on Transport Research: 

“Over 60 percent of total investments 

in the transport infrastructure flow 

into network maintenance – and this 

repair and upkeep work should on no

Global overview: Regions with/without passenger car toll on motorways 

Distance-based 

toll 

Special toll 

sections 

account depend on the short-term 

budgetary situation. Although individual 

states of Germany still seem 

to look upon this differently: User 

financing could achieve far greater 

stability on the income side.” 

At the same time, modern toll 

schemes make it possible to introduce 

market-based mechanisms that help 

balance demand and supply in the 

area of mobility, which in turn reduces 

congestion as well as the impact 

of traffic on the environment. 

In this context, experts highlight 

not only the new options in traffic 

management, but also the possibility 

to “internalize the external costs of 

transport,” which means that the 

consequential cost of transport, for 

instance the costs caused by accidents, 

climate change and land use, 

are to be charged directly to the users. 

On the way to this so-called “truecost 

pricing,” various toll schemes 

have been implemented in nearly all 

corners of the globe. For most of 

Mandatory toll 

sticker 

Mandatory toll 

sticker and special 

toll sections 

these schemes, the financial means 

generated have been earmarked explicitly 

for specific uses: In Switzerland, 

for example, two thirds of the 

toll revenue are used to finance major 

public transport projects, one third 

goes into building and repairing 

roads. In Slovakia, the road usage 

fees pay for the national network of 

motorways, expressways and highways, 

while in Turkey the toll money 

goes into the maintenance of the 

country’s bridges. Similar arrangements 

have been made in Hungary, 

Bulgaria and the United Kingdom 

as well as in numerous countries outside 

of Europe, such as Canada, Mexico, 

South Africa and South Korea. Even 

emerging economies such as Namibia 

have explicitly specified the use of 

their toll revenues and are investing 

around 70 percent in optimizing the 

existing transport infrastructure. 

A look at the different toll schemes 

implemented around the world reveals 

a considerably higher variability, 

No passenger car 

toll on motorways 


Not specified 

with toll systems ranging from triedand-tested 

toll booths and automated 

systems based on special user 

cards right through to fully electronic 

and thus unbeatably cost-efficient 

systems. The highest degree of flexibility 

by far is undoubtedly provided 

by satellite-based toll systems, which 

in combination with a mobile communication 

system allow road pricing 

without elaborate and expensive 

stationary road-side infrastructure. 

This flexibility is impressively 

demonstrated by the world’s most 

modern toll system, which was installed 

in Slovakia in early 2010. The 

system is called SkyToll and needs 

neither expensive detection stations 

nor a tightly spaced cordon of video 

cameras, nor endless miles of cable. 

The reason: When the position of 

the individual vehicles is determined 

with the help of a global satellite 

navigation system (GNSS), any road 

or street on earth can be included 

in a road pricing system without any 

19


local infrastructure installation. The 

only components needed are suitable 

on-board units (OBU) for installation 

in the vehicles, connection 

to the global mobile communication 

system (GSM) and a back-office that 

will handle fee calculation and charging. 

If the operators desire to expand 

the network of tolled roads at 

a later point of time, a simple modification 

of the geo-reference model 

is all they need for adding the new 

route sections. 

Already today, the Global Positioning 

System (GPS) allows precise monitoring 

of all roads - even metropolitan 

street canyons - and 99-percent reliable 

identification of vehicles without 

any local devices. And with the start 

of the even more powerful European 

20 

satellite navigation system GALILEO, 

the efficiency and precision values are 

bound to reach even higher levels. The 

mobile tolling system could even be 

used across different countries. The 

only additional condition would be 

the storage of the data for neighboring 

countries in the OBU or the central 

computer system. 

Currently the European Union is 

working on the establishment of a 

so-called EETS (European Electronic 

Tolling Service) provider model in or- 

Other countries, other schemes: Basic parameters of toll systems around the world 

Country Scheme(s) Type(s) of roads Details 

Argentina • Manual 

• Electronic 

Australia • Manual 


Austria • Toll sticker 


• Motorways 

• National highways 

• Motorways 

• Bridges 

• Tunnels 

• Motorways 

• Expressways 

• Private roads 

• Tunnels 

Benelux • Eurovignette • Motorways 


Brazil • Manual 


• Motorways 

• Federal highways 

der to ensure cross-border interoperability. 

Similar to international mobile 

communications, where roaming 

fees incurred by the users during a 

stay abroad have to be settled between 

the different network providers, 

the EETS provider would have to 

collect the toll fees and then distribute 

them to the national tolling systems 

involved. The problems that 

remain to be solved are, as is often 

the case, of an organizational rather 

than of a technical nature. 

• Toll charged on the major intercity roads linking the country’s main 

economic centers 

• Toll charged predominantly on roads in the agglomerations of Sydney, 

Brisbane and Melbourne 

• For certain road sections, an additional toll fee is collected 

• Section-based truck toll for vehicles with a permissible gross weight 

of more than 3.5 t 

• Toll applies to all trucks of a permissible gross weight (incl. trailer) of 12 t 

or above 

• Tolled roads include all motorways and certain national highways 

• Toll scheme covers nearly all 1 st class roads, applies usually also 

to motorbikes 

• Toll fees vary considerably 

Bulgaria • Toll sticker • National highways • All motorized vehicles are subject to the toll 

Chile • Manual 


Czech 

Republic 

• Toll sticker 


• Motorways 


• Motorways 


Denmark • Eurovignette • Motorways 


France • Manual 

• Télépéage 

• Motorways 


• Bridges 

• Tunnels 

Efficiency and flexibility are the 

special strengths of satellite-based 

toll systems 

• On weekends the toll fees are in part twice as high as on weekdays 

• Toll sticker mandatory for all motorized vehicles up to a weight of 3.5 t, 

except motorbikes and “trikes” 

• Since 2007 distance-based toll for vehicles of a gross weight above 12 t, 

on motorways and expressways; in 2010 the toll scheme was extended to 

cover all vehicles of more than 3.5 t 

• Toll applies to all trucks of a permissible gross weight (incl. trailer) 

of 12 t or above 


• Tolled sections include nearly all motorways, certain expressways as well as 

some bridges and tunnels 

• The average motorway toll fee for a passenger car amounts to €0.07 per km 

• Subscription rates available for frequent road users

Country Scheme(s) Type(s) of roads Details 

Germany • Electronic, 

satellite-based 

Hungary • Electronic 

“toll sticker” 

• Motorways 


• Motorways 


• Main national roads 

Israel • Dynamic • Motorway No. 1 

Jerusalem – Tel 

Aviv 

Italy • Manual 

• Telepass 

• VIAcard 

Japan • Manual 


Norway • Manual 

• Automated 

Poland • Manual 


Portugal • Manual 


Slovakia • Toll sticker 

• Electronic, 


Slovenia • Toll sticker 

• Electronic, 


Spain • Manual 

• Automated 





• Electronic monitoring based on registered number plates 

• Tolled “fast lane” 

• The toll rate varies with the current traffic density on the entire motorway 

and on the fast lane itself 

• Motorways • Tolled roads include most motorways 

• For the traveler the system is rather intransparent because different 

sections are managed by different operators 

• Motorways 

• Bridges and tunnels 

• Private roads 

• Tunnels 

• Bridges 

• Motorways 



• Motorways 

• Major bridges 

• Motorways 


• Motorways 


• Access roads 

• Rest areas 

Sweden • Eurovignette • Motorways 


Switzerland • Toll sticker 


Thailand • Manual 

• Toll badge 

• Relatively high toll fees: up to the equivalent of €80 for major bridges 

• Toll roads include mainly motorways in urban areas 

• No general toll on public roads 

• Toll schemes apply mainly to new or rebuilt road sections as well as to certain 

bridges and tunnels during the amortization period of the investment 

• On the main sections of the A1, A2 and A4 motorways, the toll applies to 

passenger cars and trucks, and on the A6, A8 and A18 motorways as well 

as on expressways and selected national highway sections to trucks only 

• As of May 20, 2012, the toll scheme was extended to the new section of the 

A2 motorway from the German border near Frankfurt/Oder to Nowy Tomysl 

• Distance-based toll on the majority of motorways and many major bridges 

• The electronic “Via Verde“ charging system was implemented in 1991 

• On January 1, 2010, the world’s most modern satellite-based toll system 

went online in Slovakia. The toll scheme covers 500 km of motorway and 

1,900 km of 2 nd class roads and can be extended at any time during ongoing 

operation 

• Toll sticker for vehicles of a permissible gross weight below 3.5 t, 

electronic toll for all heavier vehicles 

• Introduction of the satellite-based toll system in 2010 

• Motorways • On certain roads, fixed fees apply, independent of the distance driven 

• Tolls are levied mainly on the privately built and operated “autopistas,” 

the use of the publicly operated “autovias” is free of charge 

• Motorways 

(for passenger cars) 

• Entire road network 

(for trucks) 

Turkey • Automated • Motorways 

• Bridges 

United 

Kingdom 

• Toll sticker 

• Registered 

number plates 

USA • Manual 





• National road tax for the use of motorways and roads with green and white 

signposting 

• Electronic, performance-related heavy-vehicle fee since 2001 

• Motorways • Motorbikes and special vehicles are not allowed on motorways 

• M6 motorway 

• Bridges 

• Tunnels 

• Trunk roads 

• Bridges 

• Tunnels 

• Toll scheme covers six motorways and the two bridges across the Bosporus 

• Currently two different automated systems are used: OGS identifies the user 

per RFID; with KGS, the user needs to swipe a special card 

• The two existing systems are soon to be replaced by a so-called Fast Pass 

System 

• Payment in advance 

• Fees vary according to time of day, day of the week and vehicle type 

• No uniform system 

• Tolled roads include mainly the privately financed tollways and turnpikes as 

well as certain bridges and tunnels 

21


Avoidance 

strategists 

Spitsvrij – a pilot project Try rewards 

instead of fines: Educators have long 

known how to use the power of positive 

reinforcement to induce behavioral 

changes. In the Netherlands this 

pedagogic tool is the principle behind a 

recently introduced kind of “anti-toll” – 

instead of having to pay for the use of 

overcrowded motorways, commuters 

earn money by avoiding rush-hour traffic. 

Spitsvrij principal Dr. Aart Kees Evers 

and project manager Jan-Pieter van 

Schaik highlight the pilot project’s 

promising mid-term results in terms 

of traffic avoidance. 

22 

The main roads in the triangle 

Utrecht-Amersfoort-Hilversum range 

among the Top 10 in Holland’s traffic 

jam statistics. And in this economically 

thriving region, the pressure of traffic 

is expected to increase further. This 

is why businesses and government 

organizations have joined forces to 

improve the flow of traffic in the 

area. Besides infrastructure projects, 

this objective requires additional 

measures, especially those that will 

lead to a more efficient utilization of 

the existing roads. The pilot project 

Spitsvrij (i.e. “rush hour free”) applies 

an innovative strategy to encourage 

a change in the mobility behavior of 

people who frequently use the roads 

during rush hours. 

The target group of Spitsvrij are 

drivers who, prior to the start of the 

experiment, were identified more 

than 5 times per week during the 

morning rush hour from 6:30 and 

9:30 a.m. and/or the evening rush 

hour from 3:30 to 6:60 p.m. on the 

congested A2, A27 and A28 motorways. 

Participation is limited to a 

maximum of 5,000 drivers, corresponding 

to nearly 9 percent of all 

frequent car commuters in the area. 

By the way, the maximum number 

of participants was reached after 

only two months. The participants 

receive a monthly starting balance 

between €60 and €120, depending 

on the distance of their commute. 

Every time that a participant’s vehi-

cle is detected driving in rush-hour 

traffic on the roads covered by the 

project, a certain amount is deducted 

from this balance. The driver can 

keep whatever amount remains at 

the end of the month. Up to now 

the average reward was a little more 

than €30 per participant and 

month. 

To record the trips within the test 

area, the participants’ vehicles are 

equipped with a so-called S-box, a 

GPS transmitter that is supposed to 

fulfill the roles of both referee and 

coach for the participants: Via a 

personal portal on the project’s 

website, each test person can access 

regular and transparent feedback 

on their individual driving and 

travel behavior on the basis of the 

information collected by the S-box. 

After all, that’s the deeper purpose 

of the exercise: Spitsvrij wants to inspire 

the commuters to rethink their 

mobility habits – and eventually 

change them. 

This is quite a challenge though, 

as not only educators know, because 

habits are generally very persistent 

and correspondingly difficult to modify. 

All the more pleasing are the midterm 

results announced for Spitsvrij. 

The traffic burden on the motorways 

in the test area has been reduced by 

3,000 vehicles per day. The participants 

tend to avoid rush hour traffic 

in particular on the busiest days of 

the week, doing exactly what Spitsvrij 

Spitsvrij meets 

all expectations: 

The infrastructure 

is used more 

efficiently 

aims to achieve, i.e. spreading traffic 

over time so as to utilize the existing 

infrastructure more efficiently. 

But of course, the participants 

themselves benefit from the positive 

effects too. A survey shows that 

they are less often stuck in traffic 

jams and save time. What is more, 

they appreciate the new flexibility 

in organizing their work days. For 

90 percent of the drivers registered 

for Spitsvrij, their involvement in 

the project was the first time that 

they truly thought about alternatives 

to rush hour driving such as 

travelling at other times, working 

from home, or using public transport 

or the bicycle to commute to 

work. As many as 87 percent of participants 

want to keep avoiding rush 

hour traffic even after the financial 

reward ends. However, experience 

from other projects shows that people 

can still use a helping hand in 

actually maintaining their changed 

behavior. This is why the authorities involved 

have already decided to initiate 


a two-year follow-up project for Spitsvrij, 

which will be based on a modified 

financing concept however. 

So far the financial rewards have 

been financed by the Dutch government. 

In the future, the regional businesses 

are expected to play a larger 

role, for instance by offering their 

products as rewards for traffic avoiders. 

For the companies in the test 

area, optimized accessibility is of high 

interest, as shown by the experiences 

gained so far: Without the support of 

the employers and their willingness 

to let their employees work at other 

times or at alternative locations, the 

success of the project would not have 

been possible. 

During the second half of the Spitsvrij 

project, the focus will be mainly on 

its cost-effectiveness. Research is being 

conducted into the benefits such 

as travel time savings for both participants 

and non-participants. Several 

factors suggest already today that 

Spitsvrij will prove to be cost-effective. 

The extension period, too, will 

be mostly about measurements and 

evaluation. The project is hoped to 

deliver a wealth of data in answer of 

central questions, for instance as to 

what conditions are necessary for frequent 

car commuters to change their 

behavior, what effects these changes 

have on the road, and what is the 

best tool to measure and monitor all 

that: the camera, the S-box, or maybe 

the smartphone? 

23

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Trends & Events 

Intelligence for the future 

Technical discussions: At the 19 th ITS World Congress in Vienna, the focus was on GPS tolling, 

collaborative signal systems, intermodal eTicketing and other interesting topics 

Vienna “Smarter on the way” was 

the slogan for this year’s ITS World 

Congress on October 22 to 26. Just 

how important this global exhibition 

of intelligent transport systems is for 

the sector was illustrated by the fact 

that as many of 13 sitting transport 

ministers and many other high-ranking 

officials from all over the world 

met in Vienna on the first day of the 

event to discuss the preconditions 

for the successful implementation 

of intelligent transport systems. 

The round-table meeting was 

hosted by Doris Bures, Austria’s 

Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation 

and Technology. She left no 

doubt that she regards ITS systems 

as an integrating element: “ITS helps 

to combine all means of transport in 

Sustainable partnership: Lord Mayor Boris 

Johnson (left) and Siemens CEO Peter Löscher 

24 

a seamless way to make the best of a 

traffic system and therefore holds the 

key to multimodality.” The statement 

of her Czech counterpart Pavel Dobes 

was at least as clear-cut: “Intelligent 

transport systems are in principle the 

only solution for managing increasing 

traffic demands in the future.” 

At the 19 th ITS World Congress, 

more than 300 exhibitors presented 

the latest in traffic technologies on a 

total of 20,000 square meters of exhibition 

space. The congress program 

covered around 230 plenary sessions, 

meetings and workshops about different 

questions such as: How to 

optimally meet the demands for reliability, 

safety, convenience and efficiency 

in transport? What intelligent 

ways are there to accommodate rising 

London On September 19, 2012, 

with a unique video light show projected 

onto its reflecting façade, 

“The Crystal” – the new center for 

sustainable urban development – 

opened its doors in Britain’s capital 

(see also pages 28 and 30). At the 

ceremony, both London Mayor Boris 

Johnson and Siemens CEO Peter 

Löscher highlighted the special significance 

that this multi-functional building 

will have for the development of 

the cities of the future. Immediately 

following the grand opening, “The 

Crystal” already hosted two confer- 

traffic volumes when the transport 

networks have reached the limits of 

their expandability? How can we 

harness mobile communication and 

Internet technologies for intelligent 

transport systems? 

In parallel to the exhibition and the 

discussion rounds in the conference 

rooms, visitors could attend demonstrations 

of innovative mobility 

solutions for cooperative mobility, 

electric mobility, navigation & sensor 

systems, network operations 

and public transport on the outdoor 

grounds. In addition, the field trip 

program provided the more than 

10,000 conference attendees with 

opportunities to visit selected infrastructure 

facilities and study the 

practical application of technical 

systems. 

In the center of interest in Vienna 

were also and in particular the 

numerous innovations presented by 

Siemens Mobility and Logistics, not 

only at the company’s stand in Hall B, 

but also on the outdoor grounds. 

Here the focus was on topics such 

as GPS tolling, collaborative traffic 

signal systems, the first series-produced 

fully electric bus for Vienna’s 

bus lines, intermodal and integrative 

eTicketing as well as the Sitraffic 

systems Scala, Concert and Guide 

with updated and even user-friendlier 

operator interface. Visitors also 

showed much interest in the intelligent 

Application Service Providing offer, 

which allows customers to use innovative 

technologies without having 

to buy them. 

Spectacular opening of “The Crystal” 

ences. On September 20, UN-Habitat, 

the United Nations’ program for human 

settlements, welcomed municipal 

decision-makers and urban planners 

to the “Urban Planning for City 

Leaders” conference. And on September 

21, the future-oriented “Digital 

Life Design Cities” conference, sponsored 

by Hubert Burda Media, addressed 

questions relating to sustainable 

urban development and visions 

for smart cities. Since September 29, 

the architectural highlight in the historic 

Royal Victoria Docks is open to 

the general public, too.

Bronze for Soyke 

Gießen His exemplary performance 

as project manager in the scope of the 

“Maliakos Kleidi E&M Tunnel T2 & T3” 

project in Greece, earned Nils Soyke 

from Siemens the third place at the 

GPM Young Project Manager Award 

2012. The Maliakos-Kleidi transport 

corridor, which includes also several 

tunnels, is the busiest link between 

Athens and Thessaloniki. The 34-year 

old Siemens employee received the 

prize because, among other reasons, 

customers recommended him, praising 

his solution-oriented approach, 

his openness to feedback and his professional 

attitude in conflict situations. 

At the award ceremony in Lützellinden 

near Gießen, the first prize went to 

Christoph Thiel from TenneT TSO 

GmbH for his excellent project management 

during the pre-planning 

stage for several offshore wind parks 

in the German part of the North Sea. 

Award-winning young manager: Nils Soyke (r.) 

The runner-up was Marcus Horn from 

BRITA GmbH. The GPM Young Project 

Manager Award is granted to young 

talents in project management who 

have not yet reached their 35 th birthday 

at the moment that the applications 

for the award are submitted. The 

national award goes to those candidates 

who can demonstrate impressively 

that notwithstanding their early 

career stage they are able to manage 

a complex and multi-facetted project 

and lead it to sustainable success. A 

key criterion is the ability to work not 

only effectively together with internal 

stakeholders (company), but also to 

cooperate successfully with external 

stakeholders (customers). 

Power for Europe 

Partners & Projects | ITS magazine 3/2012 

VIPs are the first to try: EU commissioners Siim Kallas (3 rd on r.) and 

Günther Oettinger (2 nd on r.) 

Brussels In summer 2012, the European Commission 

had electric charging stations from Siemens 

installed close to their very headquarters. Now all 

employees of the Brussels-based EU institution 

can recharge their cars conveniently in front of the 

buildings of the Directorates for Transport and Energy. 

The installation of the charging stations is part of 

the current “Green eMotion” project, a four-year 

transnational initiative to pave the way for electric 

mobility. The 42 partners in the initiative comprising 

industrial companies and automobile manufacturers, 

energy utilities, city councils, universities 

and testing and research institutes are to input, 

exchange and expand their e-mobility-related 

knowledge and experience in selected model 

regions within Europe. 

“Electromobility will make an important contribution 

toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions,” 

said Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European 

Commission and Commissioner responsible for 

Transport at the start of the project in April 2011. 

“Green eMotion is intended to ensure the fast- 

track success of electric vehicles.” The project 

has a volume of €42 million, of which the EU 

will contribute as much as €24 million. 

25

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Know-how & Research 

Rolling phones 

The networked car While his last name 

stands for the automobile’s glorious past, 

his vision may well shape the automobile’s 

future: Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of 

Ford Motor Company and great-grandson 

of Henry Ford, sees the best chance for 

preventing a global traffic gridlock in turning 

cars into rolling smartphones, i.e. nodes 

in a gigantic network of intelligent 

inter-communication. 

Remember K.I.T.T.? The computerpowered 

intelligent car with its “lone 

ranger” driver impressively staged in 

the intro of all 88 episodes of the 

American TV series “Knight Rider,” 

which developed a global cult following 

in the mid-1980s? For many fans, 

the real star of the crime-and-action 

series was not so much David Hasselhoff 

as Michael Knight than his black 

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am able to 

think, talk and drive autonomously. 

One of the brands of automotive 

giant General Motors, Pontiac was 

discontinued when ongoing financial 

problems and restructuring efforts 

forced the mother company to focus 

on four core brands. Cars based on 

the idea behind K.I.T.T., however, 

may soon be a quite common sight 

on our streets, as advocated, of all 

people, by the top manager of GM’s 

long-standing rival. In the vision of 

the chairman of Ford Motor Company, 

intelligent vehicles are playing 

an important role. In auto-pilot 

mode, they will even be able to autonomously 

find their way to the selected 

destination. But this is only to 

be realized in the third phase of the 

scenario for the future because, after 

26 

all, Bill Ford, the great-grandson of 

Henry Ford, the father of automobile 

mass production, is a visionary thought 

leader, not a dreamer. 

His interest in the future of personal 

mobility has been fueled by 

the prognosis that the global vehicle 

population will rise to 4 billion by 

midcentury. Today, according to extrapolations 

by the experts of LMC 

Automotive, around 1.2 billion vehicles 

are traveling our roads – quite 

enough already to cause frequent 

traffic jams, especially in densely populated 

areas. The mega-congestion in 

China that lasted 11 days and made 

the headlines across the world or the 

160 kilometers of stop-and-go traffic 

that make traveling on the main arteries 

in Sao Paulo an almost daily 

ordeal are just two of many observations 

that brought Bill Ford to the 

conclusion that, “If we do nothing, 

we face the prospect of ‘global gridlock,’ 

a never-ending traffic jam that 

wastes time, energy and resources 

and even compromises the flow of 

commerce and healthcare.” 

In his eyes, the solution lies predominantly 

in the cooperation between 

different technological worlds: 

“ If we do nothing, 

we face the prospect 

of a neverending 

traffic 

jam that wastes 

time, ensergy 

and resources” 

Bill Ford 

“No one company or industry will 

be able to solve the mobility issue 

alone,” says Bill Ford and presents 

quite concrete ideas on how the inter-connection 

of the key mobility 

stakeholders could look like: “The 

telecommunications industry is critical 

in the creation of inter-disciplinary 

solutions for an inter-connected 

transportation system where cars 

are intelligent and can talk to one 

another as well as the infrastructure 

around them. Now is the time for us 

as automakers to be looking at vehi-

cles on the road the same way we 

look at smartphones, laptops and 

tablets – as pieces of a much bigger, 

richer network.” 

Ford’s blueprint for the route to 

a sustainable future where cars are 

more mobile than immobile on the 

road consists of three phases: a nearterm 

perspective for the next five 

to seven years; a mid-term perspective 

from 2017 to 2025; and a longterm 

perspective for 2025 and beyond. 

The near-term goals he defines 

include accelerated development 

projects such as vehicle-to-vehicle 

warning systems, the large-scale 

introduction of intelligent traffic 

guidance systems and a stronger 

focus on the delivery of even more 

efficient driver-assistance systems 

for parking and for driving in slowmotion 

urban traffic. 

More interaction 

could help 

reduce the risk 

of accidents 

Between 2017 and 2025, his plans 

call for the introduction of semi-autonomous 

driving technologies including 

driver-initiated “auto-pilot” 

capabilities as well as for vehicle platooning 

options in case of high traffic 

densities. Ford is also convinced 

that significantly more interaction 

between individual cars through the 

use of optimized computing power 

and sensor technology could help 

reduce the risk of accidents especially 

at intersections and enable a limited 

semi-autonomous highway driving 

experience. 

The arrival of vehicle-to-cloud and 

vehicle-to infrastructure communication, 

the thought leader with the famous 

name expects, will contribute to 

establishing inter-connected mobility 

with greater time and energy efficiency 

already in this phase, for instance 

by establishing an integrated transport 

network with all vehicles plugged into 

public data bases, enabling cars to recommend 

alternative transport options 

when congestion is unavoidable. He 

also envisions the introduction of new 

city vehicles with1, 2 or 3 passenger 

seats for more efficient use of urban 

streets and parking areas. 

Know-how & Research | ITS magazine 3/2012 

For 2025 and beyond, Ford’s 

vision forecasts even more radical 

changes of the transportation landscape. 

The key element will be a holistic 

mobility network that cleverly 

combines personal vehicle ownership 

with the use of all other available 

modes of transport and creates the 

basis for completely new business 

models for enhancing personal mobility. 

Pedestrian and bicycle traffic, 

private cars, commercial and public 

transport will complement each other 

to form a single network that saves 

time, conserves resources, lowers 

emissions and improves safety. 

That’s where K.I.T.T. comes into 

the picture, or rather the concept of 

a car that is able to “think” for itself 

and drive on its own. After 2025, Bill 

Ford plans to have cars built that autonomously 

chauffeur their owner to 

the selected destination before looking 

for a parking space and later returning 

to pick up the owner when 

they are needed again. But whether 

these vehicles are to be equipped 

with an integrated ATM like the fourwheeled 

lead actor of Knight Rider, 

will remain Bill Ford’s secret for the 

time being. 

27

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Mobility & Living Space 

28 

Bright 

insights 

“The Crystal” knowledge hub The search for sustainable 

concepts for tomorrow’s urban environment is among the 

most exciting challenges of our time. Now this search is 

taken to a new level at one of the world’s most exciting 

buildings – “The Crystal” in London. Opened in September 

2012, this multifunctional Sustainable Cities initiative 

combines a forum for experts and a world of educational 

discovery under its spectacular crystal-shaped roof.

The history of the London Docklands 

is a history of change and of changing 

priorities set by a metropolis endeavoring 

to maintain its globally leading 

position over the centuries – quite 

successfully, if not without controversy. 

The docks that gave the area its 

name were formerly part of the Port of 

London, at one time the world’s largest 

harbor. When cargo ships became 

too big to navigate the Thames, the 

docklands lay idle until the efforts at 

redevelopment as an enterprise zone 

took shape, for instance in the form of 

ultra-modern office buildings such as 

the Canary Wharf project featuring 

three of Britain’s tallest skyscrapers 

to date. In fact, the next step has already 

been taken: London has set up 

the Docklands’ new Green Enterprise 

District to attract companies involved 

in so-called low-carbon businesses. 

This makes the district the ideal 

location for a truly unique building 

designed not only to illustrate the 

vision of future urban sustainability, 

but to promote its implementation. 

This is the idea behind “The Crystal,” 

an innovative center for dialogue, 

learning and thought leadership on 

modern urban development, which 

Siemens opened in September 2012. 

Behind the multi-facetted shimmering 

facade, the building is all about 

intelligent technologies that will 

make cities more sustainable and 

better places to live while helping 

reduce costs at the same time. 

From the very first glance, the 

crystalline geometry designed by 

star architects Wilkinson Eyre and 

Pringle Brandon makes “The Crystal” 

a true landmark and eye catcher. 

But its inner values are even more 

impressive. The use of a whole 

range of sustainable technologies 

makes it an iconic green building to 

the highest energy-efficiency standards. 

The building uses only renewable 

energy and incorporates 

its own rainwater harvesting system. 

Even measured by the very stringent 

international LEED and BREAM standards, 

“The Crystal” receives top efficiency 

scores – it actually meets all 

requirements to achieve the highest 

building standards LEED Platinum 

and BREAM Outstanding. 

But “The Crystal’s” ultimate purpose 

– to serve as a catalyst in the 

search for sustainable concepts 

for the city of the future – is mainly 

fulfilled by its function as an exciting 

forum for dialogue, expert knowledge 

and educational adventure. 

The center fosters the exchange of 

ideas on global urban development 

on a number of levels. Here architects, 

urban planners, city decision 

makers, school children, students 

and other interested visitors can 

come together with infrastructure 

and technology experts from 

Siemens and scientific institutions 

working on the development of 

population centers. 

Mobility & Living Space | ITS magazine 3/2012 

An interactive exhibition covering 

close to 2,000 square meters showcases 

the city infrastructure of the 

future and a range of possibilities for 

enhancing sustainability in the areas of 

mobility, building technologies, power 

and water supply and healthcare. The 

different exhibition sections can be 

flexibly combined to create a customized 

tour for each visitor group. The 

conference zone, complete with a large 

screen, seats an audience of 270. 

There is also a café and a restaurant. 

Boris Johnson, the old and new 

Mayor of London, sees the 30-million 

pound investment in the Sustainable 

Cities center first and foremost as a 

sign of confidence in his city’s strength: 

“The Crystal is set to sit at the heart 

of a brand new Green Enterprise District, 

which will sweep across the east 

of the city. We envisage that the district 

will be a vibrant, international 

hub incubating dozens of low-carbon 

businesses.” 

For cities around the globe, “The 

Crystal” is much more than that, as 

Roland Busch, Member of the Managing 

Board of Siemens AG, affirms in 

his function as CEO of the company’s 

new, interdisciplinary Cities & Infrastructure 

Sector: In dialog with the 

responsible authorities, we aim to 

establish solutions to cope with the 

massive growth of cities and make 

them livable centers of business and 

culture. ‘The Crystal’ will play a vital 

role in these endeavors.” 

29

ITS magazine 3/2012 | Profile 

“Walking the talk” 

Interview Dr. Werner Kruckow, project 

manager of the innovative Sustainable 

Cities center “The Crystal”, (see also page 28), 

speaks about the motives, the strategy and 

the expectations behind the £30 million 

investment of Siemens AG in the London 

Docklands. 

Dr. Kruckow, at the topping-out ceremony 

for “The Crystal,” Siemens 

announced plans to create several 

such centers of knowledge and dialogue 

on sustainable urban development 

across the world. Why were 

the London Docklands chosen as the 

site for the first building of this kind? 

Let me start with a distinction between 

the building and the function, 

if I may: With its exceptional design, 

the building itself will certainly remain 

unique for the time being, But 

at the same time, “The Crystal” will 

be the global hub for several so-called 

Centers of Competence (CoC) that 

Siemens plans to establish as platforms 

for bundling our expertise and 

promoting dialogue on sustainable 

urban development. The next CoCs 

are already being established in China 

and the USA. When looking for 

the ideal location, we were thinking 

first and foremost of a mega-city 

that faces up to the challenges of 

today and the future – in economic 

and well as ecological terms. And 

that’s exactly what London is doing, 

as we see it, and with exemplary 

commitment, for instance with the 

definition of ambitions CO2 reduction 

targets, including a bundle of con- 

30 

“ Highly complex problems can only 

be solved with a systemic approach“ 

crete measures, as shown in the “Sustainable 

Urban Infrastructure London 

Edition – A view to 2025” survey that 

we published together with McKinsey. 

As project manager of “The Crystal” 

you are probably asked quite often 

for a concise explanation of the idea 

behind it. Can you explain it in five 

sentences? 

I’ll try. The key idea is that “The Crystal” 

is a unique knowledge hub for the 

promotion of modern, environmentally 

friendly and sustainable urban 

development. As such it is not only 

a forum for international dialogue on 

the strategic, political and technical 

aspects of sustainable city planning, 

but also features a permanent interactive 

exhibition for experts and the 

wider public, aimed at helping a 

large audience understand the complex 

topic and inspiring a broad-based 

public. Worth noting is also the center’s 

attractive location at the Royal 

Victoria Docks in London, the use of 

state-of-the-art “green” technologies 

and systematic compliance with the 

most stringent building standards. 

And last but not least, our investment 

supports the redevelopment 

of the Green Enterprise District. 

Generously counted, you have one 

sentence left. 

Then I’ll gladly use this occasion to 

point out an aspect that really deserves 

highlighting: In my eyes, 

“The Crystal” is further impressive 

evidence of the fact that we put our 

money where our mouth is, i.e. we 

do not only talk about sustainable 

urban development, we actually 

walk the talk, so to speak. 

This was also proven by your company 

at the start of the current fiscal year 

with the creation of the new “Infrastructure 

& Cities” Sector, combining 

knowledge and competencies from a 

whole range of different businesses. 

This suggests that you perceive sustainable 

urban development as an 

interdisciplinary challenge?

Yes, of course. A city is a highly complex 

system, which means that its 

problems can only be solved by a 

systemic approach. I think, municipal 

decision makers stand to profit from 

access to the international and interdisciplinary 

know-how of private infrastructure 

and urbanism experts already 

in an early planning phase – especially 

since they generally have to deal with 

truly extensive urban development 

projects only once or twice in their 

entire career. For us, in contrast, such 

projects are our daily business. Our 

ample experience from all parts of the 

world enables us, for instance, to make 

reliable early prognoses about which 

of several alternatives will be the most 

cost-effective on the bottom line and 

the most suitable for the city in question. 

By the way, the interaction between 

the different areas of innovative 

urban development is illustrated by the 

exhibition at “The Crystal” – the “Creating 

Cities” zone explains a city’s complex 

structures and the neighboring zones 

showcase a whole range of extremely 

efficient solutions in the areas of building 

technologies, safety, transport, energy, 

water, health and environment. 

What is the role of mobility within 

this multidisciplinary master 

concept? 

Mobility is the subject of one of the exhibition’s 

core zones called “Keep Moving.” 

The zone’s contents are partially 

based on the Green City Index, in which 

mobility also plays a key role. Accordingly, 

the exhibition reflects also and in 

particular the increasing importance of 

intermodal and eco-friendly transport. 

So it’s more than a coincidence that 

“The Crystal” is optimally and multimodally 

integrated in the overall 

transport concept of London … 

That’s right. “The Crystal” is easy 

to reach by Underground just as by 

Docklands Light Railway or using the 

Cable Car. In future we will also be 

linked via Crossrail to an additional 

railway link. If you come by bike, there 

is plenty of room to park your bicycle, 

and in case you opt for an electric vehicle 

you can register via Source London 

and get the vehicle’s battery recharged 

while admiring all the different attractions 

that “The Crystal” offers. 

What are the main target groups 

that you are addressing? 

There are several target groups of 

strongly varying scope, ranging from 

the rather moderates numbers of customers, 

political decision makers, consultants 

and media professionals, right 

up to more extensive audiences among 

the wider public, such as groups of 

school children or students, families 

with children, and international visitors. 

By the way, admission is free for all, but 

that’s not really a competitive advantage 

because in London this is also true 

of all public museums. Still, I think it’s 

quite possible that annual visitor numbers 

will soon exceed our internal target 

figures because our forecasts did not 

factor in the then still pending construction 

of the Cable Car line, for instance, 

which will certainly be a very attractive 

means of transport for tourists. 

“ The principle: 

everybody 

talks with 

everybody else” 

On principle, “The Crystal” is to facilitate 

knowledge exchange in both 

directions. The visitors are to learn 

from the center, and the center is 

to learn from the visitors. How will 

that work exactly? 

The principle is simple: everybody talks 

with everybody else – urban planners 

with scientists, infrastructure experts 

with municipal authorities, UN representatives 

with technology professionals. 

And the general public, too, can 

use social networks to contribute to 

the discussions, because, as we all 

know, today it’s more important than 

ever to involve the community in political 

decision processes at as early a 

stage as possible. 

Could you give us an idea of the 

activities in “The Crystal’s” different 

areas on a typical day? 

Let’s have a look at two different 

types of visitors. Our first type is a 

family on a Sunday outing, taking the 

Tube to the Millennium Dome. From 

there, they use the Cable Car to cross 

the Thames and then continue on foot 

to cover the short distance from the 

Royal Docks to the exhibition at “The 

Crystal.” Before the trip, the family 

took a look at the website and decided 

to focus on the Forces of Change theater 

and the Future Life section as 

Profile | ITS magazine 3/2012 

well as on the topics Water and Energy. 

After two hours of interactive infotainment, 

the whole family is tired and 

decides to treat themselves to a light 

dinner prepared by a renowned chef 

at the “green” restaurant before taking 

the Docklands Light Railway for their 

trip back home. As a second type of 

visitor I’d like to present an important 

customer, who will first be taken on a 

customized tour through the exhibition 

with special focus on Mobility as his 

main interest, touching also on the 

closely related topic of Energy. After 

an hour of exciting interactive information, 

he goes to the lounge at the 

Corporate Crystal, where he enjoys an 

excellent overview of the exhibition. 

The next items on the agenda, after a 

short break and refreshments, are several 

technical demonstrations using 

the excellent technical equipment of 

the Boardroom, followed by an excellent 

lunch accompanied by in-depth 

technical discussions. Then the customer 

is chauffeured in an electric car 

to the City Airport, which is only 10 

minutes away. 

Dr. Kruckow, thank you very much 

for this interview. 

Dr. Werner Kruckow 

Career milestones at a glance: 

• 1976: High-school graduation, 

Gymnasium Marktbreit 

(Frankonia) 

• 1982: Graduation in Engineering 

at Technische Hochschule 

Darmstadt (THD) 

• 1987: Doctoral degree in 

Engineering at THD 

• 1988-1991: Designing engineer 

for electric drives at the UB E 

division of Siemens AG 

• 1992-2005: Various executive 

functions in divisional and 

general management at Siemens 

Transportation Systems 

• 2006-2010: CEO Siemens Ltd. 

Ireland 

• 2010-2012: Project manager of 

the innovative Sustainable Cities 

center “The Crystal” 

31


IMPRINT 

ITS magazine · The Magazine for Siemens 

Intelligent Traffic Systems 

Publisher: Siemens AG · Infrastructure & Cities 

Sector · Mobility and Logistics Division 

Road and City Mobility 

Hofmannstrasse 51 · D-81359 Munich 

Editors: Dr. Michael Ostertag (responsible for 

contents), Karin Kaindl: Siemens IC MOL RCM MK 

Coordination: Roland Michali: Siemens 

IC MOL CC, Erlangen 

Copywriting: Peter Rosenberger, Philip Wessa: 

www.bfw-tailormade.de · Eberhard Buhl 

(“In the side-view mirror”) 

Photographs: 

Corbis Cover, p. 2, 6/7, 8, 26/27 · Achim Graf p. 3 

Getty Images p. 10, 14, 22 · dpa picture-alliance p. 12 

Photocase.com p. 13 · iStockphoto p. 19 

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für Projektmanagement p. 25 left 

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All other photographs: Siemens AG 

English translation: Dr. Barbara Gutermann 

Sprachendienste GmbH, Biberach 

Concept & Layout: Agentur Feedback, 

Munich · www.agentur-feedback.de 

Printing: Mediahaus Biering, Munich 

Copyright: © Siemens AG 2012 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced or used without express prior 

permission. Subject to technical modifications. 

Printed in Germany. 

The next issue of the ITS magazine will be 

published on January 15, 2013 

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ISSN 2190-0302 

Order No A19100-V355-B109-X-7600 

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