Complex and evolving standards in mobility

January 26, 2023

The landscape of mobility standards, codes of practice, regulations is complex and evolving driven by multiple stakeholders as well as different influences, environments, and regulatory frameworks. So said Jon Harrod Booth, when he came to speak at TISA’s Committee meeting in Brussels about the mobility standards that power forward data information particularly across cities.

With a background in ITS, connected vehicles, and R&D in US, UK and Europe –  Mr Harrod Booth’s focus at TISA was Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (or UVAR) a form of traffic management that regulates access in specific urban locations according to vehicle type, occupancy, emissions category as well as the role UVAR plays in the further development of DATEX II – the standard for the exchange of traffic related data and improving traffic information delivery.

Mr Harrod Booth outlined to members the challenges of dealing with traffic access restrictions in a city, the extent to which it can be modelled and how accurately it can be communicated as well as the challenges of having standardised data vocabulary in place across Europe. He also said that it has been a long-term ambition for the European Commission to include mobility and digital information into the ‘Single Digital Gateaway – My Europe’ portal. This single digital gateway facilitates online access to information, administrative procedures, and assistance services that EU citizens and businesses may need in another EU country. This, he says ‘is important because overall it includes the objective of making it easier for citizens and businesses to move within the EU and could offer the possibility of including mobility data information’.

He noted that many cities were already participating in providing their own digital traffic information using DATEX II for their cities, however that results from the UVAR Box project offer a real opportunity to accelerate the digitisation of traffic information using DATEX II.