Malaga is to be the first European city to test innovative ‘virtual VMS’ and dynamic signalling for optimizing traffic in real-time.
A cooperative agreement with Kapsch TrafficCom, the project will initially be for two years with the possibility of two further annual extensions to develop ways of improving urban mobility.
The main objective of the study is to provide drivers with alternative routes to reduce traffic congestion during peak periods in the day or in the case of unforeseen events.
Making use of variable message signs (VMS) and a new ‘virtual VMS’ mobile application developed by Kapsch, the most appropriate route advice will be displayed to drivers as well as presented in audio form in real-time when approaching the decision point.
The system relies on traffic light information to come up with the best route for every journey.
“It is very satisfying for Malaga to be the first city in Europe to realise a project of this magnitude”, said Jose Del Rio, Malaga’s Councillor for Mobility.
“The technology will optimise the city’s traffic for the benefit of our citizen’s quality of life, resulting in less time in the car throughout their journey.”
The project will not provide financial compensation for either party and will enable the Spanish city to continue to benefit from the real-time traffic information through advanced navigation development once the project has finished.
Kapsch TrafficCom’s city director for Spain and Portugal, Juan Marin, said, “Public-private partnerships allow faster progress in the evaluation of innovative solutions for new mobility.
“The agreement we have signed enables the city of Malaga to be a showcase project for the use of demand and capacity management systems, which we will develop, implement and evaluate as part of a ground-breaking proof of concept in Europe.”
