Austrian ITS and toll industry giant Kapsch TrafficCom has been participating at this year’s International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) International Summit, which has been taking place in Rome, Italy, with the company’s experts discussing the benefits of multi-lane-free-flow (MLFF) systems.
Kapsch representatives have been focusing on how MLFF systems can create a smoother traffic flow, mitigate environmental impacts, and reduce operative costs, while also considering an innovative new solution for speed control that dramatically diminishes the number of accidents.
The company has been promoting its own MLFF tolling system that allows the application of flexible fees adapted to the specific time of day, which achieves a more efficient implementation and lower operational costs for operators. Driver journeys will become more convenient through the integration of smartphones in MLFF systems, which will be further aided by mobile tolling services. The corresponding app offers additional services, ranging from traffic congestion warnings, multi-modal routing or traffic-related payments, to individualized services for toll road users.
Kapsch is aiming to strengthen its position as an international toll service provider through its introduction of an onboard unit (OBU) rental service covering most of the European highway network, thereby paving the way for the interoperable European Electronic Tolling Services (EETS) system.
In addition to these two major presentations, Kapsch has been highlighting three more solutions for improving safety, security and mobility:
• V2X (vehicle to vehicle/infrastructure) cooperative communication systems, with vehicles and infrastructure interconnected with each other, allowing vehicles to warn each other about accidents, breakdowns or bad weather, and can send this additional data to traffic management centers (TMCs), which implement traffic control measures such as dynamically regulated speed limits;
• WIM (weigh-in-motion) systems that provide operators with a solution to control overloaded vehicles at full speed without any disruption in traffic flow;
• Kapsch’s Sicura, a section speed control system that monitors average speeds, helps to increase road safety, and reduce the number of accidents.
The company has also introduced its IMS (Integrated Mobility Services), which allows cities and mobility service providers, such as public transport, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), or tolling operators, to offer optimized travel packages.
Kapsch has demonstrated its MaaS platform, with pre-integrated transport services from more than 14 cities and regions, allowing attendees to experience the MaaS concept by planning trips, booking transport services, and paying for travel through one easy-to-use smartphone app.
