Overview
Developments in the field of smart mobility are occurring rapidly, and provide many opportunities in both the short and long term, for example, the improvement of traffic flow and traffic safety, as well as the possibility of having vehicles operate more economically and cleaner. In a country with a high-quality infrastructure that is also complex and heavily used, we are forced to think carefully about smart solutions for mobility. The Netherlands wants to make the most of the opportunities in this field. It has therefore profiled itself internationally as a country open to innovations in the field of smart mobility. The Netherlands is facilitating and promoting these developments so that Dutch businesses can capitalise on the economic opportunities they provide.
In the past, smart mobility was a field that was primarily driven by (new) technology. Today, the step towards the user, revenue models and social effects is becoming increasingly important. Innovations such as self-driving cars and truck platoons are expected to have a large social impact in the future. By then we will be able to organise and spend our travel time differently. Senior citizens and people with disabilities will have access to greater and better mobility. And if cars are able to park themselves, space will be used differently in the city. New, flexible mobility concepts (mobility as a service) focus on providing service in the areas of traffic and transport, rather than on the product (the car).
Many driving forces and initiators behind traffic and transport innovations are on the move. Various parties and organisations, both public and private, are taking valuable steps towards innovation. The role of the Internet and telecom sectors is also becoming increasingly visible, in addition to the role of automotive parties and road maintenance authorities.
How much time it will take before these promising innovations in the field of smart mobility become commonplace cannot be predicted precisely. A number of uncertainties will have to be elaborated further in the future. Among them is the collaboration that is necessary between government, (private) parties and knowledge institutes with respect to necessary smart mobility, automotive and telecom applications, and their acceptance by (road) users.
In order to move forward, it is needed to identify and acknowledge these uncertainties. We also need to be transparent in our collaboration with the many parties active in the field of smart mobility. The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment faces the challenge of setting down a future-proof policy. This is not a one-time task; it is a continual process. Many parties are active in the field of smart mobility.
This project presents the activities within the area of smart mobility that the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment will be developing in the coming period on the basis of three themes:
• Legislation and regulations
• Infrastructure
• Collaboration
The increasingly far-reaching developments and applications in smart mobility (Intelligent Transport Systems) and smart mobility itself require new forms of collaboration, both on the public side and with respect to the division of roles between public and private parties. In a continually changing reality, governments should be able to continue fulfilling their public duties and responsibilities. At the same time, businesses should be able to capitalise on opportunities to innovate.
In the area of collaboration, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment has taken the following actions:
• in line with the public-private direction set in the Routekaart Beter Geïnformeerd op Weg (a road map for better information in transit), the Connecting Mobility Programme was set up to continue this work method and to help the parties involved to make the necessary transition. The Programme is also in place to strengthen the build-up and sharing of knowledge;
• the Beter Benutten programme (action plan on optimising infrastructure use) involves a structured collaboration with 12 regions, including governance with respect to the aggregate of projects, approaches and work methods;