Skip to main content

IRF Geneva holds high level roundtables on intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in India

The economic boom witnessed in India in the last two decades has led to an exponential increase in motorisation, urban traffic congestion and a dramatic deterioration of air quality. ITS can potentially alleviate many of these urban transport problems. IRF Geneva is organising a series of four roundtables on Intelligent Transport Systems, over a 12-month period, in India. These roundtables are a collaborative effort between companies and Indian government bodies and agencies to improve market conditions for
June 14, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
The aim of the IRF roundtables is to utilise the benefits of ITS to improve India’s road transport
The economic boom witnessed in India in the last two decades has led to an exponential increase in motorisation, urban traffic congestion and a dramatic deterioration of air quality


ITS can potentially alleviate many of these urban transport problems. 1201 IRF Geneva is organising a series of four roundtables on Intelligent Transport Systems, over a 12-month period, in India. These roundtables are a collaborative effort between companies and Indian government bodies and agencies to improve market conditions for the adoption and deployment of ITS in India.

The IRF-ITS Roundtables aim to facilitate and stimulate the deployment of safe, smart and sustainable ITS solutions for road networks. ITS has contributed to significantly reducing road crashes, congestion and pollution in many countries, but in India, the adoption and use of ITS has been limited.

The IRF-ITS Roundtables bring together national and local government officials, and industry leaders on one platform to jointly lead and transform policy, legislation, and technology. The aim is to create the right market conditions and partnerships to fully leverage the potential of ITS to benefit society and the economy.

The first roundtable was held in Delhi in November 2016. The second roundtable was held in Delhi in March 2017. These two roundtables identified the barriers to the widespread adoption and use of ITS in India, ways to reduce or eliminate these barriers, and explored ways to leverage ITS to address the problems of urban transport in India. The roundtables further identified pilot projects that the participating organisations could implement as “proof of concept” to demonstrate the potential of ITS. Currently, IRF Geneva is working, together with its partners, on several of these smart mobility pilot projects.

The final product of these roundtables will be a road map for the adoption and use of ITS to address the problems of urban transport in India. Specific solutions, based on the pilot projects, will be recommended, together with proposals on how to implement these recommendations.

The Indian 1143 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Niti Aayog, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), the 4218 Department of Heavy Industry, and the Delhi Police are among the organisations supporting and/or participating in the IRF ITS Roundtables. Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Aayog, kicked off the series of roundtables on November 10th, 2016 at the Claridges Hotel in New Delhi. Kant said that he is a firm believer in: ”India`s ability to leapfrog with the further use of ITS.”

The organisations participating in these roundtables include Autostrade per L’Italia, BMW, Inrix, IPS, Swarco, Infrastructure Lease and Financial Services, National Highway Authority of India, National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, Skidata, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Shell, PTV Group, and Streetsmart Technologies.

Related Content

  • Update on Crossroads World Road Meeting 2017 (WRM 2017) at Delhi, India – November 14th-17th, 2017
    December 18, 2017
    The WRM programme has taken shape with details to be completed by early September, with the receipt of full papers from the authors, due by 31st July 2017. There is considerable progress with regard to the Global Transport Ministers’ Meeting, with confirmations of participation received from various European and African nations. The ministers will be accompanied by small delegations. The IRF Geneva office is looking forward to sharing more detailed information regarding the programme in the next couple of
  • IRF task forces gear up for upcoming Dubai World Meeting
    March 18, 2021
    The International Road Federation is coordinating several member-led initiatives to achieve industry consensus around emerging trends that will be featured at the 18th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition on November 7th-10th, 2021 in Dubai.
  • Major highway expansion programme continues in India
    November 16, 2012
    India’s massive highway expansion programme is continuing, boosting the country’s construction industry. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) awarded contracts for some 4,375km of roads in the first nine months of 2012, with the work worth an estimated total of some US$70 billion. With this strong construction sector, prospects are also good for the upcoming bC India construction equipment exhibition in February 2013 in Mumbai. This news is a welcome change following a slowing of new Indian road p
  • IRF Global to Shape Discussions on Future Roads – key meeting point
    July 4, 2018
    A new international meeting point gathers road innovators with the world’s top policymakers. Technology and innovations are evolving at a pace never seen before in the history of the road and transport sector. From innovations in materials, such as self-healing concrete and rubberised asphalt, to advances in construction equipment automation, and of course, the dawn of the connected and automated vehicle, many experts agree that road mobility is on the verge of a new era. “With such remarkable development