Skip to main content

Smart traffic management market potential is the global future

According to a new report from ABI Research, as the global population hurtles past the seven billion barrier, more and more people are living in cities than ever before. This is especially true of developing countries which account for 20 of the world’s 27 megacities. With above average levels of population and economic growth in these regions, traffic congestion has quickly ensued, which is detrimental to GDP, the environment, as well as health and safety. The new ABI Research report predicts that companie
July 20, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
RSSAccording to a new report from 6257 ABI Research, as the global population hurtles past the seven billion barrier, more and more people are living in cities than ever before. This is especially true of developing countries which account for 20 of the world’s 27 megacities. With above average levels of population and economic growth in these regions, traffic congestion has quickly ensued, which is detrimental to GDP, the environment, as well as health and safety. The new ABI Research report predicts that companies embracing multiple aspects of the modern smart city will be best placed to win contracts for advanced systems that better control, monitor, and manage traffic flows in emerging megacities.

Although congestion is also a problem in developed countries, it is a situation that has taken decades to build up, giving officials more time to address the problem. By comparison, developing cities are growing extremely quickly causing congestion to build up much more rapidly. Cities with serious aspirations of growth are being hamstrung by the relocation of major businesses to less congested areas. This, coupled with deterioration in air quality and associated health problems as well as more, often fatal, road collisions has caused authorities to look, increasingly, at investing in traffic management systems (TMS).

According to report author, Craig Foster, “one of the barriers to implementing these solutions is securing funding and for this reason, electronic toll collection (ETC) is likely to form the first stage of many TMS in order to bring in revenues that can be spent on more advanced systems at a later date.” Companies with ETC in their portfolios will therefore likely be the earliest beneficiaries. However, control and monitoring of traffic is increasingly seen as part of a wider “system of systems”. Foster continued: “disparate systems that control energy consumption, transport, health, waste management etc., will soon become connected and this means big business for those that are taking a more holistic approach to the smart city such as 3344 Telvent (3529 Schneider Electric), 1134 Siemens, 5366 IBM, and 6258 Cisco.”

“Traffic Management Solutions for Mega Cities” focuses on the issue of how best to address transportation challenges in megacities throughout developing regions. Various stakeholders are profiled with the analysis centred on how each is positioned to successfully meet the needs of emerging markets.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Caribbean: a region stepping up to the road safety challenge
    July 5, 2016
    Transport Minister sets ambitious Vision at IRF Caribbean Regional Congress. Returning to Montego Bay, Jamaica, IRF’s 5th Caribbean Regional Congress was dominated this year by discussions focused on reducing injury risk through coordinated action by public and private sector stakeholders. Close to 100 participants from a host of Caribbean nations have reaffirmed a vision for roads free from death and serious injury. Many of Jamaica’s government departments with a role in achieving this vision were prese
  • ERF urges greater maintenance of Europe’s road signs to save lives
    March 21, 2016
    ERF has launched a position paper to advocate better maintenance of Europe’s traffic signs. Vertical signage is an essential element not only of a modern and well-maintained road infrastructure, but also of a safe and functional road network. Road signs help regulate traffic, provide crucial visual guidance and give drivers important preview especially during night-time conditions. Well maintained and efficient signage becomes even more necessary when taking into account the ageing population of Europe, in
  • Bad roads make people poorer
    July 17, 2019
    India is said to be the fastest developing countries today only after China. Although India is doing excellently well in fields like education, industrialization, infrastructure, health, agriculture and fashion, there are still certain areas where the country is lagging behind. India's road network is gigantic and said to be only after the United States of America. But one of the striking underlying facts is the condition of the roads, around 30 percent of the country’s population lacked access to all-weath
  • Western nations need to maintain roadway assets
    December 23, 2014
    In the western world, drivers have benefited over many years from road and highway networks connecting not just towns and cities, but remote rural areas also. The US Interstate network in particular shows how major investment in infrastructure can help fuel economic growth. Construction of the Interstate system commenced in 1956, with the new highways that were built and the transportation they provided contributing greatly to the economic power of the US ever since. In Western Europe too, highway links pro