Priorities in urban traffic problems and implications for the design of solutions

The introduction of ICT in the traffic domain showed great potential, but the many opportunities this brings seems to have distracted engineers. To solve urban traffic problems, many potentially effective solutions have been developed, but deployment rates are low. The main reason seems to be that stakeholder interests are often not understood. Moreover, a common understanding of the severity of traffic problems, their background, as well as the expectations and priorities of road operators is diminishing. Results from a survey showed that road operators currently experiences four main traffic problems: (1) inefficient and inappropriate use of roads, (2) connection between motorway and urban networks, (3) road works, and (4) air quality. Other findings show that some traffic problems are merely perceived problems without quantitative prove. To accelerate deployments a „package-scheme‟ is proposed. In a package, solutions are combined to contribute to achieving objectives and benefits for multiple stakeholders.