How Iv improves the traffic flow by road and waterway with smart mobility " />
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How Iv improves the traffic flow by road and waterway with smart mobility Iv-Infra Innovation Smart mobility Traffic management

Help! The bridge is up. What shall I do now? 

Residents of Spijkenisse are only too familiar with this situation. Many bridges in the Netherlands are approaching the end of their lifespan and malfunctions are on the increase. This can be very disruptive for students, residents and skippers. What should they do in this situation? Another very relevant question presented by Haarlem is this: When exactly is the right time to lift the bridge in the city? If the Bridge Operator allows a convoy of waterway users to pass through the blue wave, will this then hinder or block road traffic? And, how can an ambulance quickly cross a bridge? Advin, a part of Iv-Infra as of the 1st of July 2018, is searching for a suitable solution.

Smart mobility goes beyond self-drive cars and talking traffic lights

We make good use of the opportunities smart mobility has to offer. There are several things we associate with smart mobility, such as self-drive cars, talking traffic lights or travel information that tells you what you should do to be able to park your car at the ArenA when attending that Coldplay concert. But what’s most important about smart mobility is not the technique. It’s what the users do with the new opportunities offered by smart mobility: How can traffic be made safer? How can I more efficiently reach my destination? How can I achieve my goal with less inconvenience (air and noise)? Only when these goals are achieved, does smart mobility have added value - for the user, the developer, the service provider and for the road manager.

Reducing inconvenience for road and waterway users with BIMS

We perform Bridge Incident Management Scenarios (BIMS) for Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management). This involves preparing scenarios for 16 bridges in South Holland to minimise inconvenience for road and waterway users. Which information does the user need and which alternatives can be used when the bridge is blocked? With smart mobility, we can deliver the correct information to the users. Information that can provide answers to questions such as what’s going on? How much longer is it going to take? And, what alternatives do I have? The authorities concentrate on opening the data and the service providers, such as Flitsmeister, WAZE or RiverGuide share the information with the end users. The BIMS also contain measures such as the use of temporary ferries, the provision of alternative transport via buses or the postponement of work on alternative routes. This is how the scenarios are prepared for 16 movable bridges in South Holland.

This is how we create a ‘blue wave’ with smart mobility

The Province of North Holland is working together with 11 other administrators on the blue wave project. The goal is to achieve better coordination between road and waterway users. Less inconvenience for road users by no longer lifting bridges during peak hours and less inconvenience for waterway users because each corridor will allow a guaranteed passage at certain times. For instance, in Haarlem, this means that when a ship leaves at time X, the ship will be able to pass all bridges in one corridor. To assist the Bridge Operator, the BMS was developed: an advisory tool that informs the bridge operator whether it would be wise to lift the bridge now or to wait. The tool considers, registered vessels, road congestion, any emergency services and public transport. For example, if the bus runs on time, the bridge may simply be lifted. But if the bus is already running late, the tool will allow the bus to cross over the bridge before the advice to lift is given. This is how smart mobility is used to find a better balance between different interests. The RiverGuide app facilitates this alignment. Skippers and Captains can register with bridges via the app. Much smarter than the classic VHF maritime mobile band. And the data from the app can again be used for optimisation. The Province of North Holland commissioned the BMS in May 2018. To optimally serve the interest of the clients, Iv-Infra will be responsible for the traffic management during the next two years: ensuring proper coordination and establishment of advice.

Continually innovating based on the function

The core of our smart mobility approach is that we continually innovate based on the function. How does the new technology help us achieve our goal and how should we organise this? With integral advice, we serve our clients at authorities or at companies such as Schiphol, Keukenhof or builder Dura Vermeer.

Would you like to know more about smart mobility? Herbert will be pleased to share ideas about your engineering issues. Contact him by email or call​ 088 943 3200.
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