Various apps support us on the go with useful information every day. The PTV Group play an active role in projects that support individualised routing and traffic information in cities – in real time. In the future, such apps are not only conceivable for all cities, but also for information integration for commercial transport.
Karlsruhe is a good example: Because of the construction of the underground tram (U-Strab), Karlsruhe residents, as well as commuters and tourists, have limited mobility on the road. The construction sites take their toll on the roads: there are overcrowded streets and traffic jams. The free Karlsruhe app KA-Mobil has stepped in to help since the autumn of 2014. The app for iOS and Android mobile phones provides information about construction sites, traffic flow, car parks and public transportation schedules at Park&Ride facilities in real time so that motorists can optimally plan their trip. “We integrated routing into the app so that it gives detours that take into account all construction site road blocks and up-to-date traffic situations in real time”, says Matthias Hormuth, Solutions Director, PTV Group.
The PTV Group is now developing an app for the Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum in Leipzig that takes quite a different approach. The app contains information about Leipzig and the event, which takes place at the end of May, expecting 1,000 participants, including numerous international transport ministers. All road users, whether they are travelling by bicycle, on foot, in a car or using public transportation, can be routed from point A to point B throughout Leipzig – dynamically and with the mode of transport of their choice.
For Hormuth, this kind of mobile software is only the beginning: “It’s not only conceivable that other cities may use these apps – we may also integrate all means of transportation with traffic information in real time too. Each and every traveller, such as commuters or weekend shoppers, can find out how to optimally reach their destination based on up-to-date information. But mobile software of this sort can also be useful to other users, such as those in municipal supply and disposal logistics. Especially when they intelligently bring together local information with industry specific functions. In fact, commercial transport and municipal transport logistics make up to one third of city traffic. More and more cities will therefore address this issue by planning and managing urban mobility and they will approach it with suitable IT solutions.”
424 words. Author’s copy kindly requested!
Original source: PTV
