An autonomous minibus driving you through the city centre, traffic light predictions sent to your smartphone instantly, drones helping with medical care. These are just some of the innovations on hand in a future smart mobility city. At the ITS World Congress from October 11 to 15, 2021, Hamburg will be the showcase and test track for intelligent mobility, traffic management and smart logistics of the future.
In preparation for this major event on 22 June 2021, Jacob Bangsgaard, ERTICO CEO was welcomed to Hamburg in person by First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher, Transport Senator Dr. Anjes Tjarks, and Harry Evers, Managing Director of ITS Hamburg 2021, at a press conference taking place in Hamburg’s town hall. Together the city representatives gave the green light to the event and assured the media present that the ITS World Congress would take place in a secure and safe environment in accordance with a strict health and hygiene plan. “At the ITS World Congress 2021, Hamburg will show the mobility of the future: Autonomous driving, intelligent traffic control and digital services that make mobility more efficient, more climate-friendly and more comfortable,” said Mayor Dr. Tschentscher.
With an ITS strategy adopted by the Senate in 2016, Hamburg is well prepared for the Congress. From a total of around 200 ITS projects, the city has defined 42 key projects that are particularly important for achieving the city’s ITS goals. These include, for example, an autonomous shuttle bus HEAT (Hamburg Electric Autonomous Transportation) and the Hamburg bicycle traffic counting network that is equipped with thermal imaging cameras. “The large number of projects shows that Hamburg is Germany’s model city for urban and digital mobility solutions. For us it is very important that the people of Hamburg understand that they will also benefit from these creative solutions beyond the ITS World Congress,” said Dr. Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition. “With this ITS strategy, we are making mobility throughout the city more efficient, cleaner and more comfortable.”
Jacob Bangsgaard and Harry Evers promise the people of Hamburg an event with many world firsts. “With its sophisticated ITS strategy and numerous showcase projects, Hamburg is the perfect location for the ITS World Congress 2021. Hamburg follows the many important global cities such as Montreal, Singapore, Copenhagen that have hosted this event,” emphasised Jacob Bangsgaard. “I am therefore very much looking forward to being able to experience the future of mobility in Hamburg live with the host. After the challenges of the pandemic, everyone is looking forward to being together again.” Harry Evers added: “The people in and around Hamburg and everyone who is interested in mobility can look forward to a unique ITS World Congress that showcases many innovations and future-oriented projects.”
The ERTICO team were in Hamburg to finalise preparations for this event, which will bring the ITS Community together for the first time in person since the pandemic.
Please find a link to the press conference in German here https://www.hamburg.de/landespressekonferenz/
