At the end of July, Monotch received confirmation that it had won the tender issued by AWV (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer – Flemish Road Authority) for the digital tracking of road works vehicles.
The Flemish government is taking road safety seriously and to the next level with this project.
How to increase safety during road works?
There are many ways to improve safety around road works, most of which are physical such as warning signs on the road and cones that keep space between the workers and drivers. The next step to improve safety and keep disruptions as low as possible is informing road users in advance and in real-time of road works.
Imagine receiving on-the-spot and accurate warnings on your navigation app or in-car device when approaching road works. This is most efficient as that is the exact moment you can take action, such as slowing down, keeping your distance or taking another route.
C-ITS platform to facilitate road works data exchange
Roadwork vehicles with a GPS tracking device transmit their data to road users, providing the exact location in real-time. The data from all these vehicles are gathered into a single data feed using the TLEX® platform.
This information is then fed back to the Traffic Control Centres as a first step. The second step will be to open this data to the public allowing solution providers (app builders) to share this data on in-car devices and navigation apps.
Mark Walker, project manager at Monotch, says, “Allowing the road works information to be shared from scheduled to real-time using a C-ITS platform is coming alive in Flanders through this digital vehicle tracking project. Obviously, this can be extended to other vehicle types in the future, such as emergency vehicles.”
Additional to the Mobilidata program
Die Mobilidata program is the largest intelligent mobility project initiated by the government of Flanders.
This specific tender is a smaller project that feeds into the Mobilidata project and improves the use of intelligent mobility data for Flemish road users. Having TLEX® as a basis allows Monotch to deploy this service of road works warnings very rapidly.
Erika Decorte, Mobilidata Program Lead, Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer shares, “The digital tracking of road works vehicles offers a valuable source of real-time and reliable data, contributing to the safety of both road workers and road users, a key ambition for Mobilidata.”
Expanding the use of C-ITS worldwide
Monotch is the world-leading C-ITS platform developing company. The Traffic Live Exchange (TLEX®) platform is the only system implemented nationwide through the UDAP platform in The Netherlands, making this country a frontrunner in smart mobility.
As autonomous driving, traffic digitalisation, and traffic safety become more and more at the forefront of policymakers, the need for a platform connecting all mobility players becomes evident. TLEX® is part of the major smart mobility projects initiated by the Dutch and Flemish governments. Tampere (Finland) is the first Finnish city to have started a project that includes TLEX® as well. Monotch is preparing to support and initiate even more C-ITS projects worldwide by expanding the partner network.
