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Smart urban traffic zones

Martin och Servera lastbil i Göteborg
Heidelberg lastbil på söder i Stockholm
GLC lastbil i Göteborg
Skylt som ändrar hastighet i Stockholm
Dagab lastbil på söder i Stockholm

The Smart Urban Traffic Zones project has now been completed. The project aimed to create smart solutions in the city that contribute to increased flexibility in how urban space is used, more efficient transport, and increased road safety. The goal was to fill the gaps identified in earlier stages of the project and carefully examine the elements that create the conditions for the implementation of smart zones.

With increasing urbanisation and growing cities, competition for the city's space is increasing, creating more complex traffic systems where vehicles and city residents need to interact with each other. To meet these challenges, the Smart Urban Traffic Zones project has recently been completed.

The project aimed to create smart solutions in the city that contribute to increased flexibility in how urban space is used, more efficient transport, and increased road safety. The focus was on mapping the needs picture for smart traffic zones in an urban environment and testing smart solutions in a number of pilots.

The goal was to fill the gaps identified in earlier stages of the project and delve deeper into the elements that create the conditions for the implementation of smart zones, for example by:

  • Expanding cities' ability to utilise smart digital solutions in traffic and urban planning
  • Getting more transport buyers and carriers to collaborate with cities
  • Increasing the use of enabling technology such as geofencing/controlling speed support to dynamically adapt speed and/or driving style in the city
  • The hope is that this will lead to increased road safety & security, lower noise levels & air pollution, and increased traffic and transport efficiency.

What is a smart urban traffic zone?

The project defines a smart urban traffic zone as:

Smart traffic zones are data-driven, cost-effective solutions designed with a clear purpose to solve traffic and logistics challenges within specific geographical areas. They can be static or dynamic, permanent or temporary, with solutions that utilise data sources and technologies, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), to gather insight and guide road users and road authorities to desired sustainable actions.

The process of designing and maintaining a smart traffic zone follows an iterative approach that encompasses multiple stakeholders and adopts a systems perspective.

Smart urban traffic zones in practise: Videos from the project

See the results from the project in the videos below.

Smart urban traffic zones results event

Watch the presentations from the project's results event.

What is being tested?

With the aim of developing and establishing an ecosystem for data sharing that generates insights and new services to optimize the planning, utilization, and monitoring of urban spaces, we are conducting four different tests. You can read more about them here.

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Efficient loading areas

We aim to build up a dynamic ecosystem for data sharing, where insights and services are shared to revolutionize the use and planning of loading spaces. Through our pilot, we take the next big step...
Martin & Servera lastbil på söder i Stockholm

Safe, secure & shared urban spaces

In the city centre, there are numerous interests that need to coexist on the city's streets. Within the pilot area, there are several schools and preschools, and at certain times, many children are on...
Stockholm

Safe construction exits

By implementing intelligent solutions, we aim to enhance traffic safety for construction transports in urban areas – both to and from construction sites, in their vicinity, and within the construction...
Cementbil i Stockholm

An efficient and automated permit process for intelligent access

In this project phase, we are exploring possibilities to enhance construction transports in a smart manner. We aim to enable increased load capacity to reduce the number of transports. Here, you can...

Development areas

The parties within Smart Urban Traffic Zones work together to develop joint proposals and solutions in several areas, which will support Sweden's municipalities in the work to introduce smart zones. 

 

 

Geofencing Malmö

The role of smart traffic zones in urban planning

By leveraging various forms of smart traffic zones, new opportunities are created for the planning, control, and monitoring of traffic in a city. To fully harness this potential, city employees need...
Svensk gata

Data, mapping, quality, and value generation

One of the cornerstones of smart traffic zones is the collection, processing, management, and communication of various forms of data. For smart systems to function, data is essential as a foundation...
Data

Integrated system solutions

To enable communication between the city (as road authority), vehicles, sensors, and road users, data exchange platforms are required to facilitate the exchange of data between different entities in...
Göteborg city2

Analyses, models, and simulations for scaling up

The overall goal of the project is to generate insights that enable the assessment of costs, effects, and models for the design and scaling up of smart traffic zones. The evaluation will occur both at...

Project Partners and Funding

DagabEdevaGLCGöteborgs stadGöteborgs universitetHAVIHeidelberg MaterialsKTHMartin&ServeraMenigo, MLogistics, PostnordRamuddenRISEScaniaSchenkerStockholms stadTechnolution,, TrafikverketTrivectorViscandoVolvo Technology and VTI.

The Smart Urban Traffic Zones project is funded by Vinnova

What has previously been tested within Smart Urban Traffic Zones?

Smart urban traffic zones will be part of the future flexible city where vehicles move on people's terms. Based on geofencing and sensor technology, smart urban traffic zones should become a powerful tool that contributes to quieter, safer and healthier environments to live in.

What was the objective of the first part of the venture?

The goal of Smart Urban Traffic Zones has been to create, demonstrate and set basic requirements for smart zones, by focusing on people in real situations. This is to create more accessible cities, lower the number of injured and killed, and increase the use of the urban environment in a more flexible way.

Shared requirements bring many players together

Smart urban traffic zones have been implemented by a large and broad network of actors, from the need owner to the end customer, who together have ensured that the smart zones that have been tested and developed meet real needs. The Swedish Transport Administration and CLOSER have run the initiative Smart urban traffic zones together.

Innovation zone Hornsgatan

Here you can read about the demonstration carried out on Hornsgatan in Stockholm, where dynamically speed-controlled distribution vehicles, which deliver food to shops and restaurants in the area, were tested. The speed regulation of the vehicles was to increase traffic safety and was based on how many pedestrians were moving in the area. Here, a loading zone was also equipped with a sensor that generated data on how the surface was used.

Dispensed construction transport

Here you can read about the demonstration exempted construction transport that was tested at Södermalm in Stockholm. A concrete truck was given a dispensation to drive with a heavier weight than is normally permitted and thus enable more concrete to be loaded into the tank. With heavier loads, fewer trips to and from construction sites are required, reducing the total number of heavy mass transports within a city.

Safe construction site exits

Here you can learn more about a smart zone around a construction exit that was demonstrated in Gothenburg to reduce the risk of collisions between heavy vehicles and cyclists. The Safe construction exit was equipped with smart sensors that were connected to a warning system. When a cyclist approached the construction exit at the same time as a heavy vehicle was entering or exiting the construction site, the warning system was activated to alert both the cyclist and the driver of the vehicle.

Results (the majority only in Swedish)


If you want to know more, please get in touch

daniel-moback

Daniel Moback

Innovation & Research Manager
daniel.moback@lindholmen.se
‭+46(0)70-219 46 70