Abstract
The purpose of this note is to discuss the environmental potential of the DRIVE programme. DRIVE is a major research and development initiative of the European Community focused on the introduction of information technology into the transport system, mainly the road transport system. The vision of DRIVE is an integrated system of information and communication technologies, which on the one hand will inform and guide the traveller and on the other hand will control traffic flows. The first phase of the programme started in 1989. The second phase will start in 1992 lasting for five years implementing and testing available new technologies. The stated goals of DRIVE are: <br/><br/> -improving road safety <br/> -maximising of ... road transport efficiency <br/> -contributing to environmental improvements' <br/><br/> The focus of the work undertaken is clearly on the second goal, the maximisation of road transport efficiency, principally understood as reductions in travel time. It is clear that improved efficiency of the road system will potentially contribute to the third goal by reducing the contribution of each mile travelled to environmental concerns such as vehicle emissions, energy consumption, vehicle noise and vibrations. It is also clear that any gains from these improvements are dependent on otherwise unchanged conditions. In addition, there are other environmental concerns, such as community severance or land use questions, which are not directly addressed by the existence of such technologies alone. The technologies have to be used appropriately to be beneficial in these areas. The main technologies of interest to DRIVE are: <br/><br/> -vehicle-based technologies to improve traffic flow<br/> -technologies to improve traffic control <br/> -within-trip information systems<br/> -route guidance systems<br/> -pre-trip-information systems<br/> -direct-debiting technologies<br/> -associated communication, measurement and data-capture technologies<br/><br/> Besides the environmental contributions mentioned above, many of these technologies have the potential to be harnessed for other and wider environmental concerns, such as community severance, land use patterns, etc. Examples are the exclusion of sensitive parts of the road network from general use in route guidance systems or the collection of richer environmental data through the communication networks established for the other technologies. The note suggests four areas of research, which are opened up by the developments in DRIVE, as of interest to the goals of the 2020 Initiative: <br/><br/> -Verification of the benefits of the introduction of information technologies in all environmental aspects<br/> -Use of the new information networks to collect more information about environmental conditions<br/> -Incorporation of such information into the operation of the proposed guidance and control systems<br/> -Feasibility of environmental pricing through the new direct-debiting systems Show more
Publisher
Centre for Transport Studies, Imperial College LondonOrganisational unit
03521 - Axhausen, Kay W. (emeritus) / Axhausen, Kay W. (emeritus)
02226 - NSL - Netzwerk Stadt und Landschaft / NSL - Network City and Landscape
02655 - Netzwerk Stadt u. Landschaft ARCH u BAUG / Network City and Landscape ARCH and BAUG
Notes
Note for the 2010 Initiative.More
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