Bansal woos private players for rail projects

April 29, 2013

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today invited private companies to participate in ventures including the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).

(Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today invited private companies to participate in ventures including the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).)

NEW DELHI: Highlighting tremendous scope for private investments in rail projects, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today invited private companies to participate in such ventures including the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).

Advocating the need to de-clog the road network in the country, the Union Minister insisted transporting bulk goods through rail instead of roadways as it would be cost effective and environment friendly.

“The 570 km long corridor from Sonnagar to Dankuni in the Eastern DFC will be executed through PPP route,” Bansal said at a conference here.

The Eastern and Western corridors of DFC are being constructed covering a length of 3,328 km route for exclusive freight movement in the country.

Giving the timeline, Bansal said, “the DFC project has to be completed by 2018 which is an uphill task. There is a tangible progress as 87 per cent land has been acquired. It would cost about Rs 95,000 crore including land acquisition cost.”

Highlighting the importance of the DFC, he said, “we need DFC as it is for the growth of our economy. In order to meet the growth we need to encourage private participation.”

Currently, the share of railways in goods transportation is 36 per cent whereas in the USA  and China the share is 48 per cent 47 per cent respectively.

Comparing with the road carriers, Bansal said “one freight with 59 wagons and one electric engine of 5,000 Horsepower to 6,000 Horsepower would carry 4,600 tons while 400 trucks of each of having 150 Horsepower carrying 10 tons are required to carry the same load.”

Bansal said the movement of goods on rail is six to 10 times more efficient as compared to its impact on environment, long queues at toll plazas, the time factor and the additional cost involved on roads.

 
Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Govt for independent regulators to promote PPP projects

April 29, 2013

By PTI | 29 Apr, 2013,

NEW DELHI: The government today made a case for strong independent regulatory authorities to promote Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in sectors like coal, road and rail. “We do not have enough independent regulators… Their terms of reference are not properly defined to meet all the challenges that the sectors are facing. “The regulatory authorities have to be empowered and they have to be given enough authority to be able them to deal with the issues which are arising on the regulatory side,” Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram said at a Ficci event here. Budget 2013-14 has proposed formation of a new regulator for road sector and in Rail budget there has been a announcement for tariff regulator. “The coal regulator which was earlier announced is also likely to come up this year. We are gng to see some more regulators coming in,” he said. Mayaram said there was a need for re look at the existing regulatory authority and ways to further empower them. “We need to look deeper to create more regulatory authorities independently. The independent entities to be able to look at problems — independent of the government and other party,” he said. Referring to the problems being faced by PPP projects, Mayaram said the government cannot bailout projects which fail due to commercial reasons. However, he added that the government should step in if the failures are on account of regulatory hurdles. “We need to make ours distinctions between these two. Wherever it is commercial failure, the private sector must take the hit, wherever there is a regulatory failure government must step in,” he said. The distinction between the two kinds of failures is necessary, Mayaram said, adding otherwise the PPP “will run into another kind of problem… the government (being) accused of crony capitalism. Effort should be to salvage the projects and not allow anybody to fail”

Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

Infrastructure Outlook 2013, The Lalit Mumbai

April 29, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bricsa Consulting proudly presents the Infrastructure Outlook 2013 Conference, the only event focused on the investment and financing of transport infrastructure assets. 

Indian infrastructure industry in the second largest contributor to the country’s GDP. The country has envisaged an investment of USD 1 trillion in the 12th five year plan, about half of which is expected to come from the private sector.

Mumbai will be the place to hear an esteemed line-up of speakers discussing the strategies and innovative funding opportunities needed to develop and finance India’s transport infrastructure assets. The event offers a platform for debate and networking with leading developers, investment and commercial banks, private equity, infrastructure funds, regulators and service providers.

Join us in July at Mumbai’s The Lalit Hotel to:

  • Gain insight into what direction the transport infrastructure sector will be taking in 2013 and beyond through in-depth presentations and on-topic panel discussions
  • Hear investors and banks debate solutions to pressing industry challenges and opportunities for growth
  • Network with new and existing clients during conference lunches and refreshment breaks

Key topics to be discussed include:

  • Working with Foreign Partners
  • Railways: The role of the Private Sector – Mapping new investment opportunities and uncovering the potential
  • Roads and Highways: Testing new financing methods and their viability as alternatives to Banks
  • Public-Private Partnerships: A View from the vantage point
  • Urban Infrastructure & Development
  • Airports: Effectively delivering robust and resilient assets: future strategies and investment opportunities
  • Transit Oriented Development
  • Multimodal Transport

Expert speakers confirmed to speak include:

  • Mr. Morne Fourie – Director of Design & Development, Meraas Development
  • Mr. Sreenath Venkatesan – VP Smarter Planet Solutions, IBM
  • Prof. Richard Hornbeck  – Robert C Waggoner Asst. Professor of Economics, Harvard University
  • Mr. Mark Giblett – Group Head of Project Finance, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
  • Mr. José María Arana – Senior Partner, Sigrun Partners SL, Spain
  • Mr. Hee Kong Yong – PPP Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat, UK
  • Mr. Colin Henson – Land and Transport Planner, Henson Consulting Australia
  • Dr. Elizer Abrea – Technical Director Design, The Louis Berger Group, USA
  • Dr. Kalpana Dube – ED Finance – RDSO, Ministry of Railways
  • Mr. Vijay Kalantri – Chairman & Managing Director, Dighi Port Limited
  • Mr. Vasudevan Suresh – Principal Executive Officer, Hirco
  • Mr. Bhupinder Singh Bedi – PPP Expert, Former PPP Expert (ADB and GIDB)
  • Mr. Vijender Sharma – Head of Commercial Operations & Network Planning, Fraport
  • Mr. Unmesh Kulkarni – Head Contracts, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited
  • Mr. Rajesh Sivaswamy – Partner, King Stubb & Kasiva (KSK)
  • Mr. Parthasarathy Chakrapani – Independent Management Consultants
  • Mr. Subrat Nath – Director Asia Pacific, Patentes Talgo S.L.
  • Mr. Kamal Verma – CEO, Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited

To view the full agenda and speaker line-up, please visit the conference website: http://www.infraoutlook.com/index.html/
To download the conference brochure please click the following link http://infraoutlook.com/index.html/InfrastructureOutlook2013.pdf

For further information on Bricsa Consulting’s Infrastructure Outlook 2013, please contact:
For speaking opportunities: Kiran Ambre, [email protected]
For sponsorship opportunities: Ahmed Mobashshir, [email protected]

We invite you to register your interest, to register your interest, please contact Rashmi Verma on +91 22 67105380, e-mail [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you in Mumbai!!

For more details, please visit:

www.infraoutlook.com

 

Excessive Toll Charges at Vasna (lyava) Toll Plaza SH 17

April 29, 2013

 

From: Hasmukh Shah
Subject: Excessive Toll Charges at Vasna (lyava) Toll Plaza SH 17

Message Body:
Dear Sirs:

On 17.4.2013, I had been to Sanand for the inspection of our GIDC Plot at Sanand. From Ahmedabad to Sanand, I had to pass through a couple of miles of Express Highway for which the Toll Plaza SH 17 TPO1 has charged us Rs.75/- vide Transaction No. TP0L122130417132672 Date and Time 17.04.2013 11.09:34 Hrs.

We feel that the charges are extremely high for using this small piece of Express Highway. In fact, you should have not charged Toll tax for the same.

Please clarify it.

Hasmukh R. Shah

 

 

UD ministry looking into panel report on Airport Metro line

April 29, 2013

By PTI | 24 Apr, 2013, 09.10PM IST
NEW DELHI: The Urban Development Ministry has begun looking into the report of the two-member inquiry committee appointed to ascertain the causes of closure of the Airport Metro line.
Sources said the committee consisting of Additional Secretary D Diptivilasa and then Additional Member (Works) in the Railway Board A K Gupta presented its findings in a 103- page report along with 119 pages of annexures to Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna from where it has been sent to Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath’s office.

Sources said the committee has found certain lapses on the part of different stakeholders including officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), a consultant and one of the contractors associated with the project besides the concessionaire which was operating the line.

“The committee has submitted its report and all I can say at this moment is that presently it is under examination in the ministry,” Krishna said when asked.

The Delhi Airport Metro Private Limited had to stop operations of the line on July 8, 2012 following serous defects which could even have endangered passenger safety.

Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Road Ministry asks NHAI to resolve row with road developers

April 29, 2013

By YASHODHARA DASGUPTA, ET Bureau | 25 Apr, 2013,
Road Ministry asks NHAI to resolve row with road developers
NEW DELHI: The road ministry has asked the National Highways Authority of India(NHAI) to expedite the process of resolving disputes with highway developers by the independent committee set up under the Authority to review individual cases and send its recommendations to the NHAI board.

Since its inception earlier this year, the committee has taken up seven cases of pending claims but is yet to resolve any of them, said ministry officials. At present, about 227 cases with 10,963 crore of developer dues are stuck under arbitration or are pending in court.

“We have asked them to meet more frequently and would like them to sit each week, so that they can resolve multiple cases swiftly,” said a highways ministry official, who didn’t wish to be named. Many of these claims are due to delays in land acquisition, change in scope, officials’ reluctance to sign off on deviations and cost escalations permitted under the contract, restricting the ability of developers to bid for new projects.

In November 2012, the NHAI board had approved a three-stage system to resolve disputes under which pending claims and cases are first referred to a committee of chief general managers from NHAI. Then it is taken to the three-member independent settlement advisory committee ( ISAC), which reviews the recommendations and can communicate and negotiate with contractors. Their recommendations are then taken to the board for approval. The seven pending claims are currently stuck at the second level. The ministry hopes to fast-track settlement of claims, some of which go back to projects awarded as far back as 1997-98, and release the much-needed capital – stuck in financial disputes – back into the funds-starved sector.

Source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

NHAI yet to set target for BOT projects

April 29, 2013

By YASHODHARA DASGUPTA, ET Bureau | 29 Apr, 2013, 05.00AM IST

NHAI is yet to set a target for BOT projects in 2013-14, as it is awaiting clarity on proposals to ease funding constraints for highway developers.
 
(NHAI is yet to set a target for BOT projects in 2013-14, as it is awaiting clarity on proposals to ease funding constraints for highway developers.)
 NEW DELHI: National Highways Authority of India is yet to set a formal target for Build Operate Transfer projects in 2013-14, as it is awaiting clarity on proposals to ease funding constraints for highway developers. In the last 13 months, as many as 17 projects found no takers because of the severe equity crunch plaguing infra firms, while the clampdown on mining has made projects near such belts unviable, say highways authority officials.

By the end of 2012-13, thirteen projects at a total project cost of Rs16,000 crore received no financial bids, though some of them were put on the block more than once. This financial year, infrastructure companies gave three annuity-based projects worth Rs1,900 crore a miss despite the government assuring payment in such a model. In all, National Highways Authority of India was able to award projects covering 1,116 km in 2012-13, while 1822 km got no bids. “It is very clear especially if you see that even annuity projects did not get a response, that there is a total lack of equity in the market,” said RP Singh, chairman of National Highways Authority of India.

“Unless our two proposals on easier exit options for concessionaires and back-loading of premium are agreed to, it will be very hard to go ahead with BOT projects in the sector,” he cautioned. The beginning of the year saw infrastructure majors GMRBSE -0.47 % and GVK walk out of mega-projects worth over Rs10,000 crore. National Highways Authority of India officials said Ashoka Buildcon has also sent a notice seeking termination of its Rs1,100 crore project in Odisha. While the companies have cited regulatory and clearance issues, the highways authority says companies are backing out as they are facing severe financial stress. “The industry has seen the effects of aggressive bidding in 2010-11 and 2011-12 that lead to problems with financial closure.

NHAI has also not been able to provide the clearances required and there is a policy lacunae going on that has made investors cautious,” said an official of a prominent infrastructure firm that was selected in the pre-qualification rounds in many of the 17 projects. “The clampdown on mining in states like Karnataka and Orissa has also affected viability of projects in those areas because of the sharp decline in mining traffic,” he added. Two projects in Karnataka worth close to Rs2000 crore and three projects in Odisha including the Chandikhole to Paradeep and Chandikole to Talcher stretches saw no interest despite the fact they were offered a few times.

“Regulations on exit options have been difficult, capital for many companies is blocked in existing projects and policy issues like land availability are the reasons why interest has waned in highway projects off-late. Earlier people used to take a risk even with land availability issues, but that confidence has gone away because of which companies have also stopped implementing projects,” said Sunil Kanoria, vice-chairman, Srei InfrastructureBSE 1.73 %. The highways ministry is currently drafting a revised note for the Cabinet on allowing companies to divest 100% of their equity in existing projects as well as easier norms of substitution of concessionaires.

If approved, this could free up equity from existing projects, which could be invested in new projects. The ministry is also working on the deferral of premium payment by companies like GMR. About 25 companies with premium of Rs97,000 crore are facing financial stress and could be interested in this option, according to National Highways Authority of India

Source- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Pedestrian safety at transit areas

April 22, 2013

Prof. P.K. Sarkar & Satyajit Ganguli

Prof. P.K. Sarkar, who is engaged in teaching, research and consulting work in transport planning, traffic engineering, road safety and transport feasibility studies at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and Satyajit Ganguli, his student, discuss a case study on Pedestrian Safety at Transit Areas in Delhi Urban Area.

Pedestrians are extremely exposed and vulnerable even within the transit areas due to the presence of vehicular traffic in most of the Indian cities. Transit areas include right from the bus stop, bus station, bus terminal to railway terminal, inland water transport terminal and airport terminal. Even at the interchange where both a central bus station and a metro station coexist, the dispersal of pedestrian traffic is of paramount importance. Walkways have a very important role to play in linking the interchange points of different transport systems – bus, trains, metro to allow easy and comfortable dispersal. This distance should be the shortest and the most direct route which should be walkable and safe. From this perspective, the integration of the bus station with the metro stations through a walkway that allows people easy access with minimal conflict ensures pedestrian friendly environment.

As per the household survey in the study area conducted in 2001 by RITES Ltd, a total of 17.6 million trips are being performed per day. The per capita trip rate in the study area has been estimated at 1.27 (PCTR of 1.1 in 1993-94). Survey at 43 railway stations in Delhi revealed that about 1.0 million trips were performed by rail per day. Out of these about 9 per cent trips were moving within the city while the rest 91 per cent were intercity trips.

Nearly one-third of daily travel trips in Delhi are walk trips. Yet, the walkers remain invisible in the maze of motorised traffic that chokes our roads. Pedestrians walk in extremely unsafe and hostile conditions, in constant conflict with motorised traffic, and are easy victims to crashes and accidents. Countless people walk over potholes, slip on sludge, or are grievously hurt by bumping into numerous obstacles strewn along the footpaths. Getting good walkways is only the first step towards creating non-motorised space in our cities. This is possible only if the urban transport policy as stipulated in NUTP can be pursued to making the environment safe and friendly.

Nizamuddin transit area

A study carried out at the Nizamuddin transit area highlights the problems and risks associated with pedestrian traffic. From the analysis of attitudinal characteristics of the users, it shows that the intra-region and intra-city passengers give more priority to integrated ticketing because they are daily commuters while inter-city passengers give more priority to information system and availability of modes for dispersal. The lack of signages creates problems for inter-city passengers.

44 per cent pedestrians feel that the reason for walking on road instead of sidewalks is lack of appropriate footpath width while 15 per cent pedestrians feel the obstructions created by tree, light pole or a garbage bin as other major reasons.

18 per cent pedestrians feel the absence of signages causing another inconvenience and impediment in regard to poor information system.

80 per cent pedestrian prefer zebra crossings while 9 per cent preferring foot over-bridges.

70 per cent pedestrians feel that the reason behind fatalities of pedestrians is the lack of pedestrian facilities while 15 per cent pedestrian feel that the fatalities are due to carelessness of drivers.

Apart from Nizamuddin Railway Terminal transit area, ISBT and Kashmiri Gate were also studied in order to appreciate pedestrian behaviour. The responses of pedestrian traffic were not also positive towards facilities provided to them. Therefore, there is an imperative need to address the issues of pedestrian safety at the transit areas.

In view of these, the following are some recommendations made in order to make the transit areas more safe and environment friendly as shown in the photos 1-4.

 

Facilities for Pedestrian Traffic in Transit Areas

A. Walkable area within transit area

• The permissible walking distance in transit area is 400m and the sufficient area for pedestrians to be aware of other pedestrians in transit area is required to be 1.9-3.3 sq. m/person.

• The greatest pedestrian capture rate for public transit occurs when transit stops are within a 10-minute walking distance from source.

• Direct pedestrian path makes it easier for people to walk.

 

B. Pedestrian facilities in transit areas — walkways

• Pedestrian walkways should be planned with minimum width of 2m with accessible grade changes.

• Pedestrians should not have to walk more than 200m to escalators, ramps or elevators to change floor level to access transit.

C. Sidewalks

• 1.5m to 2m sidewalk for light pedestrian traffic.

• 5m or more sidewalks for heavy pedestrian traffic.

• To allow walking at near normal speeds the sidewalks must provide continuity without any obstacles.

• The sidewalks should have at least 3.25m wide path (considering disabled pedestrians).

D. Crosswalks

• The crosswalks should be provided at every 30m on the pedestrian streets.

• At the zebra crossing, width of zebra crossing should be within the range of 2m-4m.

• The minimum island size should be 15 sq. m.

• The radii at the corner of the streets varies from 0.7m to 1.7m and with curbside parking, it can vary from 1.7m to 3.5m.

• In case of raised median, being used as pedestrian refuge, such portion could be suitable depressed with curb height not exceeding 15 cm.

E. Ramps

• Ramps must have maximum slope of 1: 20. A level walking space should be provided at the top of the ramp.

• The ramps and landings are required where the slope exceeds 5 per cent.

• For ramps, maximum permissible slope is 8.33 per cent with minimum width of 1m.

• Handrails should be installed along the side of the ramp; more than 0.15m or the length should be greater than 2m.

• The diameter of the handrail should not be more than 0.035 m for proper gripping.

F. Other pedestrian facilities in transit areas

• Signages can add several pedestrian friendly qualities to the streets.

• Use of special paving to break up an expanse or to link pedestrian path with the transit stop restricting pedestrian and vehicular conflicts.

• Street trees should be placed less than 30m apart.

Source- http://www.projectsmonitor.com

Only 24% of towns and cities have master plans!- -Venugopal Pillai

April 22, 2013

R Ramanan

— R. Ramanan, Managing Director & CEO, CMC Ltd

CMC, a Tata Enterprise, recently diversified into intelligent transport systems.R. Ramanan gives Venugopal Pillai keen insights into how only such systems can provide a lasting solution to India’s urban transportation worries. Ramanan explains that by 2030, India will have 60 cities each with millionplus population, seriously straining our transport infrastructure.

Tell us about the rationale behind CMC’s foray into intelligent transport systems. 

CMC has always been a leader and trendsetter in the IT & Technology space, and has been tapping newer opportunities that can make lives better and smarter.

Public transport currently accounts for 22 per cent of urban transportation in India, which is way below the basic service standard of 50 per cent and the global benchmark of 82 per cent. Of the 85 cities that have population of more than half a million, only 20 have city bus services. All these factors are leading to increased usage of private transport, which in turn increases pollution, congestion and unsafe travel coupled with higher costs of travel for poor. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are first of the many steps we envision will drive increased use of public transport since it helps users to be better informed and make coordinated choices from the transport networks available to them.

With the increasing vehicle density in urban cities, CMC’s overall vision is to devise a technology solution to make public transportation in the cities more efficient, comfortable and customer friendly so that citizens are encouraged to wean away from excessive use of personal vehicles. Thus, leading to improved traffic efficiency, reduced traffic congestion and fuel consumption, improved environment quality, energy efficiency and improved economic productivity.

We strongly believe that Intelligent Transport System is a project of national importance, which can be replicated to make public transport more commuter-friendly and efficient in all our cities which are undergoing urban renewal. Delivering innovative and world-class solutions for projects of national importance has been in the DNA of CMC, and with the rapid urbanisation and economic development, there would be a steep increase in the demand for innovative urban transportation systems, to ease traffic woes and reduce the impact of transport on the environment.

We expect that this trend will be coupled with “integrated” intelligent transport system in future, which will enable multi-mode travel and would help commuters plan their journey in advance. Seamless exchange and single tickets will become the norm of the day. We can already see an evidence of the same in National Common Mobility Card, which serves as a single point of transaction across different modes of transportation like metro, taxi, bus, train and ferry.

Can you discuss the need for ITS in India, given the rapid urbanisation? 
Only 24 per cent of India’s 7,935 towns and cities have master plans! These urban master plans are formulated broadly in context of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme implementation, guided under 74th CAA and its subsequent implementation by states. On paper, while these town/cities may have master plans, they are esoteric rather than practical and riddled with exceptions.

McKinsey Global Institute report on ‘India’s urban awakening: Building inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth – April 2010,’ reported that no Indian city has a 2030 Transportation Plan, nor has anybody allocated enough space and appropriate zoning for affordable housing.

With estimates, that by 2030 India will have 60 cities with more than a million population each, the strain on our transport infrastructure will be enormous. To add to this, in India, 90 per cent of public transport is through buses, except Mumbai, where urban rail transport is reliable. Some statistical figures like 14 standing passengers per sq meter are quite alarming and a threat to safe travel. The general perception around our public bus transport is that it is unreliable, unpunctual, unsafe, prone to delays, highly polluting, and so on. Insufficient transport infrastructure has led to increase in private vehicles thereby increasing both congestion and emissions even more.

Given the situation, innovative and intelligent transport systems will help address the critical issue of customer service by improving the productivity and efficiency of public transportation. With ITS, one could plan a commute knowing in advance the exact time a bus would arrive at the bus stand, availability of seats, and the time it would take to reach the destination, thus, saving on the waiting time at the bus stands and avoiding overcrowded buses. Information such as schedules, arrival/departure time, location, etc. can be obtained through satellite based GPS and disseminated through large LED displays and also as customised mobile text messages to registered users. This certainty and customised service would help in attracting commuters to the public transport system and help improve the overall traffic congestion issue.

CMCThe Mysore intelligent transport project, as we understand, has been a landmark in India’s ITS-related efforts. Tell us about the project vis-à-vis CMC’s role and how CMC intends to capitalise on the experience.

 
CMC was the lead system integrator for the project. We provided end-to-end solutions from designing, implementation to maintenance of the system for next three years.

The aim was to make transport more intelligent and more userfriendly. As part of the project we covered 500 buses, 105 bus stops, 6 bus terminals and 45 platforms in Mysore. In-vehicle systems were used which included Vehicle Mounted Units. These systems had all the necessary technology equipments and services like central servers and operator consoles, disaster recovery site, digital signage, centralised helpdesk and management. To impart scalability, we have also integrated it with electronic ticketing system.

CMC is engaged in and exploring several intelligent transportation system projects that can leverage GPS, mobile and cloud technologies to enable citizens to receive real time information on state transport, thus, enabling efficient and productive use of the system. We will definitely draw on our experience in implementing the same in other cities as well.

This is the first of its kind project in India. While we plan to replicate this at the earliest in other parts of India we will also collate feedback from this project to ensure continuous improvements in future implementations.

Introducing intelligent and smart transport solutions in India will have to be a progressive affair. What can be quickly done to set the process in motion? 
We need to educate the concerned bodies on the benefits of implementing ITS. Every city has its own challenges. For example, in Mumbai the traffic is two-way. Some cities are circular and have different traffic patterns. Bengaluru is an IT city; due to IT parks and establishments, there is a particular kind of traffic pattern in the city. One can see Volvo buses’ plying only to and from IT hubs and not in other parts of Bangalore. Economy of the city is another important factor. Traffic pattern is diverse across the cities, and as a result, a customised approach has to be adopted while deploying ITS in each state.

It takes six months to one year to make systems fully operational. It also depends upon the traffic, population density and condition of the bus fleet. All this information has to be there with government bodies to at least roll out the first phase of the project; rest will follow automatically.

Amongst the developing countries, which are those that have recorded progress in the field of ITS?


As far as developing countries are concerned, they are yet to adapt properly to ITS and haven’t shown any significant progress. ITS adaption in India is a significant step in development of ITS systems. It will also set an example for other developing nations.

Currently, developed countries and cities like Spain, California, New York etc. are doing exceptionally well in the field of ITS.

Private sector is playing an important role in India’s transport infrastructure involving itself in diverse aspects ranging from national highways to high-technology metro rail systems. How do you generally assess the future role of private sector (and also the PPP model)? 


Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will be one of the largest private contributions to transforming transport infrastructure in the future. Technologies enabling intelligent tracking, mobility, analytics to name a few, will emerge as the tools to convenient, efficient and smart infrastructure. Due to growing economic development across the country the requirements are also growing.

Private sector will also play an important role in working with government bodies to meet these requirements.

As far as the PPP model is concerned, the understanding between government and private sector bodies is getting better. Private sector can deliver services more effectively without excessive government involvement.

Urban planners say that an efficient public transport is a lasting solution to decongest vehicular traffic in cities. What is your view? How can intelligent transport systems make things even better? 
In India, by 2030, 590 million people will live in cities. As against 42 cities today, 68 cities will have a population of 1 million plus. 2.5 billion miles of roads will have to be paved, 20 times more than the last decade. Around 7,400 km of metros and subways will have to be constructed, 20 times more than in the last decade. All these things call for a system which can help in effective and efficient management of the infrastructure and transport systems. This is where ITS will come to the rescue, as it can help make things better than the existing situation.

ITS will provide several benefits to managing bodies like green egovernance to reduce traffic congestion, improve environmental quality and energy efficiency, improve economic productivity, key MIS and analytics for efficiency improvement and planning, online tracking of vehicles using GPS, better routing and thus, minimising fuel consumption, ensuring driving discipline and an overall enhanced commuter satisfaction.

Besides this, ITS will provide several benefits to the commuters, like online tracking of vehicles through GPS systems for commuters ,online and real time information, SMS alerts, information of bus arrivals of a specific route to all its users through large LED displays at bus stops which will result in a more reliable and dependable transport system.

All these benefits make ITS effective solution in dealing with increasing vehicular traffic in various cities.

Source- http://www.projectsmonitor.com

Coming Soon: Toyota’s smart-cars that can communicate with each other

April 22, 2013

Susono, Japan: Toyota Motor Corp is testing car safety systems that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and with the roads they are on in a just completed facility in Japan the size of three baseball stadiums.

The cars at the Intelligent Transport System site receive information from sensors and transmitters installed on the streets to minimize the risk of accidents in situations such as missing a red traffic light, cars advancing from blind spots and pedestrians crossing the street. The system also tests cars that transmit such information to each other.

In a test drive for reporters Monday, the presence of a pedestrian triggered a beeping sound in the car and a picture of a person popped up on a screen in front of the driver. A picture of an arrow popped up to indicate an approaching car at an intersection. An electronic female voice said, “It’s a red light,” if the driver was about to ignore a red light.

The 3.5 hectare test site looks much like the artificial roads at driving schools, except bigger, and is in a corner of the Japanese automaker’s technology center near Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

Toyota’s Lexus LS stops automatically in front of a dummy during a Toyota Motor Corp. demonstration of the pre-collision system (PCS) at its Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Susono. AP

Toyota officials said the smart-car technology it is developing will be tested on some Japanese roads starting in 2014. Similar tests are planned for the US, although details were not decided. Such technology is expected to be effective because half of car accidents happen at intersections, according to Toyota.

Managing Officer Moritaka Yoshida said Toyota sees preventing collisions, watching out for pedestrians and helping the driving of the elderly as key to ensuring safety in the cars of the future.

“We offer the world’s top-level technology,” he told reporters.

All automakers are working on pre-crash safety technology to add value to their cars, especially for developed markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. But the strongest sales growth is coming from emerging markets which are eventually expected to show more interest in safety technology.

Toyota’s Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co. recently showed cars that were smart enough to stop on their own, park themselves and swerve away from pedestrians who suddenly jumped into the vehicle’s path.

Toyota also showed a new feature that helps the driver brake harder to prevent bumping into the vehicle in front. Toyota officials said drivers often fail to push hard on their brakes in such situations because they get into a panic.

Toyota said the technology will be available “soon,” without giving a date, and hinted it will be offered for Lexus luxury models. Luxury models already offer similar safety features such as automatic braking. Technology involving precise sensors remains expensive, sometimes costing as much as a cheaper Toyota car.

Toyota has also developed sonar sensors that help drivers avoid crashing in parking lots. One system even knows when the driver pushes on the gas pedal by mistake instead of the brakes, and will stop automatically.

Rear-end collisions make up 34 percent of car accidents in Japan, comprising the biggest category, followed by head-on collisions at 27 percent.

Cars that stop and go on their own, avoiding accidents, are not pure science fiction, experts say.

Alberto Broggi, professor at the University of Parma and an expert on intelligent transportation systems, said the idea of the accident-free cars is “very hot,” and probably within reach on some roads within several years.

“I’m sure we will arrive to such a technology even if I don’t know when exactly,” he said.

AP

Source-http://www.firstpost.com

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