Drive smart: how digitalization is changing the transport infrastructure of cities

The efficiency and safety of the modern transport system, a key factor in urban development, directly depend on the introduction of smart technologies. In Russia, digitalization of transport infrastructure has turned from a conceptual direction into a practical reality, largely due to the implementation of the national project "Safe, high-quality Roads" and the development of domestic technological solutions. Industry experts talk about changes in this area in the Izvestia article.

The National project as a driver of change

According to Elena Lekomtseva, Director of Urban Technologies at Rosatom's Infrastructure Solutions division, "transport has the highest priority because it is always a driver of the territory's development."

Over the past decade, intelligent transport systems (ITS) have transformed from exotic to the standard for Russian cities. Both in the capital and in the regions, technologies are being introduced that organize traffic on the roads and record violations. The infrastructure is actively getting smarter, and this makes it possible to achieve high levels of comfort and movement.

— Until recently, it seemed that digital solutions were relevant only for megacities. Now I am sure that in any city with more than 150-200 thousand inhabitants, these solutions are necessary. Objectively, the streets are not getting wider in cities. The funds that the budget spends on the reconstruction of the highway are disproportionately higher than the cost of organizing transport in a new way - with dedicated lanes for public transport, smart parking management, adaptive traffic lights," Lekomtseva emphasizes.

The national project has given the regions an incentive and targeted financing to implement ITS. The aim of the project is to integrate road management processes, establish uniform safety parameters, reduce road deaths and relieve cities of traffic jams. Within its framework, automated traffic light control systems, detectors for measuring the intensity of flows, automatic detection systems for violations, public transport management systems and integration platforms for combining all subsystems were introduced.

Technological sovereignty

Digitalization projects for transport infrastructure are currently being implemented in 84 regions of Russia. Even in small towns, individual elements of ITS are emerging: video cameras, public address systems, and smart street lighting.

An important feature of the current stage is Russia's almost complete technological independence in this area. According to analysts, the share of domestic software and hardware complexes in the ITS segment - from photo and video fixation to integration platforms for urban transport management — is approaching 100%.

This result was achieved thanks to the active work of Russian companies, including those belonging to the Rosatom State Corporation. The most in demand on the market are the complexes of photo-video recording of traffic violations, traffic management systems (ASMDS), which allow creating "green waves", and complex integrated ITS, combining all components into a single platform.

— The availability of analytics systems is a very important trend. With the development of technology, this process has become shorter and easier, as computing power has been transferred to end devices. For example, an intelligent camera analyzes the entire traffic flow and highlights incidents and only transmits them further. In order for such an infrastructure to be efficient and meet the standards of the time, each element must be as autonomous and intelligent as possible," explains Ivan Mordanov, Deputy Director for ITS at Shvabe—Moscow.

The strategy of customers has shifted from point-to-point implementations to long-term complex projects for several years ahead, which at the same time ensures the interconnection of subsystems and the best return on investment.

Safety, expediency, social impact

The effectiveness of these investments is clearly demonstrated by specific examples. In Zheleznovodsk, the introduction of "smart" pedestrian crossings with light alarms that light up at night has led to a seven-fold decrease in the number of accidents in these areas. Such decisions dramatically change the situation in high-risk areas.

One of the Russian cities with a population of about 500,000 people faced a classic problem: traffic jams during rush hours, low capacity of key highways. Instead of expensive road reconstruction, the customer chose the integrated implementation of ITS. As a result, adaptive traffic light control made it possible to increase the average speed on one of the streets by 35%, reduce travel time by 14% and reduce the number of transport stops by 50%. The capacity of the complex street has increased by 800 vehicles per hour. This effect was achieved not by huge investments in road expansion, but by optimizing the existing infrastructure.

ITS implementation leads not only to increased throughput, but also to a fundamental increase in security.

— Today we see that the range of recorded violations has significantly expanded: This is not only speeding, but also using phones while driving, unbuckling seat belts, even exceeding the noise level, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, and much more," Ivan Mordanov notes.

Experts assess the social impact of the introduction of digital services as significant. As Elena Lekomtseva points out, "the driving culture has improved significantly, including because convenient digital services have appeared." Statistics show a decrease in the number of violations and a decrease in deaths on the roads. Society has also adapted to paid services: people are used to paying for parking and toll roads, realizing that they get comfort and safety in return.

"Now this is the norm, and drivers understand that the level of safety and comfort on the toll road is much higher, the roadway is fenced, and all the most comfortable conditions are provided so that you can quickly get from point A to point B," the expert states.

From an economic point of view, digitalization often proves to be more beneficial than traditional infrastructure expansion. The construction of new lanes costs billions of rubles and takes years, resulting in a 20-30% increase in throughput. The implementation of an integrated IT system costs hundreds of millions of rubles, is implemented in a couple of years and can increase throughput by 35% or more. Digitalization does not eliminate the need to build new roads, but it allows you to postpone these costs for 10-15 years, during which the city can find additional sources of financing.

Development trends

The development of intelligent transport systems is linked to several specific trends. These are the introduction of artificial intelligence for predictive analytics and management, the preparation of infrastructure for integration with unmanned vehicles using V2X technology, the development of public transport, as well as integrated automation of parking space management.

Deep integration of systems and data will play a significant role in the future.

— I also cannot fail to note a sharp leap in the development of IT solutions in the field of public transport. Unified digital ticket systems for all passengers are emerging in cities. This is not just a single digital wallet, it is a method of analyzing the loading of routes by hours, days of the week, districts, and even key stops," adds Ivan Mordanov.

The next logical step would be to scale such solutions to the agglomeration level.

— In the short term, I believe that automation solutions for the entire parking lot will become the drivers of change. In the medium term, this is definitely integration with unmanned vehicles and AI—based systems," predicts Elena Lekomtseva.

Experts also pay attention to such an important part of the urban environment as parking.

— Now the relevance of urban paid parking projects has increased, which have a positive effect on the traffic situation: they unload roads and reduce the number of accidents. Paid parking is a mandatory system to achieve ITS level III maturity. In addition to influencing the fractional situation, parking provides an increase in the safety and comfort of the urban environment, as it can be a data source for several systems — parking system, ITS, Safe City, Smart City, — says Nadezhda Kalinina, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence of the Lipetsk region.

Thus, the digital era in transportation has already arrived. Industry experts and ordinary citizens agree on this, observing the steps of digitalization from their own experience every day. Domestic solutions have proven their effectiveness in increasing the capacity of roads, their safety and the formation of a new culture of mobility, making cities safer, smarter and more livable.