The expectations placed on the existing European road transport infrastructure are increasing due to the growing mobility needs of the population on the one hand, and the rising volume of freight traf fic on the other. At the same time, we intend to improve the quality of life of the European citizens by reducing emissions. We have agreed to make Europe climate-neutral by the year 2050 and to further reduce the number of road fatalities and injuries. In order to ensure security of supply, by maintaining supply chains, individual freedom of travel together with climate goals and traf fic safety in the future, an ef ficient use of the existing road infrastructure through the use of new and innovative technologies is indispensable.
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) enable managing traffic flows and keeping users informed, thus making the best use of the infrastructure. Traffic and data flows are increasing within Europe, as well as cross-border traffic and the need for data exchange, making it all the more important to harmonise the technical and organisational framework conditions.
Within the framework of the European ITS Platform (EU EIP), co-financed by the European Commission, the ITS Deployment Guidelines, which were developed in previous projects (EasyWay, EIP+), were fundamentally revised to further harmonise the technical and organisational implementation of ITS. For example, due to the entry into force of the Delegated Regulations for the provision of: road safety relevant traf fic information 886/2013, information services for safe and secure parking areas for trucks and commercial vehicle 885/2013, EU-wide real-time traffic information services 2015/962 and EU-wide multimodal travel information 2017/1926, a revision of the ITS Deployment Guidelines was necessary to maintain compliance with the regulations. In addition, new features and innovations have been introduced, in order to respond to recently arising topics, such as digitalisation of road transport:
The Reference Handbook (an accessible download you find here) was created by ITS experts and practitioners and refined in a commentary process by member states experts. The innovations introduced ensure that the content is comprehensive and up to date, as well as underpin its credibility and relevance. In addition, its significantly improved accessibility ensures that the various users can easily obtain the necessary information. The Reference Handbook constitutes an essential basis for a harmonised and cross-border implementation of ITS services. Thus, it is a powerful tool in the ef fort to master the challenges of the European transport infrastructure described at the beginning. It makes a significant contribution to maintain a competitive European economy and constitutes a major component on the road to a modern and climate neutral society