Officially announced at the end of 2014, “Smart Mobility 2030” is Singapore’s master plan that outlines how the country will develop its Intelligent Transport System (ITS) over the next 15 years. Under this plan, Singapore will implement innovative and sustainable smart mobility solutions to facilitate better, safe, and comfortable travel for commuters.
Four Focus Areas of the Intelligent Transport System
ITS initiatives and programmes revolve around 4 focal areas: Informative, Interactive, Assistive, and Green Mobility.
1. Informative: To build ITS solutions, LTA will need consistent, accurate, and reliable data. It will work with partners and transport operators to build advanced data collection techniques and systems and develop sensor deployment strategies. LTA is planning to use predictive analytics and data visualisation tools to derive insights into transport trends, travel behaviours, and possible traffic scenarios.
2. Interactive: To create more opportunities for greater integration and interactivity between people-to-people, people-to-machine, and machine-to-machine, Singapore will use Intelligent Fleet Management System, Advanced Road Usage Demand Management, and Integrated Public Transport and Road Operations.
3. Assistive: To reduce traffic congestion and mitigate the impact of accidents on the roads, people need assistive solutions for safer travel. LTA will develop Connected Vehicles and Infrastructure to facilitate greater information sharing among vehicles. Under the Smart Mobility Plan, in-vehicle ITS telematics for better traffic-aware dynamic routing and intelligent parking guidance. The Singapore Autonomous Vehicle Initiative (SAVI) has been launched to explore the opportunities and challenges of harnessing vehicle technology for our land transport use. SMRT Corporation, a leading transport operator in Singapore, deployed an autonomous bus service through the Zipster mobile app. With support from the Economic Development Board and the Land Transport Authority, SMRT trained its bus captains to experience operating the autonomous buses of the future.
4. Sustainability: To promote sustainable transportation, LTA will raise public awareness and encourage them to use electric-powered vehicles. Industry players and research institutions will be key drivers for the development and promotion of environmentally-friendly “green” vehicles. For example, SMRT is working towards Singapore’s sustainability vision. As Land Transport Authority (LTA) encourages people to take public transport to reduce traffic congestion as well as pollution, SMRT has deployed electric taxis and also explored electric buses to reduce carbon footprint.
SMRT Chairman, Seah Moon Ming, said: “SMRT can contribute to the adoption of EVs and migration to green transport modes in Singapore. Our efforts include collaborating with relevant partners including SP Group in the pioneering of Electrification-as-a-Service.”
SMRT Chairman further added: “We have also tied up with China’s biggest commercial EV digital platform, DST Electric Vehicle Rental (Shenzhen) to provide EV services in Singapore and the region. We aim to make a complete switch to EV taxis in the next five years. This is only the beginning of our efforts towards helping Singapore realise its bold and inspiring vision.”
Commenting on sustainable transportation, SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong, said: “We saw an opportunity beyond just electric vehicles and partnered with SP Group to push for an ecosystem of connected electric services. Through both Mobility-as-a-Service and Electrification-as-a-Service, we intend to bring charging infrastructure and a diverse fleet of electric taxis, cars, vans, limousines, motorcycles, and buses to meet the evolving needs of a diverse local and regional market.”
Commenting on the same, Mr. Chew Hock Yong, Chief Executive of LTA said: “In the past, ITS was often infrastructure-reliant. Today, greater emphasis is placed on data collection, analytics, and the availability of relevant, useful information on the move.
Chew Hock further added: “It is crucial to ensure that Singapore can effectively tap on technological advancements and map out the overall direction for ITS developments in the next 15 years. Hence, LTA and ITSS came together to outline the new ITS vision and strategies to facilitate collaborations between various stakeholders and bring urban mobility to a new level.”
Conclusion
To make Smart Mobility 2030 successful, LTA is working in collaboration with all stakeholders and transport operators. The aforementioned strategies, ideas, and collective efforts from all parties will accelerate the development of ITS solutions for a sustainable land transport system in Singapore.
