Dear Chairman,
This annual progress letter describes, in accordance with the commitment to your Chamber, the developments, the main results achieved and the expected further development in the field of smart mobility in road traffic.
With smart mobility we use the opportunities of digitization and automation to create the most flexible multimodal mobility system possible, which contributes to traffic safety, sustainability and traffic flow. To this end, efforts are currently being made to transition smart mobility from the pilot phase to upscaling and structural embedding and incorporation into policy, legislation and regulations. Important steps have been taken in the past cabinet period in scaling up smart mobility applications. Travelers are already noticing this through better travel advice.
In the coming months, too, travelers are going to notice in-car warnings of approaching traffic jams, for example. Internationally, the Netherlands is one of the leaders in smart mobility: we are in second place in the 2020 KPMG Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index. The ambition is to remain in the lead.
In the development of smart mobility, innovations in vehicle automation play a major role. Many cars today are already equipped with all kinds of sensors and driving task support systems. Development is rapid, for example, in 2017 8.3 percent of new passenger car sales were equipped with blind spot warning or Blind Spot Warning, in 2020 this was already 21.3 percent and by 2050 we expect 65 to 87 percent of all cars in the Netherlands to be equipped with blind spot warning. A number of systems will be mandatory in new vehicles starting in 2024. 1) These innovations can contribute positively to road safety, traffic flow and sustainability, but they also involve uncertainties and risks. Cars are also becoming increasingly self-driving. These developments call for a continued development of the admission system so that new vehicles can continue to be responsibly admitted. This will be addressed later in this letter.
With smart mobility, travelers can plan their journey from door to door in advance using different means of transport including reserving a P+R parking space in advance, for example. In this way, traffic is optimally distributed over the various means of transport, with an intended effect on traffic flow, traffic safety and sustainability ambitions. This requires that all governments unlock traffic data, that this information is brought together and that agreements are made with travel apps to get this information to the traveler properly.
Digitization and automation also provide opportunities to better inform road users in the car during the journey. For example, through cooperation with navigation apps, we can now divert traffic when the current traffic situation calls for it, for example around school zones and roadworks. We can also inform road users in the car - on the dashboard or via apps on the phone - about an approaching traffic jam or when a lane is closed; this will be started early next year. This offers opportunities particularly at locations where there are no matrix signs or DRIPs with current traffic jam information or adjusted speed limits above the road. This cooperation with navigation services can lead to 20% fewer accidents due to traffic jams. IenW is also pushing in Europe for some form of an in-car information service obligation for service providers (of navigation services, for example). In this way, the opportunities of digitization and automation are exploited for traffic safety, traffic flow and sustainability.
For these new smart mobility opportunities, data are the foundation. For this reason, among other things, we are investing in the National Mobility Data Access Point (NTM), in which, for example, information about road layout, current traffic density, planned work and detour will be brought together. This allows us to share this information more easily with service providers of, for example, navigation apps and road managers, who in turn can provide the information to road users. Within Europe, our NTM is the most comprehensive national access point (National Action Point) for multimodal mobility data, making us ahead of European legislation and a frontrunner within Europe.
Since the letter and accompanying brochure that your Chamber received on November 30, 2020, concrete steps have been taken in the field of smart mobility.2) Innovations are being deployed in five main areas that can already help traffic flow more safely today and contribute to the transition to a new, smart and sustainable mobility system:
Authorization and use of automated vehicles,
digital mobility data system,
Mobility as a Service,
Future-proof infrastructure and management,
Collaboration with partners.
Below is a brief outline of the developments, the results achieved and the expected further development for each of the five main lines in turn. In part, this year's achievements build on those of recent years and the same will apply to the steps that can be expected in future years. For more context and the previously established direction, I refer you to the previously cited letter and accompanying brochure dated November 30, 2020.
Vehicles with driver assistance systems have been driving on our roads for quite some time. In general, these systems contribute positively to road safety, although they also create new uncertainties and risks that are closely monitored and mitigated. The recommendations from the report "Who is steering?
Road safety and automation in road traffic' 3), by the Dutch Safety Board (OvV), are still an important guide in this regard. Vehicles that can drive autonomously for part of the journey are currently not yet permitted in Europe 4), but introduction is getting close. The developments of vehicle automation require the further development of the approval system, so that the new areas of interest (such as the behavior of the vehicle during self-driving tasks, the interaction between driver and vehicle during semi-self-driving tasks and issues such as cyber security and privacy) are included in the approval requirements, as well as commitment to the safe use of automation.
Vehicle automation is reflected in three categories of systems:
driving assistance systems that support the driver in performing parts of the driving task;
emergency assistance systems that take over part of the driving task in emergency situations (collectively ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ); 5)
Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems (ADS) that can perform (parts of) the driving task completely independently.
Each category of vehicle automation requires a different approach in international admission requirements. Major automakers expect semi-self-driving cars to become the norm within four years.
New insights on automated vehicle systems are shared at international, European and national levels and work is underway at UNECE for more appropriate requirements for and safer use of automated vehicle systems. At the UNECE, European standards for driver assistance systems are set. At the national level, RDW, CBR and IenW are working on a description of the procedure that ensures that vehicles with automated vehicle systems safely participate in the existing traffic system, including a safe transfer phase (Vehicle Driving License Framework). For this purpose, circuit tests will take place before the end of this year. In addition, with the Exception Transport Exemption Decree (Boev) and the Experimentation Act, there are two instruments in the Netherlands with which automated transport can be safely tested in preparation of policy. Tests with shuttles and delivery robots have been running for some time. Experience is being gained with these, so that uncertainties can be kept to a minimum and lessons can be included in the further development of the permit.
Within the Dutch ADAS Alliance 6), 63 parties -including industry associations, damage repairers, training institutes, data providers and governments- are jointly committed to stimulate safe use of ADAS for the benefit of safety, sustainability and traffic flow.
Meanwhile, the ADAS Alliance already has good initiatives to its name, such as the ADAS Dictionary 7). This year, the ADAS Alliance is preparing the ADAS communication campaign, which aims to ensure that drivers are better aware of what driving assistance systems are in their vehicles, what they can and cannot do, and how to use them safely. The campaign will be launched in early 2022. Both RWS and the joint road authorities conducted analyses in 2021 on the operation of automated vehicles given the current road infrastructure guidelines. The identified bottlenecks will be further investigated, looking at whether the road authorities can contribute to better operation of ADAS systems.
Starting in July 2022, an additional number of driver assistance systems will become mandatory in new models at the European level, and from 2024 those same systems must be present in all newly produced vehicles.8) These include fatigue and smartphone usage warning systems, lane assist, parking sensors, emergency braking systems and intelligent speed limiters. This regulation also sets requirements for cyber security and a vehicle's software-controlled systems, among other things. Manufacturers remain responsible under these regulations throughout a vehicle's life cycle for the proper functioning of these digital services and their interaction with automotive technology.
Increased automation also leads to more cooperation between man and machine, where the division of responsibility is sometimes not obvious or immediately clear. This interaction between man and his or her environment (human factors), the Netherlands has contributed to the international discussion. Now, in addition to admission requirements for the vehicle itself, new concept requirements have been established for vehicle driving behavior and communication with the environment and the driver. The Netherlands also pushed for this within Euro NCAP. Led by the Netherlands, there is now the Human Machine Interaction Task Force within Euro NCAP. The goal is to make the assessment of the safety of human-vehicle interaction part of the Euro NCAP vehicle safety rating. This aims to improve not only the design of vehicle automation, but also, for example, the ability to operate the radio or air conditioning more safely.
From July 2022, it will also be possible to apply for European approval for the first batch of ADS that drive autonomously during traffic jams on the highway. Indeed, a regulation has recently been drafted that formulates uniform conditions for the approval of vehicles with Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS). ALKS independently regulates the forward and lateral movements of the vehicle within one lane of traffic and thus can take primary control of the vehicle itself for a certain period of time. Under these regulations, the scope of ALKS is limited (maximum 60 km/h, passenger cars only, on roads with a physical median strip) and can therefore only be used when the speed - for example, due to a traffic jam - is temporarily reduced. International work is currently underway to extend this functionality to higher speeds, other vehicle types and including lane changes. This requires careful consideration of the safety risks and testing in practice, here too the aforementioned principles for ADS are leading for the Netherlands.
Investigations surrounding driver assistance systems and automated vehicle systems are prepared in cooperation with implementing agencies and answered together with knowledge partners. For example, research is currently taking place into the problem of phantom braking, in which the vehicle brakes unexpectedly and undesirably automatically due to a driver assistance system and can therefore cause unsafe situations
cause. In this context, it is being investigated how an effective feedback loop can be realized so that these and other irregularities can be passed on to the appropriate party. In order to gain as much insight as possible into the possible risks, a point has been set up at the RDW where motorists can report these irregularities.
For the first batch of ADSs (systems that can perform the driving task completely independently), the Netherlands takes the position that innovation is positive, provided that it contributes to our ambition to improve road safety, that the innovation does not unnecessarily impede traffic flow, and that the innovation brings us closer to our sustainability ambition. In concrete terms, this means that every permitted vehicle must be able to deal adequately with all current Dutch road situations and all situations that can foreseeably occur on the road. So even around incidents and road works, or in specifically Dutch traffic situations, the system must show adequate and safe driving behavior. A sustainable driving style with behavior of vehicles that also does not unnecessarily impede traffic flow is a precondition for the Netherlands, as well as good cyber security and that it must be crystal clear and practicable for the driver when the vehicle makes the decisions and when the driver must take over the driving task again. In addition, the road behavior of vehicles after a software -update must still meet the requirements. In the further development of vehicle automation, there are also questions about legal liability when the vehicle makes decisions instead of the human driver and even has its own driving style. It is also necessary to examine how these developments will affect driver licensing and traffic laws.
Driver assistance systems already in use today are mostly assessed as individual systems for admission to traffic. In practice, the interaction of these systems during use can lead to misinterpretation of the driver's role. For this reason, international efforts are being made to assess driving assistance systems in relation to the extent to which they contribute to the person as a better driver.
To gain maximum benefit from digitization in mobility, steps are being taken: from the creation of data and its uniform disclosure to informing the traveler. At the same time, collecting and deploying data is not a goal in itself, but should contribute to achieving policy goals such as traffic safety. Mobility data often say something about the people who travel. Therefore, it must always be considered whether the social purpose for which the data are collected is in proportion to any impact on privacy. Principles such as minimizing, separating and anonymizing data must be taken into account from the outset. It must also be accounted for that how the data is collected can color our view of the system. Automated data collection can therefore never be the only way to shape or evaluate policy. Contact with and input from experts and citizens remains essential to ensure the human scale within our mobility system.
In line with European and national data policies, the government unlocks existing data through data desks. To unlock multimodal mobility information, cooperation with decentralized authorities is crucial. All regions 9) now have an operational Regional Data Team that must put the data access and quality in order and make connections within the region between national agreements, regional (policy) tasks and local data production and quality.10) They do this in line with the administrative agreements made in the BO MIRT of 2018, to become digitally capable in the mobility domain (including privacy and security guarantees). Part of these agreements is the Data Top 1 511). The Data Top 15 is both a measure of that digital transition and a direct quality improvement for use of that data by service providers and auto industry, but also for governments' own policy work, e.g. for more data-driven policies. The improvement efforts are funded in a 50%-50% ratio by the regions and IenW. Given the complexity of both the 15 data items (including sub-items, data retrieval and assurance) and also the large number of governments and government departments (both local, regional and national road management) from which action is required, there is a lot of technical, substantive and organizational work to be done to get to the level of 90% of all data items in order nationwide and to organize their management permanently after 2023, including the necessary budgets.
To achieve quality improvement and assurance, provinces, municipalities and IenW are working closely together such as on a joint roadmap/architecture and we are deploying additional support and management on the national coordination of the Data Top 15. In addition, the national government is also organizing nationwide the proper facilities to share data with market and governments in the NTM.
To use mobility data to increase traffic safety and improve traffic flow, it is important that the data be collected and passed on to navigation apps, for example. That is why the National Mobility Data Access Point (NTM) was launched this month. The NTM will make multimodal mobility data accessible for applications such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), informing road users and evaluating policy. This includes data from the National Roads Database, traffic decisions, public transport data from DOVA 12) and data collected by the National Data Portal Road Traffic (NDW ). Here the focus is on collecting data once, in order to use this data for multiple applications. This can lead to significant cost and time savings for governments and industry. The NTM simplifies standardization and focuses on improving the quality of existing registrations. The NTM also includes cooperation with other European countries, so that data can be exchanged internationally and smart mobility applications can also be scaled up on a European scale. Improved standardization and agreements on data quality under NTM will also make it easier to make agreements with navigation service providers to pass on public information about, for example, speed limits and road lane closures to end users.
Navigation services, car manufacturers and other industry -parties can use public data to develop innovative in-car information services. However, the information delivery to road users is now fragmented, because the functionalities are different per provider or the car cannot (yet) receive the notifications, while safety warnings have a great positive effect on safety for both those of drivers and emergency responders. For example, traffic jam tail warnings can prevent 1 in 5 rear-end collisions. This is already possible in places where matrix signs hang above the road, but bringing the information into the vehicle will reach more road users. In 2025, a form of service obligation for in-car safety information is expected to appear in European legislation. Thanks to public data investments, the Netherlands is at the forefront of this development. For example, through cooperation with industry, we can already get certain priority safety information to the road user in the car. These include arriving emergency and rescue services, warnings of approaching traffic jams and red crosses when lanes are closed. This includes agreements on what constitutes safe notification and a fee to the service provider against each mile driven with the active service. Thus, payment is made only for the effect on the street. That effect is closely monitored.
The new possibilities offered by smart mobility also raise new questions about the role of government and the protection of privacy. To fulfill the promise of social added value of these innovations, government organizations sometimes have to add new activities or perform existing tasks in a different way. Examples include using data from vehicles to detect incidents and other dangerous road conditions earlier, smart traffic lights that connect to vehicles for traffic management purposes, as well as MaaS applications that combine data from different transport streams.
Especially when this involves additional data processing, there must be a clear consideration of whether and to what extent this is necessary and how best to design it.
Moreover, it is not always clear whether such tasks are straightforwardly possible within the current legal frameworks. As a result, the application of these innovations is delayed or only takes place in a limited form. Therefore, we are currently investigating for which purposes the processing of mobility data by the government is desirable and which legal bases may be required. In doing so, the various public interests are being carefully weighed. In the European context, it is also important to have clarity about rules surrounding the processing of data, which is why the European Commission is being urged to pay explicit attention to this issue.
The European Commission is working on an EU-wide data space for mobility data, in this the Dutch NTM can serve as a good example. 13) This year also saw the launch of the European NAPCORE project, which runs until December 2024. The purpose of the project is to promote coordination between member states' NTMs and national authorities responsible for compliance with European legislation. All 27 member states plus Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are involved. In addition, with the renewed Intelligent Transport Systems - Directive, the European Commission is pushing for making it mandatory for market players to provide information services to road users. This directive is expected to take effect in 2025. The Netherlands supports the European Commission's course, with the condition that the legislation also eventually results in concrete services for road users.
With Mobility as a Service (MaaS), travelers can use integrated apps to plan, book and pay for all available transportation options. All forms of (partial) mobility can be found and compared in these apps, which makes planning, booking and paying for a composite chain trip with, for example, bus, train and shared bike easy and simple. This allows the mobility system to be more flexible. This contributes to our ambition to achieve a smart and sustainable transport system that is flexible and demand-oriented, and whose mutual parts connect seamlessly. MaaS can also help optimize the overall mobility system and increase utilization rates of the various modes of transport.
As a consequence of the current coalition agreement, IenW has chosen to stimulate MaaS. This has involved a public-private approach with seven regional pilots, each with a different approach: an employer approach, spreading and substitution of transport, better connecting target group transport and public transport and facilitating cross-border public transport. Over the past period, eight apps have been developed by market players and are now available in appstores. The aim of this approach is to learn in practice whether MaaS leads to behavioral change of users and what the effects are on the mobility system. In addition, it will allow the market of providers (public transport, cab, shared mobility) to better align their offerings with transport demand. Ultimately, this should lead to conclusions about the potential of MaaS and the possible structural embedding and incorporation into policy and legislation, for example in the field of data access, standardization and public transport policy.
The current policy is to move from pilots to structural embedding. Because Covid-19 allowed limited deployment of travel via MaaS apps, the pilots have been delayed and will not be evaluated and finalized in 2021 but in 2022. The evaluation will look at which goals in terms of, for example, numbers of travelers and (partial) mobility providers to be connected have been achieved and to what extent the pilots have had an impact on travel behavior, accessibility, road safety and sustainability. Partly on the basis of this evaluation it will be determined what needs to be structurally safeguarded from the government side in the coming years, for example in the area of data standards, public transport concessions and the role of market parties. For more information about the pilots, please refer to the previous letter to your Chamber about MaaS.14)
Besides gaining insight into the possible positive contribution of MaaS for the mobility system, MaaS is also anchored in the standing mobility policy.
On the basis of administrative agreements made in June 2019, work is underway on the implementation of MaaS within the public transport concessions in coordination with the public transport sector and in consultation with fellow governments. This will enable market parties to provide public transport tickets at similar conditions as the public transport companies starting in 2022. Furthermore, IenW will also implement MaaS in the new concession for the main rail network. In addition, standards will be developed for cross-border public transport payment, to stimulate international public transport. The commitment is to use the developed Dutch MaaS standard for international standardization through the aforementioned NAPCORE project.
To ensure better connectivity of partial mobility to the apps of MaaS service providers, the use of national standards15) by partial mobility providers is being investigated together with municipalities to see if the use of national standards15) by partial mobility providers can be made mandatory via municipal permits for (new) partial mobility providers This will make all available partial mobility visible to users of MaaS apps. To ensure consistent regulations, uniform licensing for part-mobility providers regarding data sharing and use of national standards is being worked on in consultation with a number of municipalities.
To be able to analyze MaaS data and learn about MaaS, a Learning Environment is being set up at TNO. In consultation with the MaaS service providers, it is being explored how relevant data can be shared even after the pilots have ended and what that requires from the perspective of policy and any laws and regulations.
Not only the vehicles on the roads, but also the Dutch infrastructure and traffic management are becoming smarter. For some time to come there will be a mixed fleet, of vehicles with and without automation. Readability and recognizability of the road for human eyes will therefore remain the starting point in road design. The starting point is and remains that automated systems must be able to deal with all current Dutch road situations and with all situations that can foreseeably occur on the road.
The smart mobility effort in relation to infrastructure and management additionally focuses on leveraging innovations for traffic management and infrastructure load capacity and life span.
The rollout of that smart infrastructure continues steadily. At present, for example, about 20% of the traffic control installations throughout the Netherlands, managed by municipalities, provinces and the state, have been converted to intelligent traffic control installations (iVRIs). This allows, for example, emergency and emergency services to be given priority at intersections. The rollout of iVRIs will continue over the next four years. Frontrunners in this field are the municipalities of Deventer and Apeldoorn and the province of Brabant. In addition, the rollout of intelligent roadside stations (iWKS) on the main road network started in 2021. These roadside stations contain computers that communicate with traffic control centers and control digital signs with speeds, arrows and crosses above the road. Compared to a traditional roadside station, the new system offers many more options for installing new software and applications remotely. The number of roadside systems will be reduced where possible if it is found that one iWKS can be used for a larger area than the existing roadside stations.
In September 2021, the final report of the Talking Traffic program was delivered, thus ending the official contract phase of the program.
Talking Traffic focuses on personalized, tailored and near real-time information services for road users, using iVRIs, to respond to current congestion and prioritize certain types of traffic. The final report provides a description of the effects of possible applications of Talking Traffic.16) It found that road users are predominantly positive about the applications and actually adjust their driving behavior in response to the in-car advice and information received. The evaluation also showed that the digital chain is functioning properly based on the 4G cellular network. Meanwhile, there are already more than 2.2 million users of Talking Traffic information services. With the completion of the program, development is entering a new phase, with road authorities continuing to develop the services. Whereas these innovations were often financed on a project basis, Smart Mobility is now entering a phase in which matters must be structurally included in the financial agreements with road managers and decentralized authorities. Furthermore, we are investigating how in-car alternatives to or additions to current information delivery can be used responsibly. Informing road users in the car, for example, offers opportunities for better distribution of traffic over the network through smart routing, but also for getting safety information to more road users, as mentioned above. There is also the development of dynamic route information panels (DRIPs), which display traffic information such as current travel times and detour routes. These DRIPs are of w ork value at strategic selection points in the network and are appreciated by road users. For DRIPs at other locations, RWS foresees a gradual phasing out in the coming years, because digital messages from the traffic manager in the vehicle are a good alternative. The gradual phase-out is not a goal in itself, but an outcome of careful consideration. In addition, RWS also uses anonymous data produced by road users (floating car data) for traffic management. This is now applied for the display of travel time and route information on the DRIPs.
As described in the recent conservation letter 17), the management and maintenance task of the road network is enormous. Therefore, it is important to get a more complete and frequent picture of the condition of the infrastructure and do more active rather than reactive management and maintenance to prevent worse. This is where a new technology offers an additional solution: modern cars offer road managers additional eyes on the road as they collect and can share increasing amounts of data on road condition. This offers opportunities and possibly savings for road managers. With this information from vehicles, road authorities can see where there are damages, road markings are not easy to read and where it is going to get slippery, so road authorities can grit more effectively. This information is anonymous and cannot be traced back to a single person or vehicle. With the Road Monitor (ROMO) project, which starts this month, we are purchasing this data so that all road authorities in the Netherlands can start using this technique. This will give them a complete picture of the maintenance task of the condition of the road surface where it is now often incomplete.
For the area-based approach, the national government is currently investigating which smart mobility applications are suitable for local or regional application in MIRT projects in the short term and where (inter)national implementation is needed. Currently, the national government and the region are already doing a lot together to exploit the opportunities of smart mobility in the field of infrastructure and management, within the framework of MIRT projects but also outside of them, for example under the banner of the Krachtenbundeling and Smartwayz in Zuid-Nederland 18). Based on initial insights, the first packages of smart mobility measures under Smartwayz are expected to result in at least 1,000 car avoidances per day
are realized, 2.5 kilotons of CO2 reduction per year occurs and there will be 9,000 fewer VVU (vehicle loss hours). That effect can increase to 3,000 car avoids, 6 kilotons of CO2 reduction and 12,000 VVU reduction per year. The latest technologies will also be implemented as much as possible in management and maintenance.
IenW is working on a vision for the traffic management of the future. The vision visualizes the most important developments that have an impact on the deployment and development of traffic management, as well as the most important tasks towards the future. The starting point is that the use of existing traffic management in combination with digitalization is essential now and in the future to ensure accessibility and safety. This requires controlled and targeted development based on integral consideration. For the transition to in-car traffic management, the focus for now is on developing in-car alternatives and enrichments and not yet on phasing out physical assets. For all road managers, smart mobility will lead to changes in the way they work. This offers opportunities for more efficient and effective work, but necessitates the structural securing and financing of operational traffic management.
Although the basic principle is that automated systems must be able to deal with all current Dutch road situations, adjustments to specific aspects of the infrastructure (other than the major design elements of the infrastructure and road layout) remain possible if this proves opportune. Therefore, in 2022 and 2023, for example, we will investigate whether it is opportune to adapt the Dutch standards for road markings and signs. In 2022 we expect to have a picture of the costs for these adjustments. These costs depend on the results of European research into the possibility of European standards for road markings and signs. These European results are expected to be completed in 2022, so that the results can be implemented in the member states in early 2023.
With the advent of further levels of automation, vehicle road behavior is also changing. Currently, for example, cars with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) already maintain a greater following distance than human drivers; this can lead to more congestion. However, if in time, mutual communication and communication with the infrastructure allows vehicles to drive closer to each other, this has potentially positive consequences for traffic flow on the one hand, and possibly negative consequences for the capacity and lifespan of the infrastructure on the other. The emergence of new and faster communication technology offers opportunities to increase connectivity between vehicles
among themselves and with infrastructure to be further developed. The impact on the wear and life of the road surface of these developments and their desirability in relation to road safety effects and traffic flow, among other things, will be further investigated in 2022. The final results of the Concorda project show (in test situations) that the effects on road safety of this mutual communication is positive, and that there is also a (slight) positive effect on fuel consumption and emissions.
Good cooperation is a determining factor for success with smart mobility, for which a new phase is now beginning. The ambition is to take the next step in the transition in the coming years: from pilots to structural anchoring in work processes and policy. This also means making the transition from temporary project funds to structural funding and from exchanging best practices to making enforceable agreements. The importance of knowledge, strategy and effective partnerships is great in this.
In recent years, steps have been taken to improve administrative cooperation between governments. Central to this is the 'Joining forces'. In a number of regions the regional pooling of forces is now anchored in the administration. Smart mobility has also been given a place in administrative decision-making (BO MIRT), which is how, for example, the NTM came about. Within the pooling of forces, further focus and strengthening of cooperation is now being applied around four priority themes. During the administrative meeting on June 7, 2021, administrators from all parts of the Netherlands spoke for the first time about the digital transition in mobility. Building on previous agreements to join forces, the results achieved so far were discussed. These include a national database of traffic signs, speed limits and image positions of Matrix signs, the NTM, MaaS apps, the development of standards for data sharing, knowledge sharing and harmonization around shared mobility and hubs, guidelines for future-proof infrastructure and for data exchange around (urban) logistics. More information on the results achieved can be found at www.dutchmobilityinnovations.com. 19) We are also discussing how ongoing initiatives in digitalization of smart, sustainable mobility and urbanization can be further accelerated and scaled up and what agreements need to be made with each other to achieve this. These agreements come about in the various consultations between the national government, regions and municipalities.
In addition, in the past year the national and regional governments have invested a great deal in making better use of the strength and quality of knowledge networks. Within the joining of forces with the joint governments, there is now a multi-year Smart Mobility Knowledge Agenda. The Sounding Board Group smart mobility, with a selection of experts from Dutch knowledge institutions, is testing this knowledge agenda for blind spots and priority of knowledge questions. The government is also working on a smart mobility monitor to make decisions about, for example, investments in smart mobility and laws and regulations more evidence-based. This monitor will bring together information on, for example, developments, measured and expected effects.
Cooperation with the market and industry is also essential in smart mobility. Earlier in this letter, you read about some great examples of public-private partnerships that are already contributing to impact with smart mobility: the ADAS Alliance, cooperation with service providers for in-car safety information, and the MaaS service provision. In the coming years, the ministry will continue to support the
keep a close eye on developments from the market, continue to work with relevant parties and, including within the Forces Pooling, continue to make the connection between the market and (local) governments.
In recent years, much has been learned through intensive international cooperation in European projects. This always involved cooperation with other governments and private parties. The Netherlands is well represented in Brussels through the deployment of IenW employees in key positions. For example by participating in the CCAM partnership, in which €1 billion is available for research and development. This will result in large-scale tests for automated transport throughout Europe. With IenW's input, the involvement and position of Dutch market parties and knowledge institutions can also be strengthened. RWS works intensively with other national road authorities in CEDR (Conference of European Directors of Roads ) on joint strategy in the field of connectivity, automation and data. In addition, RWS is working within C-roads on the standardization of messages and coordination of the rollout of C-ITS. RWS will also work with the German national road authority Autobahn GMBH on the development and rollout of hybrid communication between vehicles and infrastructure, with the aim of making road works and road inspection vehicles more secure. The Netherlands is doing so according to the policy line on C-ITS about which the Chamber was informed earlier. 20) Cooperation also takes place outside Europe, for example, knowledge is exchanged with international frontrunners such as the United States and Singapore.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment is increasingly working on linking urbanization and mobility, because there are multiple opportunities to create cohesion that can be used by governments, businesses and citizens. In that light, I&W is also strengthening cooperation with municipalities (e.g. G40 Cities Network) and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Housing, Environment Act), including through the Agenda City and City Deals. This is aimed at faster upscaling of applications, more knowledge sharing and more results on the street.
Large-scale European cooperation will also be pursued in the coming years. After all, digitization and automation are pre-eminently international. Particularly in the Connected Cooperative & Automated Mobility Partnership under Horizon Europe, substantial budgets are available for research and development in smart mobility. By tendering for calls, we are taking advantage of these opportunities in line with our own policy goals. Our national efforts are brought into logical European coherence as much as possible.
Sincerely,
THE MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT,
Dr. B. Visser
1rijksoverheid
2) Parliamentary paper 31 305, no. 322.
3) Report Who controls? Road Safety and Automation in Road Traffic, appendix to Parliamentary Papers 29 398, no. 770.
4) Some other non-European countries are already doing more road testing with ADS.
5) Please refer to the ADAS Dictionary for a complete overview of ADAS systems and the designations used.
6) www.adasalliantie.nl.
7) ADAS Dictionary.
8) General Safety Regulation, EU Regulation 2019/2144.
9) The regions are North Netherlands (Friesland, Drenthe, Groningen), Northwest Netherlands (North Holland, Flevoland and Utrecht), East Netherlands (Gelderland and Overijssel), South Netherlands (North Brabant and Limburg) and Southwest Netherlands (Zeeland and South Holland).
10) These include data regarding parking facilities, traffic sign data, bicycle data, data for logistics and school zones.
11) The Data Top 15 consists of: data on planned road works, current road works, incidents, remaining duration of incidents, maximum speeds, signs (mandatory and prohibited), control scenarios from traffic centers, image positions of national roads, bridge openings, static parking data, dynamic parking data, events, iVRIs (incl. topology), data for logistics and bicycle data
12) DOVA: the partnership of decentralized public transport authorities.
13) European Data Strategy, COM(2020)66.
14) Parliamentary Papers 31 305, no. 294.
15) The so-called TOMP API (Transport Operator to MaaS Provider - Application Programming Interface).
16) https://dutchmobilityinnovations.com/spaces/59/talking-traffic-partnership/files/42855/2021-09-30-eindrapportage-use-cases-talking-traffic-delen-1-2-en-3-pdf
17) Parliamentary Papers 35 925-A, no. 14.
18) For more information, see smartwayz.co.uk.
19) https://dutchmobilityinnovations.com/spaces/join-space?spacetojoin=mxBwFLIvFGN2ntHOyj4WrA%3D%3D&ReturnUrl=/spaces/1197/krachtenbundeling/files/40908/resultaten-krachtenbundeling-tot-nu-toe-pdf
20) Parliamentary Papers 31 305, nos. 264 and 322.
