IBTTA’s Global Summit Captures the ‘Stunning New Possibilities’ in Tolling
Every so often, a group of smart, strategic thinkers puts together a frame that captures all the pieces of a complex, rapidly-changing puzzle. That’s what’s happened with the program for IBTTA’s Global Tolling Summit, September 5-7, 2018 in Salzburg, Austria.
The conference subtitle is Mobility Connections: The Global Tolling Movement. The meeting planning group, led by John Davis of AECOM and René Moser of ASFINAG, has come up with a dynamic tour de force that reflects the multiple challenges and stunning new possibilities for tolling agencies around the world.
The group understands rapid technology advances have led to an increase in connectivity and cooperation across transport systems and the program will reflect this. Technology and operations have become an integrated component of a harmonized approach to addressing multiple transport policy objectives aimed at improving road safety, reducing congestion, optimizing transport efficiency, enhancing mobility, improving journey times/experience, reducing energy use and environmental impacts, and supporting economic development.
A Fast-Paced Tour of the Future
After a series of opening remarks and reflections, participants will dive right into an overview of Austria’s motorway system. Due to the country’s location in the heart of Europe and its large mountainous areas, the Austrian motorway system is complex, interconnected, and manages millions of vehicles every day. It is part of three major European transport corridors and comprises dozens of tunnels and thousands of bridges. Innovative solutions were essential to building Austria’s high-level road network and will be crucial to fulfilling the mobility needs of tomorrow.
Presentations will focus on the second generation of Austria’s free-flow truck tolling system, the country’s participation in the EU’s Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) master plan, and recent developments in intelligent and autonomous vehicles.
Next, no IBTTA global summit is complete without an overview of tolling innovation around the world. Countries understand that tolled infrastructure brings economic benefits and development that often exceeds expectations. Participants will take away the next generation of great project ideas after hearing presentations from England, Peru, Spain, the United States, Poland and Croatia.
Getting Ahead of the Trends
The only way to properly meet the future is to anticipate it, plan for it. Much of the program is devoted to trends that are emerging today but will be business as usual for tolling agencies in the blink of an eye.
On the first afternoon of the Summit, a panel on optimizing the next generation of mobility will talk about managed lane development in France, and Mobility as a Service systems in Canada and the United States. On day two, sessions will explore trends in distance-based charging, the impacts of intelligent and connected/autonomous vehicle technologies on motorway operations and connected vehicle applications for tolling.
After two days of sessions, participants will ride in an autonomous bus, courtesy of Salzburg Research.
“The Global Summit is one of the most important opportunities each year for our industry to meet and share ideas across regions of the world,” says IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Jones. “This year, the meeting planning group has really outdone itself, with a program that touches on all the big questions and challenges that tolling agencies grapple with every day.”
If you have thought about attending an IBTTA conference in Europe—or if you have ever been curious about visiting Austria—you won’t want to miss this Summit. Especially while a few seats on that autonomous bus might still be available.
Register today for IBTTA’s Global Tolling Summit, September 5-7, 2018 in Salzburg, Austria.