What Is Smart Mobility?
Since the late 80s and early 90s, there has been tremendous growth in digital communication. One that has seen nations move from a mediocre city to envy among other countries. The present ways of communicating provide prospects for advancement in so many ways than we can imagine.
Smart mobility isn’t one of the new words recently added to the dictionary; it’s been flying around for a while now. It refers to the utilization of other forms of transportation together with and in some cases rather than driving a gas-powered vehicle.
On the one hand, mobility is one of the most important aspects of daily life that came into existence because of the introduction of digital communication and the improvement of these communication systems. Being the essence of life, mobility has brought about smart mobility, which is basically an intelligent way to commute.
For over three decades, smart mobility has developed the heart of our nations by improving our daily lives and bringing jobs by creating new start-ups that are sure to succeed; this takes on several forms, creating ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
The need for intelligent mobility came into actualization because of increasing traffic congestion in most cities and its related side effects, such as pollution, time wasted, and accidents. In the same vein, it has also created an economically sustainable, environmentally friendly and rightful transportation system that puts the citizens first.
We may need to emphasize that each city’s smart mobility is different from the other. Some municipalities may require policy writing or designing a vision and strategy. Others may only need to decide on the possibility of electric cars or even e-scooters. Be that as it may, the data collected through intelligent systems enhances citizens’ journeys because the different systems can communicate and connect.
Forget all of the technical jargon we have been saying; basically, smart mobility permits people to choose between the different modes of transportation and gives them all they need and alternatives if they change their initial mode of transportation. One of the perks of using smart mobility is its real-time response which gives rise to a new, better transportation system that is additionally environmentally friendly. It likewise optimizes time, comfort and the budget of people’s journey by creating a reliable and safe method.
A Simpler Explanation of How Smart Mobility Work
Innovative transportation frameworks will trade data with one another. This data is the consequence of information gathered by IoT solutions. Urban areas can react to and coordinate these data into their planning process. Columbus, Ohio, for instance, has started to collect traffic data to distinguish and address safety issues before they become serious problems— e.g. recognizing crash areas of interest on the city’s roads—and to identify possible signal issues. The town is en route to turning into the leading smart city in the United States because of an award from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Examining this data will become the city’s spine for the entirety of its future Smart City projects.
To sum up, a Smart City doesn’t react to traffic problems by building more roads; instead, it will look for other sustainable choices. Well-known decisions incorporate encouraging walking, biking, and public transport use. More clever choices are sensor networks that assist voyagers with seeing and keeping away from congested roads and provide information that can furnish urban communities with various insights.
Innovative Transport Systems Technologies
Smart mobility depends on telecommunications, data frameworks, sensors on the streets, and reconnaissance cameras. Our cell phone sends its location, and from this, it is feasible to know our speed of movement and the method of transport utilized.
We referenced before the significance of wireless communications in smart mobility; this, combined with the referenced innovation, takes into account results like;
- The designing of equipment like dynamic display, speed cameras, etc.
- The localization of products or explorers because of GPS.
- The recording of information, utilizing sensors and cameras.
How Smart Mobility Take Part In Smart Cities Building
Using a smart mobility system with urban infrastructures, like public vehicles service and traffic data, could significantly further develop road safety and smooth out urban economies reliant upon adequate urban mobility to support business.
More so, vehicle-to-infrastructure (v2i) availability with the utilization of ultrasonic, radar, and camera innovations would send data continuously to drivers and other road users on networks protecting them from hazardous activity before the drivers know about it.
Furthermore, the fuel economy of cars is improved by decreasing fuel consumption while driving as it helps them avoid roads with gridlock which subsequently helps them save time and fuel. As these innovations become further developed, the pattern towards driverless vehicles and smart cities ready to anticipate and relieve risk for our sake turns into an all the more clear reality.
Some instances of smart cities
There’s never a size fits all solution to Smart City. An example of a smart city in the 21st century is a district in South Korea built as a smart city from the ground up. Yet, it can also be implemented in old cities and towns worldwide to develop and apply several solutions to reduce cars on the road.
The district in South Korea is more than just smart mobility. The following are what the nation implemented as part of their city’s smart mobility plan;
- Pneumatic chutes collect and handle waste underground, eliminating garbage trucks on the roads.
- Televisions in residences are being wired so residents can access municipal administration.
- Lights and residence temperature can be controlled from either a central panel in the home or apartment or a smartphone.
- A single control centre in the district monitors 300 interactive security cameras that include emergency call systems.
Biking in Barcelona
According to research, there were more than 500 bike-sharing businesses in the world as of 2013; and about 20 percent of these services are located in Spain. Among the Spanish cities, Barcelona has the largest bike-sharing system in the nation, with 6,000 bikes. In second place are Valencia and Sevilla, with 2,000 bikes each. In Europe, Paris has the largest bike-sharing system with more than 23,000 bicycles.
Be that as it may, Barcelona has over 1.6 million inhabitants. Its bike-sharing system, Vu Bicing, is projected to save one death and 2.5 million euros per year. Regarding the system costs, the system only costs 47 euros per year, as long as no late fee is incurred.
Users use a plastic card to pass on a magnetic strip in front of the bike reader at the rack to borrow a bike. If the borrower returns the bike to another rack in 30 minutes, they don’t pay more. Vu biking works in conjunction with the city, and their bike racks are scattered all over the city, making it easier for bikers to get to one and borrow.
Singapore Driverless Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
With over 6 million people and 1 million vehicles on the road, the population and city of Singapore keep growing. This growth has brought the city’s Land Transportation Authority (LTA) and the Intelligent Transportation Society Singapore (ITSS) to create an innovative transport solution to improve citizens’ commute.
The nation’s smart mobility 2030 strategic plan is an instance of a smart plan to rebrand their transportation system. The project focuses on the information, innovative, interactive and assistive utilization of green mobility. The ITSS and LTA have designed three essential strategies to achieve this goal:
- To implement innovative and sustainable smart mobility solutions.
- To develop and adopt intelligent transport system standards.
- To establish close partnerships and co-creation.
Tools Used By Smart Mobility
Here’s a rundown of tools that the smart mobility system uses;
The smartphone at the focal point of mobility
The smartphone assumes a significant part in smart mobility. It addresses, for the overall population, the most prominent feature of this development of mobility. The smartphone permits constant consultation of the condition of road traffic or the accessibility and schedule of public vehicles. In an accident, most drivers depend on their telephones to track down another route and get to their destination without stalling out in gridlocks. The smartphone is the device that provides people with the likelihood to be an actor in picking their mobility.
Electronic tollgate systems
These electronic toll frameworks make it simpler for drivers to enter and leave the roads. They work on account of a framework implanted in the vehicle. Once before the tollbooth, the box is received by a receiver that recognizes it, and the tollbooth barrier opens with no activity needed by the driver to allow it to pass.
Variable data boards
These signs are intended to caution and advise road users about street conditions, works or accidents. These powerful signs get data and communicate messages in real-time to users.
Smart intersection
This kind of intersection, on account of sensors and cameras, adjusts the span of red lights as per the presence of pedestrians or tramways.
Smart parking areas
Because of the design of sensors, cameras, and display boards, parking area users would now be cautious of the number of spaces accessible in a parking garage and can find them once inside. These parking garages can likewise be furnished with access innovation that permits drivers to open the door utilizing their cell phones.
Benefits of Smart Mobility
Smart mobility brings several benefits for the nation and business across every industry, with efficiency staying at the forefront of its benefits. For starters, in the United States, the cost of traffic congestion has been cited at 160 billion dollars per year. This is on the high side, as it could have been avoided with a smart mobility system. Reducing traffic congestion would create more accurate scheduling for transporting goods and services around the city with a better arrival time.
Moreover, reducing redundant systems that create unnecessary waste resulting in loss of yearly revenue and valuable time will positively impact businesses and the people who live in the city. Not to mention the increased safety involved because of less traffic and greater visibility for drivers and commuters.
All of these will not only impact the economy positively but also the environment. Talking about the environmental impact, a massive decrease in gas emissions from vehicles and the resulting pollution will improve the population’s quality of life. The benefits are endless, and any nation that wishes for its country’s growth and the citizens involved will need to actualize it.
Conclusion
The rise and benefits of smart mobility are evident even without noise as it has had a massive effect on everything and everyone. Smart mobility promises proper convenience, with whatever mode of transportation suits a commuter in more excellent health and money-saving.
The need to implement smart mobility is as diverse as picking car types, leaving cities with options to find perfect solutions for their citizens. Moreover, as the United Nations projects the world population to increase to 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100, the requirement for a more excellent solution for commuting is now a source of worry; this is where smart mobility plays a vital role.
