International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 51 Events FORUM Evolution, revolution, transformation? Review: The MoviCi-MOYCOT joint Conference 18 to 20 April 2018 in Medellin showed, how digitalization and automation are likely to change urban mobility in smart cities worldwide. The MoviCi and MOYCOT projects German mobility researchers are looking with interest at the developments in the mobility market in Colombia, from which valuable insights can be gained. That is why the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and its Traffic Research Institutes (Institute of Transport Research and Institute of Transportation Systems) have founded the German-Colombian expert network Movilidad urbana en ciudades intelligentes (MoviCi, Engl.: Urban Mobility in Smart Cities). The aim of the network project is to promote the exchange between German and Colombian stakeholders in the mobility sector, especially those coming from science, industry, local transportation authorities, and transportation companies. The focus is on current developments in intelligent, integrated, and intermodal mobility in cities of the future. The project is part of the international “Shaping the Future - Building the City of Tomorrow” campaign, which is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The Urban Traffic Modeling and Control Project (Modelamiento y Control de Tráfico Urbano, MOYCOT), launched in 2013 in the city of Medellín, is a Colombian research initiative led by Prof. Jairo Espinosa of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia that aims to improve mobility in this Colombian metropolis. The team of Prof. Jairo Espinosa supports the Medellín municipalities by evaluating measures for reducing vehicle congestion and optimizing the services for the bus rapid transit (BRT) system. One of the regularly used tools for testing new methods is the microscopic traffic simulation software SUMO, developed and supported by the DLR and freely available under an open source license. Joint Conference 2018 in Medellín, Colombia From April 18th to 20th, 2018, German and Colombian scientists from the expert networks MoviCi and MOYCOT jointly organized a symposium in Medellín, Columbia on the topic of urban mobility and solutions for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The symposium was organized by two DLR bodies (Institute of Transportation Traffic Research and Institute of Transportation Systems) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. More than 120 researchers, practitioners, and developers, most of whom are based in South America and Europe, took part in this three-day event. The topics of the conference sessions were grouped into the following seven categories: Traffic Modeling and Simulation, Traffic Management and ITS, Mobility and Users, Data and Methods, Mobility and Smart Cities, Governance and Urban Transportation, and Freight and Logistics. In his keynote speech entitled “Bottom-Up Sustainable Mobility”, Wouter Florizoone, a Belgian entrepreneurial engineer and co-founder of new mobility and traffic concepts, addressed how communication between citizens, politicians, and scientists can be enhanced. He presented the leuvenair 1 project, which aims, on the one hand, to increase citizens’ awareness of air pollution and, on the other hand, to collect a large amount of real-time data obtained via citizen science initiatives. Prof. Sergio Velastin’s keynote speech addressed the potential of video analysis to improve urban traffic. In a very illustrative way, he demonstrated the strengths and challenges of video data collection and analysis in high-density urban traffic. Prof. Dirk Heinrichs, who opened the conference with his keynote speech entitled “Evolution, Revolution, or Transformation”, explained the developmental paths towards implementing digital and automated mobility concepts and services in the future. Evolution The way and the speed with which people can move within cities depends, among other things, on the communication between the actors in urban areas. New mobility concepts have the potential to increase the quality of living in cities. At present, waiting times at bus stops and train stations, traffic jams, accidents, and parking space restrictions further limit urban mobility. Digitization opens up completely new Researchers, practitioners and developers attended the Joint Conference 2018 in Medellín. Photo: MoviCi-MOYCOT joint network More than 120 attendants took part in this three-day event. Photo: MoviCi-MOYCOT joint network International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 52 FORUM Events paths for urban communication and thus for concepts for intelligent urban mobility. The rapid pace of change is particularly evident in Colombia, where a multitude of new transportation services are being created. Although an increase in the automation of private vehicles is not currently apparent, first approaches to automated driving already exist. In the Medellín suburb of Rionegro 2 , which includes the city’s international airport, the feasibility of driverless tourist shuttles will soon be explored in collaboration with the Medellín-based Fastrack Institute, an emerging think tank directly linked to other research facilities in California’s Silicon Valley. The city intends to establish a new urban planning concept, which includes the simulation of various future scenarios in order to further promote existing public usage. Seeing automated vehicles on the streets of Medellín will soon become a reality. Revolution There seems to be no doubt that the introduction of automated mobility services is imminent. Thanks to scientists like Prof. Juan Carlos Mendoza Collazos from the National University of Colombia (UNAL), the first methods for electric and automated car sharing have already been tested in the field. Collazos has, for example, proposed a public electric car-sharing system for Bogotá that can be integrated into the existing transportation system. Its development consists of two components, namely, a carsharing scheme and a prototype of a new motor vehicle concept. Its development consists of two components, namely, a carsharing scheme and a prototype of a new motor vehicle concept based on state-of the art technology. The strategic selection of the main target group of “young executives who use the private car for commuting” aims to address one of the main causes of traffic jams. Consequently, his new vehicle concept offers a persuasive solution for encouraging individuals belonging to this group to use public transportation. However, before the revolution can begin, other issues must be addressed. For one, new mobility services usually have an impact on existing urban constructions, infrastructures, and the spaces for human activity. Therefore, prior to the introduction of new mobility services, established structures must be more closely studied, because often the lack of accessibility prevents people from trying out new forms of mobility. Using Mexico City and Berlin as examples, the young scientist Jorge Narezo Balzaretti from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) illustrated the importance of accessibility for acceptance within the society. In his study, Balzaretti proposed a methodology that uses accessibility measures to assess the quality of infrastructure (e.g., schools, parks, and public transportation stops) and the performance of the public transportation system in urban areas, based on objective, quantitative data bases. To this end, he used fine-grained data on the level of single households and the positions of single-activity locations, a detailed road network representation, and a description of public transportation offerings. His results showed that accessibility measures based on limited data sources are valuable input parameters for urban planning activities. Furthermore, he could demonstrate that his method is feasible for benchmarking the accessibility of urban areas in regard to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to reach the goal for more sustainability within the public transportation sector, so-called “what-if ” simulations could help to understand substantial changes in transportation demand. Such approaches, which reflect attempts to “think outside the box”, provide new perspectives for researchers like Prof. Natalia da Silveira Arruda from the Colombian University of Antioquia. She has studied the structuring of the metropolitan, collective public transportation system of the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area (AVMA). The aim of her research has been to understand the process of territorial and transportation policy decisions that were implemented in the South Korean Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), which can be used as a case study example for contextualizing a reorganization of Colombia’s collective public transportation system. A comparison between the SMA and AVMA case studies was made in order to put the characteristics of the AVMA collective public bus transportation system in evidence. Transformation These days, we are witnessing the emergence of a large number of new mobility options that are enabled by progress in digitalization. Without doubt, the demandresponsive flexibility of public transportation systems will have a considerable bearing on mobility choices and transportation demand. For example, with respect to legal considerations, the issue of whether vehicles will be allowed to stop anywhere presents an immense challenge. For this reason, the young scientist Alexandra König from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has been analyzing travelers’ assessments of different service characteristics of demandresponsive transportation services. To this end, she employed conjoint analysis methods to examine the relative contributions of different attributes of ride-pooling schemes (e.g., the factor “walking distance to pick-up point”) to overall appraisals of utility function. Both travel time and comfort will be the key criteria for measuring the quality of services in the future. Thus, it is of great relevance to make optimal use of the existing road capacity by harmonizing the flow of traffic. One way to address the related congestion issue is to include effective public The ropeway system, called Metrocable, was designed to reach some of the city’s informal settlements on the steep hills. Photo: pixabay International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 53 Events FORUM transportation systems, such as bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, which are commonly found in larger cities in Colombia. Nowadays, however, these transportation systems must not only be efficient but also ecofriendly, in order to avoid the problems associated with fossil fuel combustion. In this context, electric vehicles (EVs) can play a key role towards reducing congestion and pollution in metropolitan areas because they can be used in more environmentally sustainable public transportation systems. Therefore, in order to address these issues, battery charging management strategies for electric BRT systems in Medellín have been put forth by Semaria Ruiz from the National University of Colombia (UNAL). In her study, she recommended using a battery management system for the bus fleet and the power charging stations that includes an optimization process that takes variations in electricity prices into account. In order to do so, energy consumption of buses must be estimated. To this end, the SUMO traffic simulator has been used to generate demand scenarios and predict the energy expenditure during travels by means of a test road network. Conclusion In summary, a variety of innovative and promising approaches for improving urban mobility were presented at the conference. It became clear that research work must focus on understanding users’ mobility decisions (e.g., choice of transportation mode, ownership, etc.). Furthermore, the differences in transportation usage with regard to the regulatory, regional, and cultural contexts have to be considered more closely. In addition, the potential effects of regulation (costs of road infrastructure and parking) need to be examined. Automated driving and automated mobility services present new challenges for city planners. Only by linking research with real experiments in public areas will new solutions be generated and expected benefits for urban mobility systems achieved. ■ 1 Leuvenair.be 2 https: / / avsincities.bloomberg.org/ global-atlas/ americas/ co/ rionegro-co Contact: Dipl. Ing. Mathias Höhne, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Transportation Systems, Berlin (DE); mathias hoehne@dlr.de Challenges for mobility in the European transport sector Preview: The 16th European Transport Congress (ETC): “Mobility and the European Transport Space” will be held from 24 to 25 September 2018 in Warszawa (PL). Prof. Elzbieta Zaloga gives an overview. F or the third time, Poland will host the European Transport Congress (EPTS). Over two days, discussions will be held on topics related to the following areas: • mobility - vision of the future, • accessibility of the European transport infrastructure, • fair competition. Transport is an area of management encompassing a wide range of relations and dependencies to the economy, society, and the environment. Scientists have been studying these relationships for a long time and have made enriching theoretical advances in the field of transport economics. Their work has influenced how transport systems are managed as well as how economic policies that address increasingly complex economic and social problems are developed. Identifying the problems of modern transport operations requires interdisciplinary studies and multithreaded analyses. Today, transport theorists are establishing their positions in the field of transport management, where changes in many settings require adopting new approaches to studying efficiency, understanding the essence of public goods, and acknowledging the social responsibility of transport companies 1 . In addition, the field of transport economics has recognized the holistic functions of transport systems in the economy and thus expanded the scope of its interests to include social and environmental aspects. Integration is the underlying theme of the 16th European Transport Congress. Owing to its primary function, transport plays an important role for many types of integration. For example, a transport system’s features can have a bearing on the level of spatial cohesion in serviced communities, regions, or the country as a whole. In addition, a transport system may influence social cohesion, cross-border cooperation, accessibility to markets, directions of inter- Prof. Dr hab. Elzbieta Zaloga is President of EPTS in 2018 and Head of Transport Systems and Policy Department, University of Szczecin (PL); elzbieta.zaloga@wzieu.pl International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 54 FORUM Events national exchange, intermodal and comodal development, as well as commercial competition. The European Union’s transport space is based on systemic integration. Here, the important goals are to increase transport productivity, reduce CO 2 emissions, equalize the conditions of interand intra-modal competition, accommodate for modal shift, and ensure cohesion of modal transport systems. According to EU policy concepts, the European transport space should aim to move people and goods easily, reduce mobility costs, and foster sustainable development. Today, social mobility is determined by the possibility of individual motorization, the quality of the transport infrastructure network, and access to public transport services. Over the past decade, EU member states and policymakers have observed the phenomenon of increased social mobility with concern, as it interferes with other important goals they must reach, namely, to protect the environment, decrease urban congestion, and improve road safety. Although concepts for limiting mobility have been put forth, none of them have been put into practice yet. Instead, attention has focused more on carrying out mobility management, without attempts to limit mobility per se. In this regard, the new “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) concept, presented during the ITS Europe Congress in Helsinki in 2014, has emerged. MaaS is a transportation model that aims to implement innovative mobility services by employing “… a digital interface to source and manage the provision of a transport related service(s) which meets the mobility requirements of a customer” 2 . MaaS was used for the first time in Finland in 2016. Since then, interest in activities based on this new business model has been increasing. It is expected that especially younger individuals belonging to the Y generation (millennials) will be attracted to this type of service, because they care more about the transport experience than about motor vehicle ownership. More specifically, they prefer solutions that meet their personal needs (tailored travel options), for example, a flexible model that provides access to transport services but allows them to occasionally use an automobile. In the literature, this trend has been described as reflecting a shift to a new paradigm, namely, from an ownership-focused to a servicefocused business model, which may result in a reduction of public transport offerings. The MaaS idea may be applied in freight logistics for last-mile transport as well (e.g., as in the Finnish project NOVELOG). As expected, new transport services, especially those falling in the realm of shared mobility, can make positive contributions to society (e.g., improvement in the spatial and temporal accessibility of transport, less traffic congestion, less traveling with own car, etc.). However, it remains unclear whether these new services might be reducing the demand for public transport in EU cities, the development of which has involved much effort over the past decade. The new transport services are based on intelligent transport systems (ITS), which are now being used more often in an effort to reach many of the EU’s strategic goals. Intelligent transport systems optimize transport processes so as to make better use of infrastructure, improve accessibility and safety, and reduce resource consumption. They contribute to changes in the pattern of social mobility and the development of ecomobility. Currently, the most important challenges involve creating a legal framework for the integration of intelligent systems at the institutional, technological, and operational levels and ensuring that the transport sector can adapt to innovative solutions and societal opinions concerning intelligent services in general. The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is based on the comprehensive European transport space, the core networks, and their respective corridor connections. It facilitates transport planning by using the most important transport connections. High-efficiency connections in the TEN-T meet the demands of economic and social freedom, increase resource efficiency, reduce transportation time and space used, limit external costs of transport, and save resources. However, does the choice of the mode based on this network conform to the expectations of politicians? Is the improvement of railways, the quality of inland navigation services, and public transport a sufficient prerequisite for accommodating the aims of a paradigm shift? The liberalization of the transport market is based on fair competition. It was initially expected that full liberalization of road transport would take place, if not only because of relatively insignificant market entry and exit barriers, but also, more importantly, because of the high level of free competition in this sector, which dominates the EU transport market. However, this has not been the case. Regulations concerning access to cabotage markets have reduced the potential for fostering competitiveness in the EU because of comparative advantages. The relatively low costs of transport services in the “new” member countries represent one case in point. Political actions that are intended to balance out costs of road transport services within the EU market area are protectionist in nature and do not adequately accommodate for integration effects. The issues touched upon here represent only some examples of the problems that concern scientists, politicians, and transport practitioners. The European Transport Congress is an appropriate platform to exchange views on the complex issues concerning contemporary European transport. ■ 1 Załoga, E. (2013). Trendy w transporcie lądowym Unii Europejskiej. Uniwersytet Szczeciński: Szczecin, Poland, p. 241. 2 Transport Systems Catapult (2016). Mobility as a service. Exploring the opportunity for mobility as a service in the UK, July 2016. Retrieved from https: / / ts.catapult.org.uk/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2016/ 07/ Mobility-as-a-Service_ Exploring-the-Opportunity-for-MaaS-in-the-UK-Web.pdf, p. 11. Warszawa. Photo: pixabay.de International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 55 Events FORUM Photo: VDA Transports Publics - The European Mobility Exhibition Preview: Transports Publics 2018 will be held from 12 to 14 June in Paris (FR) T ransports Publics, the European Mobility Exhibition, is Europe’s keynote event for the entire sector from 12 to 14 June 2018 in Paris. With the “Move Green! ” tagline, this year’s edition will be placing a special emphasis on the major challenges of energy transition. Transports Publics is recognised as the leading European showcase for innovations in equipment, services and policies relating to the entire mobility sector, bringing together leading European decision-makers from transport and politics. All the players in sustainable mobility will be there to demonstrate their ecological and technological exploits in everything from new energy sources to emissions control solutions via low-emission vehicles, active mobility, and more. 250 exhibitors will be showcasing their latest innovations and previewing their new releases: exhibits will include vehicles using clean energy such as electricity and biogas, smart batteries, energy recovery systems, solar-powered terminals, current sensors, and fleet management solutions. A dedicated track will highlight all the “Move Green! ” innovations on show at the event. Transports Publics 2018 is an opportunity to discover the industrial and technical applications arising from institutional commitments in France and elsewhere in favour of ecological transition, in line with the COP21, COP23, and One Planet summits. Together with the politicians and companies committed to sustainable, innovative mobility, the 2018 edition of the Exhibition is focusing on being green - the smart way. www.transportspublics-expo.com IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018 Preview: The leading transportation event plus New Mobility World Logistics from 20 to 27 September 2018, Hannover (DE) T he IAA Commercial Vehicles takes place in Hannover every two years, and is the world’s leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. It offers a unique cross section of the entire value chain in the industry, from vehicles to transport and logistics, and from manufacturers to the many medium-sized suppliers. The 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover will address the question of what the future of commercial vehicles will be like. And in fact the whole commercial vehicle sector is on a path of innovation. As in many other branches of industry, the particularly important topics here are automation and connectivity, safety and security, environmental protection, electric mobility and new logistics and traffic concepts for the towns of the future. Connected and automated driving, zeroemission powertrains, urban logistics, and new mobility and transport services are the drivers of change. For these five topics the New Mobility World provides a multisectoral platform for decision-makers and designers to discuss and present the mobility and transport of tomorrow - leading to a more efficient, greener and smarter future. With the three event formats EXPO, FORUM and LIVE, the New Mobility World gives an extensive program of experiences. At its heart is the FORUM offering trade visitors and other interested persons a range of dialog settings for sharing inspiration and ideas. EXPO focuses on brands and products, cooperative schemes and getting to business contracts, while LIVE makes the road traffic of tomorrow something that everyone can experience. Urban space is the focus for challenges at the New Mobility World. As crystallization points for a large number of logistical innovations and challenges, cities demand a multisectoral approach - for alternative powertrains, for disconnecting usage, ownership and the payload, for better integration of various modes of transport, and for new solutions for the last mile. Detailled information: www.iaa.de International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 56 FORUM Events ConCarExpo - Solutions for tomorrow’s mobility Preview: The ConCarExpo 2018 takes place on 27 and 28 June in Berlin (DE). C onCar Expo is the largest European trade show for automated driving, connected car, Car2Car, Car2X und Car2mobile solutions bringing together more than 80 exhibitors and 1000 visitors from OEMs, suppliers, software companies, telecoms and consulting firms. In its third year it has become the annual industry meeting place to do business and form new strategies. At ConCar Expo visitors will find hundreds of solutions, products and services that will help overcome technical challenges. Plus, one can take advantage of a wide range of educational opportunities with over 70 presentations across two days that will deliver in-depth and detailed information on crucial industry issues. In 2018 there will be many highlights and features to take advantage of: • The new ConCar Congress offers four separate modules on Automated Driving, Automotive Mobility & Digital Infrastructure, IT Security for Vehicles and HMI & Automotive Connectivity. Presentations from companies including Toyota, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Continental and IBM. So visitors can update their expertise and visit the show at the same time. • Two days of free presentation brings the ConCar Forum. Receive detailed information on the latest innovations from exhibiting companies. One of the highlights will be the presentation of Dr. Nikolaus Gollwitzer, CEO, Telefónica Germany NEXT GmbH • The new Partner Country UK comes with an own pavilion at which visitors can meet the most innovate CAV companies in the UK and discover what they have to offer to help your company develop its technology.The Westfield POD is the UK’s first fully autonomous vehicle and offers free test rides at dedicated times presenting its revolutionary technology. • One of the most popular features, the Car Pavilion will be back on the show floor: experience novelty technologies first-hand in real life cars including the Jaguar I-PACE. Finland’s best in agile software development, human machine interfaces and vehicle telematics will be presented at the Finland Pavilion. • The Start Up Area & Forum is the place to meet agile companies and discover brand new solutions for many kinds of challenges. Premiering in 2018 is the World Café, hosted by ECO-Association of the Internet Economy. People can discuss and share views on ‘Ensuring security and compliance of data processes in mobility ecosystems’ . More information and ticket registration at www.concarexpo.com The transport world meets at InnoTrans 2018 Preview: The 12th edition of InnoTrans will take place from 18 to 21 September 2018 on the Exhibition Grounds in Berlin (DE). I nnoTrans is the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology and takes place every two years in Berlin. In 2016, at the last event, 2,955 exhibitors from 60 countries presented the global rail industry’s innovations to 137,391 trade visitors who came from 119 countries. InnoTrans extends across the entire Berlin exhibition grounds, occupying an area of 200,000 m 2 gross! In order to ensure that exhibitors and trade visitors are able to keep their bearings, InnoTrans is sub-divided into five segments: Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure, Public Transport, Interiors and Tunnel Construction. There are also some additional focuses within these segments: From vehicle manufacturers in the south of the grounds to suppliers of motors and gears in the northern area. From electrical engineering in the east of the grounds to boogies and wheelsets in the west. At InnoTrans 2018 electromobility will be the dominant theme at the Bus Display. Among the companies represented will be Sileo GmbH from Germany, Solaris Bus & Coach from Poland and VDL Bus & Coach bv from the Netherlands. The trade fair from 18 to 21 September 2018 is open for trade visitors only, the public days from 22 to 23 September 2018 will open outdoor display and track areas only. InnoTrans is organised by Messe Berlin. More details are available online: www.innotrans.com. Photo: Berlin Fair