SPATULA | The EV Charging Infrastructure Working Group | The MaaSterminds Group | The Open Data Group | The Smart Parking Group | TTF News | UTMC (Urban Traffic Management Control) | 18 May 2022
TTF Working Group Plenary updates – round-up

The Transport Technology Forum Annual Conference has kicked off with a series of meetings of the six Working Groups.

Here, these Working Groups give updates on their activity.

Follow the live news below.

TTF Manager Darren Capes is explaining the value of the six Working Groups and how they are bridging the gaps between Government and Local Authorities.

Shamala Evans-Gadgil, EV Charging Infrastructure Working Group

This is the Group’s second meeting.  The mandate is to develop a starter guide for Local Authorities to start the journey of delivering EV charging points.  Including where to go for information, but not in a large, hefty document.

The Group is now reviewing a first draft of the document and will send feedback and hopefully publish the document sometime in June.

Mark Cartwright, representing the UTMC Working Group

UTMC was a framework designed to make traffic management systems within a Local Authority to work efficiently, linking on-street technology with control rooms.  This did work well, and delivered what was needed, but it hasn’t been technically developing for more than a decade.

In the meantime, the world has not stayed still, and our jobs have changed.  It’s changed in the way we foresaw in the last stages of UTMC’s active development.  It doesn’t just look at traffic management, but all road users.  It must deal with new types of challenge, such as Connected and Automated Vehicles, and publication of data, and UTMC does not have a structured approach to this at the moment.

Out of today’s meeting, the group agreed to review the existing catalogue of product that is still relevant, what needs updating and what is irrelevant.  They also agreed to review the architecture of UTMC to take into account what needs to be added to UTMC.  This is now developing the guidance on the current product suite, and liaise with other organisations to traffic management, vehicles, public transport and data.

Jacqui Elliott and James Bullen, MaaSterminds

The group was started online last year, so today’s meeting was about sharing with other local authorities about plans for introducing MaaS in areas, such as Kent and West Midlands, for many years.  TfWM is looking to award a contract for MaaS this summer.

They had a discussion about troubleshooting and getting over the barriers to delivery, the roles that need to be played and the role of Local Authorities.  They discussed commercials and how it becomes a win-win financially and environmentally.  They talked about how modal shift can be incentivised, how you go further with innovation and also data.

The point is to raise awareness of where projects are, because Authorities are at different stages.  They also looked at MaaS internationally and learning from around the world.  Local Authorities need to spread the word and take the lead, so Authorities are urged to get involved.

Sarah Randall, Smart Parking Group

The group had five presentations, including on standardised parking data, so that suppliers deliver data which can then be shared.  This is data from pay and display, back office, apps etc.

That linked into the project funded by the DfT, the National Parking Platform, looking at having a centralised platform that all providers link into, including Local Authorities.  This means Local Authorities don’t have to go through procurement, provided you reach the minimum requirement, simplifying the process.

From a consumer point of view, it doesn’t matter where I am, I can choose the app I want, not the one chosen by the Local Authority so you won’t need seven apps on your phone.  This has been piloted in Manchester, and then it was discussed moving it out of a pilot stage.

There was detail of data and performance, and then there was an update on integration including bay sensors, simplifying things for consumers, but also getting data to share with others, and maximising the opportunities for parking which means we can have emissions based and even, when allowed, dynamic pricing parking in the future.

Gavin Jackman, on behalf of SPATULA

There were around 100 people watching the presentations.  It’s about “connected everything” – there is a multitude of approaches, with the potential benefits of systems to come together for traffic management.

Over time this will mature and solidify and become more mainstream.

Standards, and application of standards, were key.

It has to be about not having tech for tech’s sake, but what it means for the consumer.  It’s all about making the vehicle journey better.

With Connected Vehicles we must not only consider decarbonisation, but quality – quality of users (gender, age, social standing).  Equality for Connected Vehicles is very important – the user, society and Authority.

Ian Knowles, TTF Data Infrastructure Group

Looked at DfT data strategy, moving to realtime data (at the Covid briefings, which was a game changer), the development of a transport data catalogue and working on guidance to Local Authorities to open up data.

Then they discussed the “view of the room” – technology, phones, statistics, and came up with priorities: data standards, evidence base for investment in data, case studies and supporting others, technical skills where we don’t have the money to hire people.

Priorities will then be put in order, and we will focus on a few things at a time and work through them.