CLEAR THINKING

This article discusses a new approach to minimising the impact of traffic in urban centres. The Clearzones initiative, funded by the UK Government, will apply new technology to control urban traffic flows, and create special agencies to manage and fund the work in each city. A Clearzones workshop for interested public and private sector groups will be held in Spring 1999, arranged by ITS Focus, which is participating in the project. Clearzones was launched in 1997, as one of three projects in the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) Foresight Transport programme. Clearzones coordinator M Simms says that new types of management organisations, in a public-private partnership, are needed to act as an 'overall client body' for transport and support services in large urban areas. Such a body would be responsible for contracting out all public transport, road management and charging, parking, and traveller information services as part of a 'virtuous circle' of investment and improvement in urban telematics infrastructure. The Working Cities Task Force has strong private-sector representation, and close involvement from this sector could be critical for procuring new technologies. The approach adopted by Clearzones could help gain early public acceptance for road pricing, which seems likely to appear first outside London.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/14644339
• Corporate Authors:

  Route One Publishing Limited

  Horizon House, Azalea Drive
  Swanley, Kent  United Kingdom  BR8 8JR
• Authors:
  • CRAWFORD, D
• Publication Date: 1999

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 35-6
• Serial:
  • TSP EUROPE
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Route One Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 1464-4339

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Administration; Area traffic signal control; Conferences; Contracts; Driver information systems; Federal government; Highways; Organizations; Parking; Passenger information systems; Personality; Public transit; Technology; Traffic flow; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Responsibility
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 155: Administration; 669: Area traffic control; 8525: Conference; 146: Contract; 8763: Driver information; 183: Government (national); 2755: Highway; 9057: Organization (association); 955: Parking; 8786: Passenger information; 744: Public transport; 2264: Responsibility; 3855: Technology; 671: Traffic flow; 8119: United Kingdom; 313: Urban area
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00782753
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Feb 7 2000 12:00AM