Study: Road Congestion Costs South American Cities Billions

• “Inter-American Development Bank” advocates intelligent traffic management

SANTIAGO, Chile--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent paper from the Inter-American Development Bank finds that South American cities are among the most congested cities in the world, costing cities like Sao Paulo over USD 2 billion per year. However, real time traffic management should be used as a game changer. The traffic management company Kapsch TrafficCom already uses smart technology in various countries to implement next generation solutions.

In the past, the main approach towards reducing congestion was to build new roads. But the IADB publication shows that this instead increases the number of vehicles on the road. Clearly, combatting congestion needs a smarter approach. That is why tools like connected mobility and real time traffic management should be used to improve traffic in the cities, according to the publication.

World´s smartest traffic management in Melbourne

One highly innovative example of connected mobility is the AIMES project in Melbourne, Australia. By using sensors and Bluetooth connections to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, the “Mobility Hub” developed by Kapsch TrafficCom connects, informs and guides traffic participants. The system, covering an inner city area of 6 km², over 100km of roads and more than 70 intersections, is being called the “Smartest Traffic Management in the World.”

Buenos Aires guides traffic in real time

A recent example of a successful traffic management project is the EcoTrafix platform that Kapsch TrafficCom installed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. By implementing its innovative traffic management system, Kapsch TrafficCom integrated the city’s various traffic control technologies under one umbrella system. Now, Buenos Aires boasts a modern, state-of-the-art integrated traffic management control center.

Solutions for all traffic stakeholders

“With today’s technology, we can guide the traffic on the road in a way that avoids unnecessary congestion and improves the traffic experience for all participants, from drivers to cyclists to pedestrians,” says Emilio Rivas, Executive Vice President at Kapsch TrafficCom Latin America. “The key is to provide authorities with live, or even predictive, information and the right tools to guide traffic.”

Innovation at Kapsch TrafficCom
Find out more about mobility of the future and download our use case folder at innovation.kapsch.net.

Kapsch TrafficCom is a globally renowned provider of transportation solutions for sustainable mobility.
Further information: www.kapsch.net/ktc

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