Transport in the Smart city

Abstract

There is indeed widespread confusion as to what `smart mobility' actually means. The role of transport in the generally accepted concept of `smartness' appears minuscule. According to the 2015 list of the world's 50 smartest companies by MIT Technology Review, only one of those 50 - Uber - is directly involved with city transport issues. To make it worse, Uber occupies the last space on the list. One of the reasons for keeping the transport sector so low on the scale of smartness may lie in the frequent over-usage, or 'abusage' (pace Eric Partridge), of the word `smart', often reduced to a meaningless soundbite. And yet, the modern city's transport scene is resplendent with exciting technological innovations - whether we call them smart or not. Let's face it, with volumes of traffic and population constantly on the increase, a well-organised `intelligent' transport system,which ensures unrestricted mobility for people and goods, is a cornerstone of urban life. (4 pages)