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Intelligent Highway
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Smart Parking
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Smart Roadworks
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Electric Vehicles
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Incentivised lanes
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Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)
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Energy Harvesting
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Blockchain (DLT)
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The Intelligent Highway
What if roads lasted longer, contributed to the environment rather than cause damage to it, were instrumental in powering vehicles and communities at virtually no cost, were a contributor to the economy rather than a drain, and helped eliminate emissions and reduce Global Warming?
The moment a new road opens, it becomes a drain on the economy and seldom provides more than temporary relief to local congestion. However, Touching Blue Limited is developing the next evolution to the Intelligent Highway by proposing a road structure that is long-lasting, capable of interacting with connected vehicles, and will harvest energy to power vehicles en-route, while feeding surplus energy into the local community. Lots more detail to follow, when appropriate.
The moment a new road opens, it becomes a drain on the economy and seldom provides more than temporary relief to local congestion. However, Touching Blue Limited is developing the next evolution to the Intelligent Highway by proposing a road structure that is long-lasting, capable of interacting with connected vehicles, and will harvest energy to power vehicles en-route, while feeding surplus energy into the local community. Lots more detail to follow, when appropriate.
Incentivised Lanes
Lane segregation for specific vehicles, such as buses, has not proven as successful as envisaged because they reduce overall road capacity and have not persuaded sufficient numbers of drivers to switch to public transport, in spite of its 'improved reliability'. The bus is often only one part of an entire journey and other factors must be considered including the walk to the bus stop, the bus shelter, weather, personal security, and the proximity of bus stops to origin and destination.
However, with the increasing number of clean and connected vehicles on our roads, an opportunity now exists to monopolise on that growth by providing specific facilities for them. If done carefully, the incentive to switch can be enhanced and take place more rapidly. The existing UK Government deadline for the elimination of fossil fuels is completely unrealistic since this will be achieved far sooner regardless of deadlines. There are many (no pun intended) driving factors and incentives, the latest being the shift toward Super-Capacitors (see below) to replace outdated battery technology.
However, with the increasing number of clean and connected vehicles on our roads, an opportunity now exists to monopolise on that growth by providing specific facilities for them. If done carefully, the incentive to switch can be enhanced and take place more rapidly. The existing UK Government deadline for the elimination of fossil fuels is completely unrealistic since this will be achieved far sooner regardless of deadlines. There are many (no pun intended) driving factors and incentives, the latest being the shift toward Super-Capacitors (see below) to replace outdated battery technology.
Smart Parking
On Street parking remains the thorn in the side of any existing or proposed automated parking solutions. However, Touching Blue Limited has a unique solution that will allow, not only on-street parking spaces to be booked, but also provide additional special facilities in the process. More details at the appropriate time.
Autonomous Vehicles
AVs will not initially be universally acceptable since many drivers enjoy driving. Driving can be fun and rewarding and is a skill that evolves over time; you pass your driving test, then you begin to learn how to drive through experience. However, in order to evolve traffic management, varying degrees of autonomy are necessary. Reducing congestion on motorways, for example, is currently helped by the Managed Motorways system that imposes variable speed limited to prevent sudden build-ups further down the line, such metering of large traffic flows is highly effective. Increasing and decreasing autonomy according to the current network status will allow individuality when appropriate and self-driving when remote influence is not necessary. However, not simply related to congestion, it will no longer be possible to speed passed schools, for example.
Smart Roadworks
Off peak roadworks are currently performed under local authority traffic management policy. However, scope exists to review how this is done and Touching Blue Limited is working to develop a new methodology that will help reduce the impact of such works while benefiting the local authority and reducing costs for contractors.
Energy Harvesting
There is no reason why energy cannot be harvested in sufficient quantities to power evolving electric vehicles, and to provide surplus energy to local communities. This is a considerable area for development with wide ranging implications; current energy providers may wish to reassess their long term business plans in preparation.
Electric Vehicles
As predicted by Touching Blue Limited many years ago, the switch to EVs will be logarithmic rather than linear, and this is proving correct; as EVs improve, the confidence to switch increases. However, the next major incentive will be from the abandonment of battery power trains in favour of Super-Capacitors (with a very small battery as emergency back-up). Energy harvesting and local transmission will become the norm, charging will take less time than filling the tank and range will vastly increase. Regardless of 'denial', this is likely to be the case by around 2023.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI, and degrees of autonomy, will allow for many improvements such as; platooning, were groups of vehicles move faster and do so with reduced headway. AI will also allow currently excluded people to move about using such vehicles provided only that they are legally authorised to use that vehicle. AI will enable a completely new system of traffic control using to evolve that will have a complete understanding of the network and every vehicle on it, and will enable special functionality. This development is longer-term but much of the necessary infrastructure is already in place and can provide the foundation platform for that evolution, it also allows small scale trialling before regional roll-out.
BlockChain (DLT)
Use of Distributed Ledger Technology is growing fast and is being developed in many areas of manufacture and shipping. Touching Blue Limited believes that DLT will become an essential part in all aspects of mobility and will be help ensure safe journeys, correct road use and secure transportation from origin to destination including cross-border journeys. DLT, or Blockchain, represents essentially an administration system that is transparent, reliable and secure, and could lead to improved reliability in all aspects of business from paying bills on time to ensuring the right goods are delivered to the right place at the right time, and are 'as described'.
Freight Logistics
Currently, there recognition of the relative importance of different vehicles in terms of general traffic management, the exceptions being; emergency vehicles, high priority police routes, bus lanes, bike lanes and pedestrian facilities to remove conflict with traffic.
Bus lanes remove overall capacity so, unless supported with additional measures, such as congestion zones in London, are more likely to cause congestion than reduce it. Some cities have remove bus lanes to improve capacity since the expected shift from car to bus didn't happen in sufficient numbers. And it won't. To encourage change of travel habits, the entire journey must be included in the solution.
Freight, however, is a major area in road transport and this cannot be understated. The economy of the world rests on the shoulders of haulage companies, ports, shipping lines, rail, HGV breakdown services and maintenance crews, and most of all, HGV drivers. Just in Time delivery means reduced space requirement for storage of parts but those parts must arrive when scheduled. Change of mode appointment slots must be met at road/rail terminals and ports or there can be significant impact on manufacturing, commerce and so on. More must be done to recognise the importance of freight on our road network and this is potentially easier to achieve than rebuilding our rail network, as essential as that is to freight movement.
Touching Blue Limited is currently working with partner organisations to address this issue. Journey Time Reliability is essential in freight movement and the good new is that much of the infra-structure required to implement a solution is already in place. Our intention is to endorse the huge investment of Local Authorities, and National Government, for traffic management by utilising existing systems as the foundation for evolution to the next level.
Bus lanes remove overall capacity so, unless supported with additional measures, such as congestion zones in London, are more likely to cause congestion than reduce it. Some cities have remove bus lanes to improve capacity since the expected shift from car to bus didn't happen in sufficient numbers. And it won't. To encourage change of travel habits, the entire journey must be included in the solution.
Freight, however, is a major area in road transport and this cannot be understated. The economy of the world rests on the shoulders of haulage companies, ports, shipping lines, rail, HGV breakdown services and maintenance crews, and most of all, HGV drivers. Just in Time delivery means reduced space requirement for storage of parts but those parts must arrive when scheduled. Change of mode appointment slots must be met at road/rail terminals and ports or there can be significant impact on manufacturing, commerce and so on. More must be done to recognise the importance of freight on our road network and this is potentially easier to achieve than rebuilding our rail network, as essential as that is to freight movement.
Touching Blue Limited is currently working with partner organisations to address this issue. Journey Time Reliability is essential in freight movement and the good new is that much of the infra-structure required to implement a solution is already in place. Our intention is to endorse the huge investment of Local Authorities, and National Government, for traffic management by utilising existing systems as the foundation for evolution to the next level.
Projects underway
Actively working on, with, or supporting partners
Potholes: Research into longer term solutions for this hazardous, expensive and annoying problem.
Ambulance priority: Saving lives by real-time control of traffic lights for emergency vehicle (Red Ninja Studios 'Links' page)
Bus priority: Bus lanes impact capacity in most cities, TBL has a dynamic and efficient solution
HyperLoop Cargo: Investigating a potential solution to a congested major road using a HyperLoop type solution for freight
Freight logistics: Working to improve efficiency for multi-modal freight movement around the UK transport network
Intelligent Highway: Developing the concept of a new type of interactive road surface
Incentivised Lanes: Changing how we use our existing roads and further encouraging the switch clean & connected vehicles
On-Street parking: Working with a local authority to develop a potential new system for on-street parking management
Roadworks: Working with a local authority to develop a new methodology to improve efficiency of roadworks
Potholes: Research into longer term solutions for this hazardous, expensive and annoying problem.
Ambulance priority: Saving lives by real-time control of traffic lights for emergency vehicle (Red Ninja Studios 'Links' page)
Bus priority: Bus lanes impact capacity in most cities, TBL has a dynamic and efficient solution
HyperLoop Cargo: Investigating a potential solution to a congested major road using a HyperLoop type solution for freight
Freight logistics: Working to improve efficiency for multi-modal freight movement around the UK transport network
Intelligent Highway: Developing the concept of a new type of interactive road surface
Incentivised Lanes: Changing how we use our existing roads and further encouraging the switch clean & connected vehicles
On-Street parking: Working with a local authority to develop a potential new system for on-street parking management
Roadworks: Working with a local authority to develop a new methodology to improve efficiency of roadworks
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