We know that the existing urban transport systems based on the
private vehicle (necessarily relying mostly on fossil fuels) are
not sustainable in terms of energy and land needs. On the other
hand, public transportation systems are also not very efficient and
do not provide a good service anywhere and anytime.
Over the last twenty years, a new concept has emerged through
strong cooperation between researchers, automotive companies,
suppliers and transit operators. It is the concept of co-modal
systems. This means well-designed systems that will combine the use
of various transportation modes and in particular the individual
vehicles and the mass transit systems. A key element of such a
system is the Cybernetic Transportation Systems (CTS), which are
based on fully automated urban vehicles. This paper will present
these CTS and how they have emerged through a European
collaborative approach.
These environmental-friendly novel systems offer far-reaching
solutions that will drastically mitigate or solve the problems that
we encounter in current urban transportation systems. They will
yield much more effective organization of the urban mobility, with
a more rational use of motorized traffic; less congestion,
pollution noise and CO₂ emissions and better accessibility and
safety. The result will be a higher quality of living, an enhanced
integration with the spatial and also societal development and
advancement towards sustainability.
