The Connected Customer

“Road Users of the future will have access to all necessary
information at all times, irrespective of mode, in order to provide
informed travel choice and options as the journey unfolds.”

The connected customer will have access to all necessary information at all times, irrespective of mode, in order to provide informed travel choice and options as their journey unfolds.

Global Economy management methods will no longer be an option. Ensuring that high quality information is available and correct is a way of ensuring accountability to the customer. Advances in digital and communications technologies will deliver personalised travel information anywhere and everywhere.

Management of congested networks will become the norm. There will be great variation in journey times. Better real-time and predictive information will become indispensable.

Road users' expectations about information delivery will become more sophisticated. This will be combined with other digital services: on-line booking and payment, parking, pick-up, business services, timetables, late-running, forecast travel times, travel costs, interchange options, directions, yellow pages, etc
 

• The estimated cost of congestion equates to £19 billion per year and yet 15% of the average household income is spent on travel, 84% of which is on car ownership and use.
  
  
• DTLR estimates that journey times will increase considerably, especially on urban motorways, where they will double by 2031. Average journey times on rural motorways are also predicted to increase substantially, especially in the peaks.
  
  
• Expectations on the frequency / numbers of incidents, etc (trend forecasts under a “do nothing” scenario).
  
  
• Future capability of mobile communications.
  
  
• Social trends towards greater travel peaks (sporting and entertainment events, holiday and recreational travel).
  
  
• Evidence of more sophisticated travel planning and travel substitution.
  
  
• Growth of just-in time delivery, and time-tabled freight movements, etc.
  

• Work with DTLR, broadcasters and Value Added Service Providers (VASPs) to develop both high quality public information services and high value commercial services.
  
  
• Develop better predictive journey planning tools to include travel mode comparisons (travel timings, routes, costs, toll and charges, risk of delays, etc).
  
  
• Develop better information-based network management strategies.
  
  
• Invest in the infrastructure for high resolution traffic monitoring and the means of predicting the response to network management information messages.
  
  
• Develop the means to offer user-orientated services with guaranteed minimum journey performance (e.g. balancing the traffic mix, offering guaranteed delivery / arrival time, shifting time of travel, demand / supply management tool, right information at the right time, etc).

• Develop improved methods for monitoring network performance in relation to customer needs (e.g. enhanced Agency Customer Road User Charter, local usage and user profiles, etc).
  
  
• Action to promote consistency and standardisation of ‘public’ information provision to service all communications media.
  
  
• Action to improve real time information about the wider range of travel options (e.g. park and ride, rail booking systems, on-line real-time Autoroute service, etc).
  
  
• Actions (with police and DTLR) to influence the development of a safe and efficient human / machine interface (e.g. minimum distraction, relevant information provision, user friendly, etc).