https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Environment|Logistics|PROJECT|rail|Road|Safety|Service|Services|System|Systems|Technology|transport|Maintenance|Solutions|Operations
Africa|Environment|Logistics|PROJECT|rail|Road|Safety|Service|Services|System|Systems|Technology|transport|Maintenance|Solutions|Operations
africa|environment|logistics|project|rail|road|safety|service|services|system|systems|technology|transport|maintenance|solutions|operations

ITSSA to disband as project has realised its mandate

5th August 2022

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

The Intelligent Transport Society of South Africa (ITSSA) has disbanded, as it has fulfilled its mandate, says CEO Dr Paul Vorster.

An ITSSA annual general meeting in July confirmed a decision taken by the society’s board in June to close the project.

ITSSA was established in 2001 as a project with the strategic objective to create awareness and encourage the use of intelligent transport system (ITS) solutions.

Since then, South Africa has seen the widespread adoption of ITS solutions, to the point where they are now standard elements in all transport planning and operations, explains Vorster.

This includes the roll-out of Europay, Mastercard and Visa ticketing in public transport systems; the Gautrain; bus rapid transit (BRT) systems; several public transport apps; a number of traffic management centres and traffic management systems; weigh-in-motion technology; freeway management systems; drones; Big Data; ride-hailing; artificial intelligence; on-demand transport services; and electric, connected and autonomous vehicles.

In short, ITSSA has achieved its strategic objective of making ITS solutions mainstream, says Vorster.

“After 21 years, it is time for ITSSA to hand the baton over to industry.

“Down the road, a radically new, even more advanced environment will need new approaches and mechanisms to assist and guide industry and government.”

Whilst Vorster is satisfied that ITSSA has achieved its goals, he does lament a number of factors holding back the operations and advancement of transport systems in South Africa.

These include the virtual collapse of Eskom, with significant social and economic impacts; disintegrating service delivery impacting negatively on traffic management; poor road safety; a worsening road maintenance backlog; the collapse of rail and the failure to implement migration strategies; the stalling of BRT deployment (with MyCiTi a positive exception); widespread corruption; scarcity of tenders; virtually bankrupt government coffers; and a constrained South African logistics system.

“If the country can overcome its institutional challenges, smart mobility solutions offer a launching pad to provide better, safer and more efficient transport services to more people,” says Vorster.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

Showroom

Hanna Instruments Image
Hanna Instruments (Pty) Ltd

We supply customers with practical affordable solutions for their testing needs. Our products include benchtop, portable, in-line process control...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
AutoX
AutoX

We are dedicated to business excellence and innovation.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.194 0.248s - 180pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now