Innovate UK Engaged Smart Transport (EST)

Cities face a number of key transport challenges in the 21st Century. Congestion has a set of well-documented negative
consequences, including environmental pollution, poor economic competitiveness, low levels of public satisfaction with
public transport, negative impacts on personal health and wellbeing, and a broader reputational impact on urban centres that aspire to be retail and tourist destinations. Moreover, the UK's commitment to reduce carbon emissions necessitates a
broader long-term shift away from private motor transport towards low carbon and mass transit modes of transport. In this
way, tackling the specific issue of urban congestion relates to wider social and economic goals for cities to become better
places to live and easier places to navigate.
Specifically, Exeter has some of the worst air pollution and congestion statistics for a city of its size. Yet the city is also
witnessing unprecedented expansion of outlying suburbs, creating greater pressure on existing arterial and city centre
roads. Alongside these background factors, the city aspires to maintain its position as a key retail and tourist centre and
there are plans to redevelop several areas of the city centre for retail and leisure facilities in the coming years.
One of the ways in which social scientists have attempted to deal with this 'wicked' policy problem is to promote pre-formed
behavioural change through the provision of information and exhortations to individual travellers to change their behaviour.
However, decades of social research has illustrated that influencing behaviour is highly complex and requires a significant
investment in research intelligence about what influences travel behaviours. Although recent years have witnessed a
growth in social marketing approaches for influencing change, which adopt the methods of conventional marketing
approaches, a set of factors that have been largely omitted from such studies and interventions is the role of what can be
termed 'real time' factors in travel decision making, which are not pre-formed, but which influence practices in the moment.
Research intelligence from traffic management providers suggests that factors such as weather conditions, immediate
levels of traffic congestion and perceptions of the effectiveness of public transport are all important to consider when
understanding both decisions to travel and also the resultant behaviour of travellers on their journeys (either as drivers or
public transport users). Indeed, crucial to understand are the ways in which these conditions can be communicated to
promote different practices, either as decisions to travel using different modes or to drive in a different way, and the
potential for harnessing new technologies for managing travel behaviour through both the utilisation of sophisticated traffic
management systems.
This research therefore aims to understand and promote better 'real time' travel decision making through adopting a
personalised and tailored travel behaviour approach. This will be undertaken through a two stage methodology. In stage 1,
a large general survey of Exeter residents and those travelling into Exeter on a daily basis will be undertaken to explore key
travel behaviours, attitudes, participants' characteristics. Using an online survey approach, the questionnaire will enable
researchers to both identify key segment groups and their travel behaviours and, on the basis of these analyses, to make
high level statistical links between individual behaviours and external factors, including quantitative information from other
datasets. In stage 2, a panel of representative participants from the segments identified at stage 1 will be formed to explore
the key relationships between behaviours and specific interventions that will be captured through a series of experiments,
which will test interventions and their effectiveness.

Who are the potential beneficiaries, and how might they benefit?
The most immediate benefits will be felt by the Innovate UK project consortium partners, who will draw upon the research
undertaken by the University. The aim of this research is to understand, promote and influence better 'real time' travel
decision making by the general public. On the basis of this research there will be significant scope to harness new
technologies for managing travel behaviour, through both the utilisation of sophisticated traffic management systems and
individual smart technology. There is now a sizeable business opportunity for solutions that can reduce congestion in cities,
the Future Cities and Transport Systems Catapults have estimated that global integrated cities solutions market will be
worth £200 billion p.a. by 2030.
The potential benefits to each of the consortium partners is set out in turn below:
- NTT Data is the world's 6th largest IT systems integrator company, with an interest in big data analytics, sentiment
analysis, traffic management algorithms, warning delivery to sat nav and collaboration within smart transport systems
consortia. Through this project NTT is interested in developing products that can be applied to cities throughout the world.
They also anticipate the potential to bring significant new revenue streams to its UK business.
- Dynniq is a European technical solutions provider, in particular providing solutions for Intelligent Transport Systems and
specialised parts of the transport infrastructure market. Through this project Dynniq expect to increase market share in the
UK urban traffic management and control market, estimated at £150 million pa, from 25% to 27% within 3 years, resulting
in revenue of around £3m pa.
- Vaisala manufactures electronic measurement systems and equipment for meteorology and the environmental sciences,
traffic safety and industrial applications. Through this project Vaisala, with annual turnover of £8 million expects an increase
of up to 50% in repeatable annual revenue from sensor sales after 5 years.
- Exeter City Council & Devon County Council, Exeter is a city undergoing unprecedented growth. This research will help to
address the well understood transport challenges experienced by the region regarding traffic congestion and associated
economic, health and environmental impacts. In particular for Exeter, congestion is considered a crucial issue that is creating major barrier to future economic growth.
Outside of the consortium we expect there to be social, well-being and economic benefits to the people of Exeter. For
example one of the most measurable benefits will be general journey time savings.