VTT, ITS to develop intelligent transport systems

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and ITS Russia have signed a partnership agreement concerning the development of intelligent transport systems (ITS).

The objective of Project CAVLANE is to develop new services, products and standards for border crossings in particular, said a VTT press release on Monday.

Businesses from all over Europe are expected to join the partnership.

CAVLANE is linked to an initiative of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to create a roadmap for transport solutions that support automated driving as well as to the Autonet-2 scientific and technical initiative.

"The goal is to promote automated driving and therefore to prepare for the advent of robotic cars with varying degrees of autonomy. VTT has a long history of developing the reliability and safety of autonomous cars", the Executive Vice President of VTT, Erja Turunen said.

New intelligent services increase road safety, improve logistics, boost businesses' competitiveness and create markets for new innovations.

The project involves, for example, testing ITS services for drivers before and after border crossings, such as queue cautions that are hoped to make traffic flow more smooth at the Nuijamaa border crossing point and standardised EU V2V warning messages.

The aim is to link CAVLANE to an ITS route sponsored by the Russian Government, which would begin from the biggest cities in Finland and run via Helsinki to Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and China.

"Building an ITS and logistics route from Finland via Russia to the Far East is extremely important both economically and in terms of transport, and we want to promote its implementation together with businesses and various stakeholders. At its best, the route can act as a platform for collaboration that benefits everyone involved in the global transport and logistics revolution", said Senior Adviser Seppo Öörni from the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications.