EU Commissioner Hahn gave the official starting signal
For the EU, the promotion of digital greener Technologies to make the transport sector cleaner, safer and more effective are an absolute priority. The Carinthian projects won in competition with other European submissions and are the best of their kind in Europe. This is worthy of support.
Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner
Carinthia (OTS) – The restructuring of the mobility and transport system is one of the central prerequisites for achieving the climate goals in Austria. There is “right of way” for three mobility projects (“SHOW”, “C-ROADS Austria 3” and “X4ITS”), which were launched on Friday, July 12, 2024 by EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn, road construction officer Martin Gruber, mobility officer Sebastian Schuschnig and Albert Kreiner, head of the department for economics, tourism and mobility (all in the state of Carinthia) and project manager Walter Prutej, were officially opened. The projects are funded by the EU with 4.2 million euros. The three EU projects are intended to provide possible answers to the mobility of the future. Project partners include the state of Carinthia, the city of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt Mobil GmbH and the innovative research project “Smart Urban Region Austria Alps Adriatic” (SURAAA for short), which is a competence center for autonomous driving in Austria.
Intelligent transport infrastructures will play a major role in the future. As part of the EU project “C-ROADS Austria 3”, traffic lights in Klagenfurt are being equipped with intelligence and in the future can, for example, give priority to local public transport, blue light organizations or route vehicles or to give road users priority over dangerous areas (accidents, traffic jams, black ice, etc.). warn and help optimize traffic flow. The use cases can be extended to any situation on the road, the switching of traffic lights and other information that is of interest to the vehicles or the road user. Intelligent transport infrastructure is being expanded throughout Carinthia through the EU project X4ITS. Additional intelligent traffic lights and digital traffic signs will be added there, which will make traffic in Carinthia safer and more efficient in the future. The intelligent traffic infrastructures of autonomous vehicles are also used, for example to control traffic lights. In total, over 50 traffic light systems in Carinthia are being made fit for the future.
Austria premiere! Autonomous mobility solutions through digitalization are, along with new forms of drive, one of the most important future areas in transport. The SURAAA research project with autonomous bus shuttles has been operating in Carinthia since 2017 and has been part of Europe’s leading mobility project SHOW since 2021: Over 69 project partners from 13 EU countries are researching the mobility of the future together. Today, EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn was presented with current developments in autonomous driving in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee by SURAAA project manager Walter Prutej. SURAAA is a pioneering project in the field of autonomous driving that is receiving recognition across Europe. Carinthia makes a significant contribution to the complex developments surrounding automated (driverless) mobility. Self-driving bus shuttles, “city buses of the future”, have been introduced for the first time in Austria in real daily operation and according to the 2018 timetable in Carinthia in Pörtschach am Wörthersee!
For the first time, an autonomous fleet is now going into operation in Klagenfurt in Austria as part of the EU SHOW project. And an autonomous service on demand (via APP) will soon be launched in Klagenfurt, also for the first time in Austria. SURAAA project manager Walter Prutej is pleased about this: “Being part of Europe’s leading mobility projects is a special recognition for us.” The duration of the three EU projects ends at the end of 2027 and a total of around 4.2 million euros will be invested by the EU in Carinthia. Every euro is a valuable investment, says Albert Kreiner from the state of Carinthia proudly: “We want to prove that a country like Carinthia, which does not conduct software research on a large scale, can enter into a technological development partnership and gain valuable international attention.”Road construction officer Martin Gruber and mobility officer Sebastian Schuschnig are proud of the successes of the Carinthian projects at EU level and emphasize that every single citizen will benefit from these technologies in the future.
EU projects in detail
“SHOW” – autonomous shuttles. Carinthia is a model region for future mobility
The autonomous shuttles, which will connect the West train station in Klagenfurt with the university and Lakeside Park free of charge from July 2024, will make an important contribution to the mobility of tomorrow. The SURAAA research project is part of Europe’s leading mobility project “SHOW” and has been considered a pioneering project in the field of autonomous driving for years. 69 project partners from 13 EU countries are involved in SHOW. Carinthia is a SHOW test region and is using an autonomous fleet and an autonomous on-demand service (via APP) for the first time in Austria, which will also be implemented in Klagenfurt in July. Today, EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn personally took a seat in the three autonomous shuttles in the Klagenfurt West area and was visibly enthusiastic. “For the EU, the promotion of digital greener Technologies to make the transport sector cleaner, safer and more effective are an absolute priority. The Carinthian projects won in competition with other European submissions and are the best of their kind in Europe. That’s worthy of support.”
“C-ROADS 3 Austria 3” – “Traffic lights of the future”. More traffic safety and better traffic flow
There is also a “green light” for the EU project “C-ROADS 3 Austria 3”, which is being implemented in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. This means that emergency vehicles or public transport can navigate through the city more efficiently and safely using prioritized traffic lights, or road users can be warned about danger spots (accidents, traffic jams, black ice, etc.). This enables emergency services, for example, to get to the scene of operations more quickly and safely. Traffic can be influenced quickly, flexibly and precisely. The use cases can be extended to any situation on the road, the switching of traffic lights and other information that is of interest to the vehicles or the road user. In the “C-ROADS 3 Austria 3” project, intelligent transport infrastructures (C-ITS/V2X) are planned, implemented, tested and evaluated.
“X4ITS” – “Green Wave” for public transport and emergency services, among others
As part of the X4ITS research project, digital communication between cars and traffic lights is to be further tested and expanded from Klagenfurt to the whole of Carinthia. To put it simply: The traffic light will not only provide a light signal for the driver, but will also communicate directly with the vehicle. This should not only increase the road safety of road users, but also give public transport priority. The “X4ITS” project is a cooperation between authorities, cities, public transport companies and companies from 6 EU member states (Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia). Specifically, traffic light systems with ITS and C-ITS infrastructure and dynamic, digital traffic signs are being installed throughout Carinthia and used for the following 4 use cases: 1. Prioritization of public transport, blue light organizations, route and company vehicles, etc., 2. Traffic optimization, 3. Traffic safety and 4. autonomous driving. The information gained from this can be used to improve traffic safety and control and thus also reduce emissions.
Summary: 3 EU-Projekte („SHOW”, „C-ROADS Austria 3”, „X4ITS”)
-
Total term until the end of 2027
-
Budget Carinthia total €7.7 million
-
EU funding for Carinthia totaling €4.2 million.
Questions & Contact:
Walter Prutej, +43 664 2528230, email: press@suraaa.at, Web: www.suraaa.at