2025-05-29
AI helps improve urban mobility
The expansion of the use of artificial intelligence in digital solutions for the transportation industry is helping speed up mobility in cities and increase the safety of city traffic and the efficiency of managing transportation flows. Marsel Nigmetzyanov, the General Director of General Operator (part of Telematika Corporation), spoke about this on May 29th at the 11th annual Forum on Road Initiatives «Innovative Technologies and Intelligent Transportation Systems in Road Construction». The event was organized by Avtodor State Corporation, and Telematika Corporation was an innovative partner in the forum.
During the session “Intelligent Transportation Systems and Digital Solutions”, Marsel Nigmetzyanov noted that more than 1.4 thousand kilometers of toll roads in various regions of Russia are equipped with Telematika Corporation’s IT solutions. More than 2,000 detection devices (cameras, lasers, transportation detectors) are in use on the Central Ring Road and the M-12 Highway to identify passing vehicles and monitor road conditions. All of the information received from the transponders and cameras is analyzed by neural networks. IT solutions that use AI on these sections generate transactions every 0.08 seconds, which is five time quicker than a human is capable of discerning a simple visual object (about 0.4 seconds).
“AI exceeds humans by leaps and bounds in regards to the speed and distance at which it can identify objects on the road, as well as in regards to the speed required to make a decision. Thus, the implementation of digital solutions on the roads is inevitable and this will lead not only to an improvement in traffic control, but also make the roads safer”, explained Marsel Nigmetzyanov, adding that the system can read a license plate number in 0.5 seconds, while a human requires 2 seconds. The detection distance when using AI is up to several kilometers, while it is only 50 meters for humans. AI adapts to lighting changes within 0.1 seconds, while a human requires almost 1 to 2 seconds. Additionally, the system is capable of working continuously, while the operator requires a break after just 2 hours.
According to him, the growth of the population in cities, a reduction in mobility, and the worsening of the environmental situation requires implementing AI in the transportation infrastructure. According to analysts, 33% of the Russian population already lives in large cities, and by 2030 this number will exceed 38%. The growth of individual mobility, the move to autonomous vehicles, the expansion of toll roads in cities and city bypasses, and the electrification of public transportation will help battle road congestion and harmful emissions.
“The processes for the digital transformation of the transportation industry and the development of intelligent transportation systems will lead to the formation of a new model of urban mobility. The implementation of artificial intelligence in transportation systems is not only a technological trend, but also a strategic step capable of drastically changing the character of modern cities. Artificial intelligence will penetrate absolutely all subsystems of intelligent transportation systems, from collecting tolls to ensuring safety, forming a unified adaptive transportation network. This will enable moving throughout the city more comfortably and more safely,” added Marsel Nigmetzyanov.
Such approaches are already actively being utilized in other countries. Singapore has been using a tolling system that uses dynamic tariffs since 1998, and they plan in the future to switch to payment based on satellite positioning. In Xiangyang (China), they are developing autonomous transportation technologies, testing autonomous buses and taxis, and drones are used to deliver goods and monitor road conditions. In London, there is an ultra-low emissions zone, where vehicles that do not meet the ecological standards must pay for their access.
In Russia, toll roads are also becoming a part of the road infrastructure. There are already examples of this in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, and Kazan. This can also be seen in projects regarding toll city bypasses, for example in Tver, Tolyatti, Krasnodar, and other cities. “The experience already gained by the leaders in the sphere of intelligent transportation systems will serve as the basis for the scaling of IT solutions throughout the entire country. In the next five years, the development of toll roads in regions of Russia will increase, both from the point of view of the infrastructure, as well as the digital solutions that ensure the comfort, safety, and predictability of itineraries”, noted Marsel Nigmetzyanov.
According to projections of futurists, in the next decades we will observe genesis of the trend “mobility as a service”, where transportation will become a universal service paid for as utility bills regardless of the type of transportation, from scooters to intercity transportation.
“AI exceeds humans by leaps and bounds in regards to the speed and distance at which it can identify objects on the road, as well as in regards to the speed required to make a decision. Thus, the implementation of digital solutions on the roads is inevitable and this will lead not only to an improvement in traffic control, but also make the roads safer”, explained Marsel Nigmetzyanov, adding that the system can read a license plate number in 0.5 seconds, while a human requires 2 seconds. The detection distance when using AI is up to several kilometers, while it is only 50 meters for humans. AI adapts to lighting changes within 0.1 seconds, while a human requires almost 1 to 2 seconds. Additionally, the system is capable of working continuously, while the operator requires a break after just 2 hours.
According to him, the growth of the population in cities, a reduction in mobility, and the worsening of the environmental situation requires implementing AI in the transportation infrastructure. According to analysts, 33% of the Russian population already lives in large cities, and by 2030 this number will exceed 38%. The growth of individual mobility, the move to autonomous vehicles, the expansion of toll roads in cities and city bypasses, and the electrification of public transportation will help battle road congestion and harmful emissions.
“The processes for the digital transformation of the transportation industry and the development of intelligent transportation systems will lead to the formation of a new model of urban mobility. The implementation of artificial intelligence in transportation systems is not only a technological trend, but also a strategic step capable of drastically changing the character of modern cities. Artificial intelligence will penetrate absolutely all subsystems of intelligent transportation systems, from collecting tolls to ensuring safety, forming a unified adaptive transportation network. This will enable moving throughout the city more comfortably and more safely,” added Marsel Nigmetzyanov.
Such approaches are already actively being utilized in other countries. Singapore has been using a tolling system that uses dynamic tariffs since 1998, and they plan in the future to switch to payment based on satellite positioning. In Xiangyang (China), they are developing autonomous transportation technologies, testing autonomous buses and taxis, and drones are used to deliver goods and monitor road conditions. In London, there is an ultra-low emissions zone, where vehicles that do not meet the ecological standards must pay for their access.
In Russia, toll roads are also becoming a part of the road infrastructure. There are already examples of this in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, and Kazan. This can also be seen in projects regarding toll city bypasses, for example in Tver, Tolyatti, Krasnodar, and other cities. “The experience already gained by the leaders in the sphere of intelligent transportation systems will serve as the basis for the scaling of IT solutions throughout the entire country. In the next five years, the development of toll roads in regions of Russia will increase, both from the point of view of the infrastructure, as well as the digital solutions that ensure the comfort, safety, and predictability of itineraries”, noted Marsel Nigmetzyanov.
According to projections of futurists, in the next decades we will observe genesis of the trend “mobility as a service”, where transportation will become a universal service paid for as utility bills regardless of the type of transportation, from scooters to intercity transportation.
