Smart Technologies Take Centerstage at Gulf Traffic

The Gulf Traffic Exhibition and Conference which will be held until 9 December at the Dubai World Trade Centre was formally inaugurated today by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The opening ceremony was attended by many eminent personalities including His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre.

One of the most notable aspects of the twelfth edition of this trade show is the increase in the number of free to attend conferences from three to five. Over a period of three days, key industry figures will use the conference as the platform to discuss key projects, technologies and plans that will affect transport and traffic. Issues in the spotlight at the conference include a ITS and Smart Cities, Road Traffic Sustainability and Safety, techniques to increase road safety, Smart Parking and Planning, and new trends in the construction of highways, bridges, tunnels and structural projects.

On the first day of the conference, the focus will be on road traffic sustainability and safety, with a number of panel discussions and presentations on road designs, the future direction for sustainable options, healthcare access in the event of accidents, the history and movement of autonomous vehicles on a global basis and their impact on road safety

On the second day, the emphasis will be on use of technologies with a ‘smart’ approach to develop effective solutions to common traffic and road transport issues.

Rupert Green, Smart Design Lead at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, will be one of the speakers on the second day and will use this opportunity to launch his Smart Design Framework, which is meant to use a smarter approach to tackle issues like traffic congestion, public wellbeing and energy supply in an urban environment.

According to Green, his framework has three stages, with the first stage involving the formulation of a strong smart city vision, supported by clearly communicated stakeholder and governance structures. The second phase is working with the stakeholders to clarify the attributes of the smart city like better connectivity and defining the steps needed to achieve them. The final stage involves implementation of the smart city delivery and operation processes, and this is where out of the box thinking and more intelligent use of technology can make significant social, environmental and economic impact.

The final day of the conference will be devoted to smart parking, and cost-effective methods to build integrated sustainable parking spaces, incorporating them into master development plans and the role of “Big Data” in the future of parking.

Exhibitors will definitely benefit from participating in the Gulf Traffic show as for the first time ever, Gulf Traffic will be running a hosted buyer program in order to connect key buyers drawn from different parts of the Middle East with participating exhibitors, both at the regional and global level.

Another new feature of the show this year is the dealer/distributor lounge, which will provide visitors with a quiet space away from the show floor to conduct meetings. Visitors can visit the Gulf Traffic website to provide their details and list the top three products they are interested in so that relevant exhibitors can contact them.