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Navigating the Future of Global Mobility

Welcome to the ITS Now Articles hub, your central resource for expert analysis, technical insight, strategic thought leadership and educational content within the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) sector. As the transport landscape undergoes a radical transformation driven by digitisation, decarbonisation and automation, staying informed is no longer just an advantage, it is a necessity for industry professionals, policymakers and innovators alike.



Global Insight, Local Impact

While the challenges of congestion and safety are universal, the solutions are often local. ITS Now brings together perspectives from across the globe, highlighting international best practices while providing a dedicated lens on the UK’s evolving transport strategy. As the growing technological requirements of mobility evolve and mature, our content is designed to provide you with actionable intelligence. Join the conversation as we work together to build a smarter, safer and more efficient future for transport.



Find the latest articles across our different topic areas below.



To see more of our 100's of articles, click on the links to engage with the latest Industry Insight, find out what has been happening at Events that will impact ITS across the globe, catch up on ITS Thought Leadership and dip into our ITS Educational articles.



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Industry Insight >

We bring you a range of topics from across the ITS sector, to see more articles click here for the Industry Insight page.



An illustration of Electric Vehicles using street chargers

Taking Charge

How Four European Cities Reveal the Real Shape of the EV Transition.

Electrification can only happen at scale if charging is reliable, affordable and easy to access. The Clean Cities Campaign’s Taking Charge briefing offers a clear snapshot of how things are progressing.


An illustration of changes in the ITS market place

The Consolidation Wave in ITS
Why the Supplier Landscape Is Shrinking and What It Means for Innovation, Procurement and Competition.

Across Europe, North America and Asia, the number of independent ITS suppliers is shrinking as mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships reshape the market.

An illustration of the possible implications for ITS of budget changes to fund the new Defence Investment Plan.

Government Cuts to Transport
Possible implications for ITS because of budget changes to fund the new Defence Investment Plan.

The decision to reallocate up to £700million pounds from the DfT to help fund the £15billion plan will inevitably slow, reshape and in some places stall the deployment of ITS.

An illustration of an empty work station in a control room

The Hidden Workforce Crisis in ITS
It's not just recruitment - retention, burnout and the lack of mid-career pathways

The ITS sector has spent the past decade talking about recruitment, but far less attention has been paid to the deeper, more structural workforce crisis unfolding beneath the surface.

Image of the panellists at the MOVE 2026 conference

Autonomous Urbanism at MOVE 2026
What Cities Must Get Right Before Autonomy Scales

The Autonomous Vehicles Stage at MOVE 2026 was the venue for an illuminating discussion to explore how safety, oversight and accessibility are integrated into automated mobility deployments.



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Events >

Updates from major ITS events around the globe, to see more articles click here for the Events page.



An illustration of future mobility in Guildford, Surrey

UTSG 2026

Academia Signals a New Era for Intelligent Mobility

The 58th Universities’ Transport Studies Group (UTSG) Annual Conference returned to Surrey looking at the depth and direction of the research being shaped across the UK and Ireland’s transport schools.


An illustration of a futuristic automated vehicle driving through Stuttgart

Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo 2026 Stuttgart
Key ITS and Mobility Technology Themes from this years' Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo

The Expo delivered a rich seam of advances in simulation, breakthroughs in sensing, new architectures and a renewed focus on safety, cybersecurity and validation.

An illustration of a digital twin model overlaid on a highway

LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival 2026
ITS and Mobility Technologies that provide Innovation with Purpose

LCRIG’s annual gathering in the UK is grounded, practical and relentlessly focused on the realities of local roads, local authorities and the people who keep the network functioning.

Image of the lectern at the 2026 ITS UK Parliamentary Reception

ITS UK Parliamentary Reception 2026
Transport technology steps into the spotlight at Westminster

ITS UK’s annual parliamentary reception brought together policymakers, industry leaders and innovators to see why ITS is critical for the future of UK transport.

Image of Laura Demeo Chace on stage at the ITSA Conference 2026

ITS America Conference & Expo 2026
Detroit Signals a New Phase for Intelligent Mobility

The ITS America Conference & Expo returned to Detroit, the city once again became the proving ground for the next chapter of connected, automated and intelligent mobility.



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ITS Thought Leadership >

The Thought Leadership series provides insight to a range of topic issues which surround the ITS sector, to see more articles click here for the Thought Leadership page.




An illustration of how Traffic Management Systems might work in future years

Death of the Monolithic Traffic Management Systems

What Comes Next for Cities?

Monolithic TMS, which was once the proud centrepiece of urban traffic operations, is now struggling to keep pace with a world that no longer behaves in neat, predictable patterns.


An illustration of data generation on an urban street.

Is Data a Public Utility?
Should transport data be treated and valued as a public utility rather than being siloed in commercial servers?

Mobility data is the unruly teenager of the infrastructure world. It is everywhere, growing fast, often misunderstood, and almost entirely unregulated in any meaningful sense. The question is whether it should remain that way.

An illustration of the issues faced by ITS equipment and personnel due to unfounded rumours.

Call to Action: When Fear Turns to Fury
Why the ITS sector must confront rising public hostility before it becomes normalised

Growing concerns have been raising the alarm about a rise in confrontational behaviour towards people working in traffic systems, and a growing number of incidents where members of the public vandalise, disable, or steal roadside equipment.

An illustration of a parking machine being vandalised with expanding foam

When Frustration Turns to Foam
What a Vandalised Ticket Machine Tells Us About Public Trust in ITS

A brand-new car-park ticket machine was found covered in expanding foam, rendering it completely useless. What does this tell us about public trust in ITS?

An illustration of the carbon shadow for modern digital mobility infrastructure

Carbon Cost of Digital Mobility
The carbon shadow for modern digital mobility infrastructure

Smart mobility has spent the past decade presenting itself as the clean, frictionless future, yet beneath the optimism lies a truth that the sector rarely confronts, is ITS really carbon neutral?



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ITS Educational >

The items in the Educational series provide an opportunity to learn about Intelligent Transport Systems and their underpinning technologies,, to see more articles click here for the Educational page.

For more learning resources, also have a look at our Books in the Publications page.



An illustration of a range of mobility modes being assisted by ITS

What is ITS?

Ever wondered what Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are?

Despite sounding like a futuristic mode of transport, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are actually technologies and systems associated with the management, operation and use of a broad range of transport modes and their inter-relationship with other infrastructure.


Placeholder Picture

Introduction to Roadside Technology
An Overview Of Major Technologies Used To Control And Manage The Highway Network

Technologies have been used for many years to passively monitor activity on the highway, however over the years additional features have been added to assist in actively managing traffic, these range from informing users about current conditions, so that they can make their own decisions, such as automatically warning drivers of incidents using roadside variable message signs, through to compelling users to modify their driving, such as by implementing variable speed limits or by using enforcement cameras etc.

Image of inductive vehicle detection loops on a UK motorway, MIDAS system

Inductive Loop Vehicle Detection
The Backbone of Intelligent Transport Systems

Ever seen rectangular, diamond or chevron black lines in the asphalt surface of a road and wondered what they are?

Image of an old fashioned vehicle detection system

The History of Traffic Signals
The history of traffic signals and how they came to be used on our roads as far back as 1868

Many people assume that traffic signals emerged alongside the rise of motor vehicles, yet the foundations of modern signalisation were laid decades earlier. Long before roads were dominated by cars, engineers and scientists were grappling with the challenge of how to communicate movement, warning and control, at a distance.

Image of a typical signalised junction in London

Traffic Signals - Phases and Stages
Part 1 - Introduction to Traffic Signal Principles

This article introduces the key concepts of aspects, phases, stages, streams, and cycle time, and explains how they work together to manage traffic safely and efficiently.



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