One of the innovative solutions tested during the HUPMOBILE project are the ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) minipilots. The HUPMOBILE Minipilots Framework has been developed by the ITL Digital Lab (Estonia) and the concept allows quick piloting of novel solutions in the urban space.

In the project, the key result for the minipilots is to map and document mobility-related innovation ideas in the HUPMOBILE partner cities (Tallinn, Turku, Riga, and Hamburg) so that an integrated BSR ITS Roadmap will be prepared to aid other BSR cities through the process of planning and implementing their own minipilots in their local context – it will be open for urban transport planners, mobility researchers, companies and of course, for citizens. The roadmap introduces the methodology as well as brings concrete examples with descriptions from the HUPMOBILE partner city minipilots.

Some examples of the themes the minipilots could test – better use of mobility data in BSR cities (free flow of transport data via data-driven business models), artificial intelligence in BSR cities (traffic robotization in cities via autonomous vehicles and GPS/5G based simulations) and using mobility platform economy for facing urban transportation challenges (fleet management, border queue management, incident handling, shared mobility etc.).

Two types of procurement for the minipilots

According to the HUPMOBILE Minipilots’ programme, the procurement of the minipilots could be either planned with an “Innovation Challenge”- type of principle, where the needs of the procurer and expected outcomes of the procurement are described but the exact technological solution and its functionalities are supposed to be left open for the companies to plan and propose. The aim of the challenge-based procurement is to help the procuring authorities to find the best solutions in the market and to drive the companies to propose solutions that are user-oriented and targeted towards the real needs of the cities. Alternatively, the traditional procurement can be used where the procurers predefine the solutions and procure them. In the HUPMOBILE project, the participating cities have been organizing the procurements with keeping in mind the national legislation and the national procurement systems.

Criteria for evaluation of the minipilots

The minipilots can be evaluated based on four criteria: innovativeness of the trial, potential for scalable service, teams, and resources, and smart, agile and user driven. According to the criteria, the more innovative and easily implementable the ITS solution is, the better – the concrete evaluation criteria can be easily transferred to be used in any BSR city local context making the minipilots’ framework easily adaptable and transferrable. Therefore, minipilots can act as the enablers of experimental policymaking in the BSR Region.

Criteria for evaluation	Evaluated in scale 1-5
Innovativeness of the trial	a genuinely new service idea or product the experiment generated new practices/solutions/aspects to a specific challenge
Potential for a scalable service	usability of the service the functionality of the business model the potential for long-term solution can be put in practice in 2020 can work in multiple cities at the same time
Teams and resources	skills and know-how of the executive team other resources of the executive team (e.g., funding, collaboration) potential to continue developing the service after the experiment executed by a consortium of more than one organisation or company
Smart, agile, and user-driven	service/product utilises ICT-technology or data use of agile development methods service responds to the needs of users

 

What kind of minipilots have been conducted in the HUPMOBILE project so far?

Hamburg

The city of Hamburg plans to deploy a network of mobility micro-hubs in the Altona district. The first one focusing on goods deliveries with cargo bikes (see figure 1) was installed as a minipilot in the main train station of the district. This minipilot aims to reduce motorized cargo traffic in a very busy urban space where cargo vans tend to park in the cycle paths. The micro-hub at the main train station serves different transport users using trains, buses, taxis, bikes, and cars.

Conceptually, micro-hubs are small logistical locations. When small electric cargo bikes are combined with micro-hubs, this potentially contributes to more sustainable logistics. With the reduced number of large trucks in city centres, the traffic flow and therefore the sustainability of transport improves. Two aspects are particularly relevant for the development of micro-hubs. Firstly, a suitable premise should be identified that remains affordable and is located in much-commuted space such as the city centre. Secondly, a micro-hub benefits particularly if it can meet expectations of local businesses in addition to its main task of distributing goods.

cargo_bikes_in_hamburg_minipilot.png

Image 1. Cargo bikes in Hamburg

The micro-hub at Altona station has been operating in the basement of the main railway station in the district since the beginning of 2020. The space is roughly 80m² involving Wi-Fi routers, electric plugs, working desk and a small locker. It is operated by Deutsche Bahn – Smart City that owns the station. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the restrictions also influenced the micro-hub’s operation. The small amount of available space in the underground warehouse and the sharp decline in public transport passengers complicated the situation. The micro-hub is currently only running in reduced mode; thus, it is early to draw any conclusions.

Key details:

• Target: Decrease motorized traffic
• Concept: Last-mile cargo bikes in micro-hub
• In operation since 2020
• Location: Main station in Hamburg Altona
• Key enabler: indicating a suitable urban place
• Key barrier: public space is rare in densely populated cities
• Partners involved: Deutsche Bahn – Smart City

Tallinn

In the case of the city of Tallinn, the minipilot is combined with a pre-feasibility study of adaptable traffic lights. The study aims to investigate various adaptive traffic management market solutions in EU cities, analyse investment and running costs and map potential transport corridors and needed data layers in the case of the city of Tallinn. It also analyses integration potential with new technologies and transport modes. The pre-feasibility study is complemented with a minipilot, to test and validate technologies in a real traffic situation, after potential corridors are mapped. Thus, the minipilot focuses on how to implement adaptive traffic management in Tallinn (see figure 2), as it has the potential to make traffic smoother and significantly reduce congestion. This is especially important as the city of Tallinn plans to narrow its streets and close car lines with more priority given to public transport. In this context, adaptive traffic lights have the potential to increase traffic throughput. The adaptive traffic lights are also considered as a key enabler of automated vehicles that have also been tested in the city of Tallinn.

Image 2. Adaptive traffic management in Tallinn 

Key details

• Urban Challenge: Increasing congestion
• Potential location: Reidi road, Vääna/ Hiiu crossing, Kopli/ Tööstuse crossing
• Duration: one month in live traffic in Summer 2021.
• Partners: Civitta and Stratum
• Enablers: open innovation involving companies and universities
• Key value: an opportunity to learn from actual experiment
• Follower city: Tartu

 

Turku

Turku plans to support decision-making on developing traffic arrangements in the city centre and move as much as possible traffic from the centre to other routes by implementing a registration plate study on through traffic with possible subsequent restrictions and monitoring their effect. In the city centre vision process, the idea of private car traffic restriction on the central bridge (Tuomiokirkkosilta) was proposed to enlarge pedestrian-friendly urban space and to make the city centre more attractive and safer with less noise and emissions. Diverting through traffic to other routes can significantly calm down traffic in the city centre. This vision process was followed by a difficult debate and a decision that in the near future private car traffic can use the bridge for travel to and from the city centre. On the other hand, it is quite largely accepted that through traffic can be moved to elsewhere. As an enabler, an upcoming joint terminal building in the port of Turku opens up new opportunities to reorganize the traffic arrangements around the port and its surrounding areas – to improve accessibility, fluency, and traffic flows.

Image 3. Through traffic study minipilot in Turku 

In the minipilot, the city of Turku analyses how much through traffic exists as an input to assist further plans to move this traffic outside from the city centre (see figure 3). This will be achieved via traffic flow analysis with registration plate identification technology surveying the number of vehicles, vehicle type, the volume of through traffic between each measuring point, hourly distribution of the through traffic and the registration address of the vehicle. The covid-19 impacts traffic during the piloting stage which also impact the results.

Key details

• Urban Challenge: Private car traffic in the city centre and different aspects related to it
• Concept/ prototype: Through traffic study via collecting and analysing volumes, routes, and vehicle types of the through traffic in the city centre.
• Duration: approx. 3 weeks in Summer 2021
• Partners: Nodeon
• Enablers: new technology to be tested, demand for data. Reorganization of traffic arrangements.
• Barriers: lack of resources (time and money)
• Value generated: support decision-making, promote sustainable modes of traffic

Riga

Riga’s minipilot is connected to the Freeport of Riga with a goal to select a smart mobility solution aiming to improve logistics in and around the port. The focus is on the management of cargo transport flows on roads, passenger mobility and increased efficiency of data analytics. The minipilot has been delayed due to Covid19 and internal changes in the city council and port authority. The minipilot has been discussed with Freeport and city officials and it is planned to be launched as an innovation partnership (students’ competition).

 

Key details

• Challenge: making transport system more integrated
• Enablers: progressive City Council and Digital Development
• Barriers: Covid19 pandemic, structural changes in the management of city and port, administrative issues.
• Value generated: clean air and water via reduction of emissions
• Stakeholders: city, port, students

 

If you would like to know more about the minipilots, please contact Mr. Ralf-Martin Soe ralf-martin [.dot.] soe [at] itl [.dot.] ee! 

Text: Ralf-Martin Soe, ITL Digital Lab 

Edited by: Kristiina Paju, UBC SCC 

Images from City of Tallinn, City of Hamburg and City of Turku