The interests of road users together as a group can be different from the interests of an individual road user.
There is for instance a collective interest to make traffic safer, more sustainable and more accessible.
However, an individual's personal interest may be to reach their destination as quickly as possible by the fastest route.
But, if everyone does that, there will no longer be a fastest route...
and everyone will end up taking longer to reach their destination, undermining the collective interests.
That’s why we started Project Socrates.
This Framework supports data exchange between different partners, helps enrich data for creating a shared view...
and coordinates actions of traffic management centres and service providers.
The Network Monitor and Network Manager are new intermediary roles introduced by Socrates.
In the Network Monitor data is collected and datasets are completed.
The data is then distributed.
The Network Manager detects any problems, devises solutions...
and requests traffic centres and service providers to activate certain services.
For example, to avoid a particular route because a traffic jam is expected...
or to prevent a traffic jam from occurring in the first place.
The service providers translate the Network Manager's general service request into concrete route advice for the user.
Traffic management centres also translate the information into alternative routes to avoid the problem.
Two other roles introduced by Socrates are the Assessor and the Strategy Table.
The Assessor ensures performance monitoring and the neutral assessment of the impact.
The Strategy Table determines the KPI's of the cooperation.
By bringing together public-private goals, taking joint action, and developing a common language...
sustainable cooperation can emerge so that the road user and community is best served.
So, get started now with the Socrates framework!
For more information, check the Socrates magazine.