Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Construction sites in progress, events, pedestrianization: the Municipality's data shared in real time to decongest traffic and improve environmental quality

Milan, September 21 2021 – Thanks to the collaboration between the municipal administration and two important road navigation operators, Waze and TomTom, "Mobility 3.0" was born, a project to improve the use of the city road network by Milanese people and city users.

The "Mobility 3.0" project starts in January this year, with the opening of a public notice by the municipal administration. The aim of the tender is to find operators willing to encourage the use of navigation apps as a tool for reducing traffic congestion.   
Thanks to the participation of the two industry leaders, followed by millions of users around the world, the project will start in the next few days on an experimental basis until 2022.

In detail, the collaboration requires the Municipality to share with the two operators the data at its disposal useful for directing, in real time, private traffic on the best road routes: from ongoing construction sites to road diversions (both planned and unexpected ones) , from closures and restrictions due to the presence of large events to new pedestrianizations (even temporary) etc.

The operators, for their part, undertake to develop their apps for Milan, that is to acquire the data and use it so that users always know which are the least busy roads, the fastest routes or those recommended for the type of vehicle used.

The analysis of city traffic shows that very often the road network is used in an inefficient manner, with a prevailing concentration on some axes which leaves parallel roads or alternative routes almost or completely empty: in the pre-Covid period, during rush hours in the morning, the level of congestion on some roads increased travel times by up to 60% compared to normal travel times.

The objective of the project is therefore twofold. On the one hand, it allows those who use cars or any other means of transport, whether private or shared, to move more effectively, reaching their destination as soon as possible, saving time, costs and in greater safety. On the other hand, improving the quality of life for the city, streamlining circulation in the streets most subject to traffic congestion, reducing polluting emissions and optimizing the movements of surface public transport, soft mobility and 'weak' users.

Waze
The free navigation app Waze is built on the belief that through collaboration we can create a traffic-free world. Today it has 140 million users worldwide, is present in over 185 countries and is available in more than 56 languages. Waze is based on crowdsourcing: it is powered and lives thanks to the strong contribution of its global community, the "wazers" generate information on traffic and road conditions in real time, reporting accidents, traffic jams, road closures, dangers on the road and much more .

TomTom
TomTom is the leader in location technologies, helping to redefine mobility with high-precision maps, navigation software, services and real-time traffic information. In recent years TomTom has worked closely with public and private companies around the world to provide data on road congestion and traffic. TomTom will make its Premium TomTom GO Navigation app available to citizens, which will allow city users to discover new, faster and safer routes based on traffic conditions and in full respect of privacy.