Há uma revolução silenciosa ocorrendo, da qual você pode não estar ciente e está focado principalmente no bom barramento antigo. O meio e o Extremo Oriente lideraram o caminho para cidades inteligentes porque têm os recursos para se comprometer, estão desenvolvendo uma nova infraestrutura que pode incorporá -la ou simplesmente ter a ambição de impulsionar essa agenda. Então, onde isso deixa os EUA? Propõe-se que alguns desses cubos possam conter qualquer coisa, desde vestiários para ciclistas, pontos de carregamento para motoristas de carros elétricos, armazenamento de bicicletas elétricas, pontos de scooter compartilhados, até a conectividade Wi-Fi e os pontos de carregamento USB. Desenvolvimento de cidades inteligentes. Embora os hubs de mobilidade exijam um grande investimento, um bom grau de construção e planejamento, a adaptação de abrigos de ônibus é muito mais fácil e simples. Equipamento de monitoramento da poluição do ar; CCTV para reduzir o crime; Wi-Fi gratuito com um alcance de até 50 metros; Monitoramento do movimento de pedestres e veículos; Soquetes USB; Painéis solares e painéis de publicidade digital crucialmente. Isso ainda se aplica, mas com painéis de publicidade digital, as receitas podem ser maiores, envolver a instalação de um abrigo totalmente novo, oferecendo a oportunidade de instalar também novos equipamentos e também cobrir seu custo. que então se alimenta do desenvolvimento inteligente da cidade. Revolução? Inverno 2021
Smart cities – the concept of integrating information and communication technology to improve travel, reduce crime, and help the environment – are more commonly associated with places like Singapore or Dubai, but they are also being developed in towns and cities across the UK.
Cities in the Middle and Far East have led the way on smart cities because they have the resources to commit, are developing new infrastructure which can incorporate it, or simply have the ambition to drive this agenda forward. So, where does this leave the us?
Well, one way much of the technology is being introduced is via the humble bus stop.
Some local authorities – such as Plymouth and Oxford – are developing ‘mobility hubs’ which see bus terminals in and around their areas including a whole range of additional services, depending on their location and purpose. It is proposed that some of these hubs can contain anything from changing rooms for cyclists, charging points for electric car drivers, electric bike storage, shared scooter points, through to Wi-Fi connectivity, and USB charging points.
Whilst mobility hubs are the grand version of this new approach, bus shelters and, what BT are calling, ‘street hubs’ are providing a more simplistic, but nevertheless, crucial part in the development of smart cities. Whilst mobility hubs require large investment, a good degree of construction and planning, adapting bus shelters is so much easier and simple.
There are a number of players in the UK market now who are proposing to replace traditional bus shelters with smart city shelters which include such facilities as: wayfinding information; air pollution monitoring equipment; CCTV to reduce crime; free Wi-Fi with a range of up to 50 metres; pedestrian and vehicle movement monitoring; USB sockets; solar panels, and crucially digital advertising panels.
Councils have traditionally generated revenue from selling the concession for advertising space at bus shelters. That still applies, but with digital advertising panels the revenues can be greater, involve the installation of a whole new shelter, thus providing the opportunity to also install new equipment, and also cover its cost.
Some of this agenda is also being driven by one aspect of the Government’s transport strategy, called ‘Bus Back Better.’ With the strong endorsement of the Prime Minister, who is a genuine advocate of the bus, this strategy is really driving this mode of transport, which then feeds into smart city development.
So, what we’ll see across the UK over coming months and years is the conventional bus shelter gradually replaced with a state-of-the-art shelter which enable smart city technology to be incorporated into more traditional, often Victorian, infrastructure.
Who would have thought that the humble bus, sometimes termed the ‘loser cruiser,’ would be at the forefront of our technological revolution?
Simon Danczuk is a business consultant, Chair of Downtown in Business London, and a former Member of Parliament.
