Foresight application for transport sector

Abstract

The rapid development of technology and increasing consumer demand, with the simultaneous pressure to adapt operations to the principles of sustainable development, present new challenges for tran sportation systems. Questions about the future are still valid: traveller information, traffic management, vehicles, public transport, emergency, electronic payment and safety issues. The answers to questions about the future of transport systems can be sought on international, national, regional and local levels. Foresight is the tool enabling the creation of the desired vision of the future with the intrinsic involvement of all stakeholders. So far, the practical application of the foresight studies in the transport sector has confirmed its applicability and effectiveness. The results of foresight projects can contribute to the strengthening of research and development, as well as to the growth of the innovation and competitiveness of the entire transport sector. The participatory nature of foresight research allows for mutual co-operation and the diffusion of knowledge in the process of solving problems and shaping the future. This type of co-operation attracts the interest of entrepreneurs, representatives of science, and the wider public. Foresight studies may also attract the interest of the representatives of international organisations (e.g. International Road Transport Union, International Union of Railways, SMDG), ministries at the national level responsible for the development of transport, transport associations (e.g. Freight Transport Association, International Air Transport Association), companies in the transport sector, academic institutions dealing with the issues related to the development of transportation systems (e.g. Transport Research & Innovation Portal - TRIP). The methodology of foresight research, based on the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, fosters social consensus while ensuring the implementation of the most innovative solutions consistent with the principles of sustainable development.