The Spanish technology applied to Intelligent Transportation Systems in the access network to Bangkok

Alfredo Gallego Escribá
International Telvent Traffic Division Director

ABSTRACT
The city of Bangkok and surrounding areas have suffered a great development from the mid-sixties, becoming an area where more than twelve million people (20% of Thailand) live. Thai authorities, created in the early eighties, the "Expressway and Rapid Transit Autority" (ETA), as the agency responsible for the construction and operation of urban and interurban of the metropolitan region of Bangkok (BMR) motorways. Since 1981 when put into operation the first urban motorway ( "first phase") have built a network of urban and interurban highway in Bangkok and surrounding areas with the aim of improving traffic conditions.

Telvent, supplying Spanish company of intelligent control systems, traffic control for highways, arrives in Thailand in mid-nineties and gets its first contract for the installation and commissioning of an ITS system for Ramindra At-Narong highway. Since then, Telvent consolidates its presence in Thailand, opened its subsidiary Telvent Thailand and signing new contracts for the installation of new ITS. Currently, Telvent participates in new contests for the installation of ITS systems in newly built highways.

KEYWORDS
Intelligent Transport Systems, Urban transport, Urban motorway, Traffic management, Variable message panels.