Celebrating 40 years of globally leading technology Advancing Smart Cities through Traffic Technology
The Vision in the Middle East and Africa
Urban traffic management is crucial in this transformation, with smart, tech-driven infrastructure and optimized mobility systems at the core. This shift towards smart cities is already evident in rapidly evolving regions like the Middle East and Africa, highlighting the significant impact of traffic technology on future urban development through increased road safety.
Dubai: Redefining Urban Life in 15 Minutes
What must a city of the future provide? If broken down, it essentially boils down to three key objectives. It must significantly improve the quality of life for its inhabitants, reduce the ecological footprint of urban life, and promote the city's productivity in all respects.
But how can all this be achieved? A promising approach is a 15-minute city, where every resident is only about 15 minutes away from all daily necessities, work, and leisure activities on foot, by bike, or by public transport. This concept, which requires the city to fulfill four dimensions, is significantly enhanced by the fourth dimension-digitization and technology. This dimension, the most recent of the four, directly results from practical experience and is crucial in successfully implementing the 15-minute city. With the potential of technology, urban life can become more convenient and efficient, offering a hopeful vision for the future.
It has become clear that the challenges of the 15-minute city can only be met with the help of future-ready technology, mainly networking systems like those in the IOT sector and smart technologies that integrate AI, which can keep pace with the increase in complexity and data diversity. The metropolis of the future is, therefore, a technology-driven smart city in every aspect.
Urban traffic management is critical to realizing this new generation of cities. Technologically advanced infrastructure and optimized mobility powered by IoT are essential for this urban development. Their transformative effect is significant and can be observed today, especially in the Middle East and Africa, where cities rapidly evolve into smart cities. The role of technology in improving urban traffic management is substantial, offering reassurance and confidence in the future of urban development.
We have been partners with these regions for 15 years in implementing mobility solutions and see that there is a great willingness here to invest in visions and to think about urban life in a new and future-oriented approach.”
This has fueled change. Advanced technologies have triggered a growth process and turned regions into some of the most progressed in the world. Increasing living standards was a goal for the Middle East and African countries - and with it began the application of traffic technology on the streets of famous cities like Dubai. The vision grew by integrating traffic enforcement systems and seeing a significant decrease in road-related fatalities. Countries want to achieve 'Vision Zero' while simultaneously achieving road safety.
40 years of expertise in Traffic Technology
Growth like this does not come overnight. It requires substantial planning, a comprehensive understanding of the entire transportation ecosystem of the future city, and technology that can support urban progress.
For over 40 years, we've advanced traffic technology for sustainable and safe urban mobility.
With 15 years of experience in the Middle East, we shape the future of city traffic through enforcement and management solutions like city tolling. We empower our customers to optimize traffic flow, access data, and generate funds for continuous infrastructure improvement.”
VITRONIC – partner in the Middle East and Africa
Several points are crucial for realizing innovative mobility and smart cities. For example, traffic systems and technologies are needed to integrate electric vehicles and autonomous shuttle services into urban areas, individualize public transport through flexible on-demand services, or establish smart routing that avoids traffic jams. Just as important, however, is an implementation partner who knows the regional conditions and requirements to offer and implement solutions that work in the medium and long term.
Since 2009 in the Middle East and 2019 in Africa, we've set up local offices to provide region-specific services, combining global expertise with local insights for seamless project execution. We continually upgrade our systems with real-time data and visual monitoring to reduce accidents, enhance emergency response times, and build trust through strategic planning. A key example of commitment to improving road safety has been the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for VITRONIC Machine Vision Middle East. Along with our long-term regional partners, we have significantly reduced traffic-related accidents across the Kingdom.
With Vision Zero in mind, we established a dedicated Saudi team in KSA to support the region's goal of zero road fatalities. VITRONIC is committed to more than just supplying technology—we assist with initial planning and provide ongoing, personalized support. This holistic approach allows us to witness the growth of our partners, driving us to innovate for a safer, more sustainable world. By 2024, what began with 17 speed cameras had expanded to a network of over 14,000 systems across 13 countries.
Smart City on the Rise
Forty years of reliable technology have proven itself worldwide, and there is increased interest in proactive deployment for more excellent road safety throughout the Middle East and beyond. These regions recognized and experienced its economic impact - seamlessly connected and user-centric mobility and transportation solutions and optimized traffic flow create sustainable economic growth for the entire region.
We have successfully implemented more than 14,000 systems in the Middle East and Africa, improving traffic in several countries. What became apparent each time is that optimized mobility always leads to a significant increase in a city's productivity – which means that the development of Traffic and infrastructure is an investment in the economic dynamism of a region. We are very proud of our part in this initiative."
What also contributes to this positive economic effect is that alongside productivity, sustainable mobility also increases the attractiveness of a region for investors, making an excellent push for a cause to improve road safety globally.
As we celebrate 15 years of success, VITRONIC Machine Vision Middle East is more focused than ever on the future. Our vision is to play a pivotal role in shaping a safer and more sustainable world through our advanced machine vision technologies. By continually innovating and adapting to the evolving needs of our clients and the global community, we are committed to delivering solutions that enhance efficiency and contribute to the broader goals of safety, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead, confident in our ability to make a lasting positive impact on the world – until no more lives are lost on the roads.
