This paper has served to highlight the role and importance of systematic evaluation and assessment when considering investment in Road Transport Telematics. The EU is using five broad evaluation themes detailed in Section 2 of this paper, to which we would add a sixth — market assessment — to give the commercial perspective. The method of project financing, whether through private finance, public funding or self-financing revenue streams, will certainly influence the coverage and content of the assessment. Central to this is a comprehensive assessment of the major risks involved in an RTT project, whether of a technical, organisational, regulatory or market kind. In all cases there will be a need for reliable forecasts of key performance indicators against which to judge project viability, social and economic impact and — last but by no means least — value for money. Evaluation and assessment has therefore a central part to play in the decision-making process for new investment in telematics applications. The European Commission is working towards consistency of approach across the whole telematics programme and this will greatly assist closer working of those concerned with evaluation and, hopefully, more robust results for the decision-makers and those involved in the planning and design of RTT schemes. The methodology required for the assessment of telematics applications must include more of the intangible costs, e.g. pollution, congestion, journey comfort, confidence and reliability. Disaggregate models are being developed to deal with some of these aspects, but most are not yet available for general use. Further work is needed on these areas to reach consensus on the approach. The response of users to many telematics applications is still uncertain and can only be determined through significant demonstrations of a scale large enough to have real impacts on the transport system and society. For example, further research is needed on the response of companies and individuals to better knowledge in real-time of current and forecast road network conditions in order that the true value of reliable information can be properly built into the evaluation. Increasing reliance on Just-In-Time distribution and deliveries suggests that journey time reliability is becoming an increasingly important factor. There is great public policy interest too in the use of telematics travel demand management. Research can help to show how travel users respond and the effectiveness and acceptability of enforcement. The results from the evaluation of the 54 European telematics demonstration projects are eagerly awaited.
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