The government is preparing a master plan to develop intelligent transport systems (ITS) to properly consolidate and invigorate the technological development and capabilities in the industry, in the expectation of a soft launch in 2023.
ITSs are environmentally-friendly modern applications designed to efficiently provide real-time data pertaining to different modes of transport and traffic management, enabling users to ensure traffic runs smoothly, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
Chhoun Voun, director-general of the ministry’s General Department of Land Transport, chaired a meeting with an unnamed “Korean counterpart” on August 18 via video link to discuss the master plan for ITSs, to be drawn up with the support of the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Speaking at the meeting, Voun highlighted that the range of emerging technologies shaping contemporary society, such as electric vehicles, offer a veritable plethora of avenues for development and growth in the realm of transportation.
For Cambodia to adapt to modern technological advancements, the ministry must craft an ITS master plan and update supporting frameworks to effectively tackle the raft of transportation issues plaguing the Kingdom, he said.
“The ministry is committed to coordinating with relevant ministries and institutions, civil society and other stakeholders to successfully carry out this project,” Voun added.
He expressed hope that initial preparations for the master plan would be completed within a year, as planned, so that all stakeholders can effectively put it into action.
South Korea previously approved an ITS project under official development assistance (ODA) that aims to improve the Cambodian transport sector. The project is to be operated in cooperation between the Cambodian and Korean transport ministries, and the International Contractors Association of Korea (Icak).
The project is scheduled to be completed in August 2022 and piloted in 2023 at an unspecified new airport – most likely the new one south of Phnom Penh that will serve the city – satellite cities around the capital, and on major roads such as national roads 1, 4 and 5.
