Transition towards a smart Asian Highway network.

 

The use of ICT has gained great momentum in the work related to the network, and the urgency of adopting new technology, especially contactlesssolutions, has been heightened by the pandemic. 

 Most of the transport facilitation tools and models maintained by the secretariat facilitate the use of new technologies. Notably, its Standard Model ofLogistics Information Systems offers practical guidance on setting up systems for the electronic exchange of information to facilitate cargo, vehicles and crew clearance and payment of duties and other taxes.

 Supporting the implementation of new technologies, such as highly and fully automated vehicles for long-distance freight traffic along the network, would constitute a major step in this area. These technologies can help to reduce fuel consumption, congestion and road accidents and, as shown in the context of the current pandemic, protect the health of road crew and border-crossing personnel.

 However, the deployment of such technologies requires a common regional understanding on the principles of automated driving technologies. Regional cooperation is also indispensable when it comes to border-crossing requirements for highly or fully automated vehicles, which expand the scope of traditional infrastructure requirements and transport facilitation initiatives. In this context, the secretariat is currently implementing a project aimed at offering a proof of concept and a regulatory perspective on the use of highly and fully automated vehicles along the network.