Are local governments too scared to implement smart cities properly? Steve Rogerson visited the Traffex show in the UK to find out.

Sometimes when we talk about the wonderful technologies that are changing the world, we forget that somewhere along the line people have to implement them, and that can make them scared. I am not talking about hiding behind the sofa scared, or walking down the dark lane scared, or even heading for an assistant at the till because those self-checkout machines just look scary.

No, it is the fear of failing I am talking about, that horrible churning in the gut that does not want to make us look foolish or even end up in a worse position than we are now. And I was reminded of this during a talk by Johannes Pacholski, digital transformation manager at German firm Lastrada, during the Traffex smart transportation exhibition in Coventry, UK, this month.

“Most companies don’t take on digitalisation because of the fear of failing,” he said. “But if you know the cost of failure, you can make an informed decision.”

Construction and traffic management systems, he said, were undergoing rapid digital transformation, but risk management was key is these industries. Such risks included safety ranging from malfunctioning IoT-enabled construction equipment to cyber-security vulnerabilities. He, as do many others, advocates zero-trust.

He was also quick to warn visitors not to look forward to the work needed to achieve digitalisation.

“Digitalisation should enable better efficiency, scalability and collaboration,” he said. “But the whole process is tedious and stressful. The fun starts when you are done.”

Lastrada (www.lastrada.net) acts as a consultant and software developer, mainly in the construction industry but is now also involved in transportation. Johannes said for those still frightened that it was important to manage your expectations. And incorporate flexibility, because you will need room for adjustments as the project evolves and more information arises.

During the conference, I discovered that many UK councils, far from being scared, are bravely upgrading and transforming their transportation systems, whether it is Manchester linking together its network of trams and buses, Coventry using drones to monitor transport, or Surrey automating pothole detection. Even my own council Nottingham was represented to tell all about their progress in making a digital twin of the whole city. Laura Pullen from the council showed a map of how far they’d got. My street was on it. Nobody told me.

Fear of failure though is not the only hassle, or even the biggest. UK councils have suffered over the past decade or so from a lack of funding, and this is affecting their ability to implement the smart-city schemes that are these days needed.

This was summed up by Andy Hamilton, head of product lifecycle management at German intelligent traffic company Yunex Traffic (www.yunextraffic.com). “There is a lack of operational funding,” he said. “There needs to be investment.”

Security is also a massive issue. Intelligent transportation system (ITS) consultant Alistair Gollop (www.linkedin.com/in/alistairgollop) said that as systems became more integrated, they became more susceptible to security attacks. Taking control of traffic signals could bring a city to a standstill; taking control of a fleet of connected vehicles could be really disastrous.

On top of all that there are difficulties in how to handle and interpret all the data coming from these connected systems, building an infrastructure that can handle the new technologies, not just in the cities but in the surrounding rural areas too, and battling with the lack of standards that are still hampering the ability for true interoperability. It is getting better, but we are not there yet.

Then there are privacy and societal implications. Alistair said tracking vehicle movements and monitoring driver behaviour posed ethical and privacy questions and they provided opportunities for misuse. “Individuals need control over their data,” he said.

With all this to worry about, it is not surprising that some are scared of walking down the digitalisation path, but that is exactly where they need to go. There are companies there to hold their hands, governments need to do more to provide the necessary funding, and they have to accept that not everything will work out as planned. There will be failures, but if we are to have truly smart cities that are safe and enjoyable for everybody, local and national governments need to package their fears away and get on with the job. Good luck!