Europe-Wide Traveller Information Services provide the European user with comprehensive local and peri-urban, regional and cross-border travel information with a co-modal perspective allowing for well-informed travel decisions, both pre-trip and on-trip, to be taken. The objective of this activity is to provide the European traveller with relevant information in a harmonised manner which is easy to understand. This includes viable mode alternatives, such as bus, train and ferry, as well as road traffic status.

A range of short and long term measures are needed to increase mobility and reduce congestion on the TERN and peri-urban networks. Fragmented information systems for different transport modes, regions and countries lead to inadequately informed travellers and result in sub-optimal use of the network. Member States, road operators and other stakeholders need to work in collaboration to provide consistent and seamless travel information across Europe.

Regional studies and the deployment of Traveller Information Services will be performed benefiting from the experience gained in MIP I and the results of the EasyWay European Study on Europe-Wide Traffic Information Continuity and Co-modality, as well as VMS harmonisation projects such as Mare Nostrum. Projects in this activity will focus on:

• The provision of high quality, seamless information services to the European traveller on the TERN, in their own language, through the deployment of real-time and predictive road information services with integrated interfaces to other modes of transport;
• Extending the existing national and cross border services deployed in the EuroRegional projects until 2006 (e.g. Traffic Management based on cross border TMPs in the Alpine area and the press release for the Dutch road users to be aware of roadworks in Belgium and France) to strengthen overall services on the main European Corridors for easier travelling on the TERN and other transportation networks and modes;
• Offering co-modal information and services;
• Providing fast alert services and warning services on specific black spots of the TERN;
• Assisting new Member States to develop seamless information services;
• Applying harmonised VMS messages at a European level;
• Deploying location-based services (personalised traffic and travel information, re-routing advice, multimodal interfaces in urban areas,….), using the current EGNOS signal and anticipating the future GALILEO services; and
• Harnessing developments in new technologies and media (personal navigation devices, radio, internet, SMS, cartographic and vocal interfaces) to provide improved services.