EvoRoads’ consortium consists of 20 partners from all over Europe with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. To understand what’s behind EvoRoads and how it is relevant for citizens and other stakeholders we are launching a series of interviews with the project’s team. Today, we introduce ERTICO -ITS Europe, with Maria Alonso-Raposo, EvoRoads Coordinator.
Can you tell us a little about your organisation?
ERTICO – ITS Europe is a public-private partnership founded in 1991, dedicated to advancing smart mobility and Intelligent Transport Systems. Our main objective is to connect public authorities, industry players, and researchers to align mobility innovation with real-world deployment needs. Safe mobility is central to our core mission, which perfectly aligns with the European Union’s ambitious Vision Zero goal to eliminate road fatalities by 2050.
What prompted your organisation to join the EvoRoads consortium? What is the role of your organisation in the project?
We joined EvoRoads because safe mobility is fundamental to ERTICO’s values, and we strongly believe that road accidents are largely preventable. Within this project, ERTICO proudly acts as the project coordinator. Our role involves leading the communication and dissemination efforts, as well as overseeing the orchestration and planning of the project’s pilot activities. These validations take place across four living labs located in Spain, Italy, Latvia, and Romania.
Which outcome is your organisation looking forward to the most?
We are looking forward to the project’s data-driven safety assessment tools and catalogue of over 100 road safety indicators. This outcome bridges the gap between isolated research and scalable policy. Crucially, it advances ERTICO’s efforts to establish federated data spaces in the mobility sector. By establishing standardised, interoperable frameworks, we will empower European authorities to securely exchange life-saving traffic insights across borders while maintaining full control over their local data.
Which aspects of EvoRoads do you think are going to be the most impactful for citizens and why?
We believe that improving safety for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and e-scooter riders, would have the most impact on citizens. Since over 90% of severe crashes occur on urban and secondary roads, EvoRoads places a strong focus on these everyday routes. Our goal is to help make daily trips safer and more reliable for everyone by exploring how smart sensors and data analysis can modernise infrastructure and deliver proactive safety warnings.
Would you like to draw attention to something else?
I would like to emphasise that achieving the EU’s Vision Zero target requires a collaborative Safe System approach. This philosophy recognises that deaths in road collisions are not an inevitable consequence of mobility. We strongly encourage policymakers, infrastructure managers and mobility experts to engage actively with our pilot testing and standardisation activities. Receiving continuous feedback and collaborating with stakeholders ensures that our innovative safety frameworks remain fully aligned with Europe’s pressing road safety priorities.
Looking beyond the immediate horizon of EvoRoads, what does ERTICO see as the next major priority for European road safety projects, and how does the work we are doing today lay the foundation for tomorrow’s mobility?
Our next major priority beyond EvoRoads is to ensure safety in complex, mixed-traffic environments as Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) becomes a reality. The AI-driven safety indicators and digital frameworks that we are currently developing are essential building blocks. Future projects will rely on this data to enable safe and seamless interactions between autonomous vehicles, human drivers and vulnerable road users. By digitising infrastructure now, we are actively preparing Europe for a fully connected, zero-fatality future.
