Category: Europ

The 2025 edition of the IBTTA Tolling Summit, an international event bringing together leaders in mobility and traffic management, took place in Lyon from 14 to 16 September.

During this industry event, MATIS had the opportunity to present ATLANDES’s “New Column Parking” project, implemented on the A63 motorway. Integrated as one of the MATIS Highlights, this initiative embodies how intelligent infrastructure and European collaboration can work together to enhance road safety.

After an overview of the MATIS project presented by Alessandra Pipitone Federico, Olivier Quoy, CEO of Atlandes, gave a presentation of the Smart Truck Parking project itself.

He highlighted how innovative parking management and real-time data analysis can enhance traffic flow and optimise the use of existing infrastructure. By leveraging digital technologies and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), the “New Column Parking” project offers a 40% increased capacity, with minimal infrastructure civil works. It also reinforces driver safety using electronic equipment such as gantry systems, lights indicating parking availability, parking distribution and surveillance systems, and electronic access control barriers.

The strong engagement from the audience validated the relevance of this approach, focused on operational performance, sustainability and user safety.

MATIS extends its warm thanks to the IBTTA for providing this platform for international exchange and visibility, as well as to all participants for their valuable contributions and inspiring discussions. This presentation once again highlighted MATIS’s role as a key European player in smart mobility innovation and the digitalisation of road infrastructure.

After MATIS project Steering Committee, the team had the opportunity to visit the Traffic Control Centre and the Future Road Lab of Abertis, a key partner of the project.

The tour offered a behind-the-scenes look at how traffic is managed in real time across the infrastructures operated by Abertis and Aucat. Inside the control centre, the team was able to see how innovations, cutting-edge digital tools and real-time data are used to anticipate critical situations and optimize network management to ensure smoother, safer journeys.

The Future Road Lab, a true laboratory for ideas and experimentation, embodies Abertis’ ambition to rethink road infrastructures in the age of connected and sustainable mobility.

This visit was also an opportunity for rich discussions about the challenges of digital transformation and the central role of innovation in managing the infrastructures of tomorrow. At the centre of those discussions were two major applications:

• AWAI, launched by Autopistas, a subsidiary of Abertis Group in Spain, which enables users to pay their toll fees via Bluetooth and sends alerts to the driver.
• Pharos, which supports next-generation traffic flow management and enhances operational planning.

The visit further strengthened the collaboration between the partners of the MATIS project, united by a shared ambition: to contribute to building a smarter, safer and more sustainable mobility ecosystem.

Created in 2003, Abertis has become one of the world’s leading high-capacity, high-quality motorway operators. The company manages today around 8,000 kilometres of roads in 15 countries across Europe, America and Asia.

We are thrilled to share that the European project MATIS 2 has been officially selected for funding under the CEF 2 program (Connecting Europe Facility). This achievement reflects the dedication and collaboration of our teams and partners, and reinforces our shared commitment to driving innovation in the field of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) and C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems).

A Shared Ambition Across Europe

MATIS 2 is an ambitious project that will be deployed in France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain, with the clear objective of making our roads safer and greener. By leveraging state-of-the-art ITS and C-ITS technologies, the project aims to enhance mobility, reduce environmental impact, and deliver tangible benefits to European citizens.

This initiative represents a key milestone in our mission to contribute to a more sustainable and connected Europe, and we are determined to make a real difference.

A Trusted Collaboration with CINEA and the European Commission

We would like to extend a huge thank you to CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency) for their trust and support. We are honored to work with the European Commission once again, and we look forward to a strong and productive collaboration throughout the project.

We are fully committed to creating a safer and greener highway, and this project is a key step in achieving that goal.
Thanks to our partners and CINEA for their support and trust. Together, we can make a difference and create a safer and more sustainable future for all.

From 19 to 21 May 2025, the city of Seville hosted the ITS European Congress, a flagship event dedicated to smart mobility and digital innovation in the transport sector. As a key European project promoting Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), MATIS was actively involved throughout the event.

A Strategic Presence at the European Commission Booth

On Tuesday 20 May, MATIS was present at the European Commission booth, alongside other European corridor initiatives. This was a strategic opportunity to strengthen cross-corridor cooperation and officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with major partners such as X4ITS, MERIDIAN, SCALE, and C-Roads. This formalised commitment reinforces MATIS’s dedication to shared deployment goals and European alignment in the field of C-ITS.

Advancing Smart Roads: Insights from the Interactive Session

Later in the day, MATIS took part in an interactive session organised by Wolfgang Gritzner, focused on the latest developments in C-ITS and the evolving role of infrastructure in enabling smart, automated, and data-driven mobility.

During the session, participants explored how data utilisation, digitalisation, and the application of artificial intelligence are transforming traffic management and road safety across Europe. MATIS contributed to the discussion by sharing perspectives on the critical role of infrastructure as a foundation for intelligent transport systems and next-generation mobility services.

This exchange underlined the importance of collaboration across the ITS ecosystem to deliver scalable, resilient, and interoperable solutions for Europe’s roads.

MATIS extends its sincere thanks to ASECAP – EU Association and Malika Seddi for the opportunity to contribute to this high-level session and for supporting continued dialogue between European stakeholders.

On April 8 2025, as part of the MATIS project on the A63 motorway in the Landes region, we welcomed around sixty truck drivers to the newly redeveloped Lugos Est parking area for a safety dedicated SheWorks / I Care event.

Drivers had the opportunity to try out the new Human-Machine Interface, designed to let them easily enter their expected parking duration or departure time. Drivers familiar with similar systems in Germany highlighted the benefits of this version, particularly the clear parking layout and logic.

While a few drivers raised questions about potential equipment issues, the system’s real-time display, continuous monitoring by the Saugnac-et-Muret control centre, and maintained emergency access offered strong reassurance.

Many thanks to the drivers who joined us and shared their feedback to help improve the system.

On April 10, 2025, Matis participated in the X4ITS steering committee, a key event for stakeholders committed to advancing intelligent transport systems (ITS) across Europe’s major corridors. Held in a spirit of collaboration and shared purpose, the meeting gathered mobility experts, infrastructure operators, project coordinators, and technology partners to align strategies, share results, and accelerate cross-border innovation.

Matis presented several projects, that we proudly support, including a new intelligent truck parking system, developed by Atlandes on the A63 motorway in southwest France.
By combining real-time traffic data analysis, and predictive algorithms, the solution ensures safer and more optimized truck parking on one of the major and busiest road corridor with heavy goods vehicles.

Bjoern Siebert also presented an update on the MERIDIAN EU Corridor project, highlighting key progress made to date.

Thanks to the X4ITS network and all participants for their engagement and contributions. We look forward to continuing these discussions at the next session!

MATIS project was officially launched during this first steering committee and kick-off meeting on December 18^th, 2023.

ASFA’s representative Thomas Malagié thanked all the attendees for their important work in the past months. Having this kick-off meeting today meant that we managed to set the project, align our propositions on the expectations of CINEA, respect the rules of CEF 2 and build a grant agreement. It is a sign of success!

During this meeting, the tasks and work packages were presented and the principles of governance were validated, also with the first actions and next steps.