“Innovation is not an option, it is a must,” said IRF Acting Director General (DG) Gonzalo Alcaraz at the ITS World Congress 2025 in Atlanta. Speaking before leaders of the global mobility sector, he talked about how the incorporation of CCAM can lead to the design of more sustainable infrastructure and develop vehicles that can ‘communicate’ with one another. This technology would be capable of avoiding fatal collisions and creating more inclusive and accessible vehicles for all road users.  

Atlanta, USA –  ITS America, ERTICO – ITS Europe and ITS Asia-Pacific organised the four-day ITS World Congress from the 24^th of August 2025 with the theme “Deploying today, Empowering Tomorrow”. The Congress gathered representatives from the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) industry, serving as a major forum to discuss the latest Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) developments.  

Acting DG Alcaraz represented the IRF and gave discussions on CCAM during sessions on the Building Blocks for CCAM Deployment, Strategy for Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Communication in Automated Vehicles and Creating a Safer Future with Connected and Automated Technologies.  

Building Blocks for CCAM Deployment 

This session focused on elaborating on the foundational elements necessary for the successful deployment of CCAM including infrastructure readiness, cross-border cooperation, and harmonised regulations. 

In his presentation titled “Building the Autonomous Mobility Ecosystem”, Acting DG Alcaraz highlighted that vehicles are just part of the equation when it comes to CCAM. Other significant factors include technology, materials, diversity and inclusion and sustainability.  

He presented the IRF Connected and Autonomous Mobility Manifesto (2021), explaining CCAM through legal and policy topics, workforce, technology and overcoming challenges in the use of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV).  

To effectively build the autonomous mobility system, Acting DG Alcaraz presented the following areas of focus, areas also being addressed by the IRF:  

• Traffic Management Measures – CCAM systems must be capable of handling both planned and emergency road works. This requires the ability to receive real-time updates and adapt to measures such as contraflow lanes marked with cones. Achieving this will necessitate revisions to existing New Roads and Street Works Acts (NRSWA) legislation as well as adjustments to current operating practices. 

• Road Markings – Maintenance procedures for road markings must be strengthened, with signage regularly checked for cleanliness and clarity to ensure that automated systems can reliably interpret them. 

• Safe Harbour Areas – The design and frequency of safe harbour areas require review to prevent misuse and to guarantee they serve their intended safety purpose. 

• Role of Service Stations – Traditional service stations could be reimagined as transport hubs, potentially allowing passengers to board automated motorway taxis. 

• Car Parking – Parking systems may evolve into ‘valet-style’ operations. Should CAVs reduce the overall number of vehicles on the road, existing parking facilities could be repurposed for alternative uses by other road users. 

• Automated Demand Responsive Public Transport Vehicles – Public transport operators have an opportunity to encourage shared mobility through the deployment of automated pods that operate on demand. 

• Crossing and Junctions – Automated vehicles will find signal-controlled crossings and junctions easier to navigate than those without signals, suggesting a shift in future road and urban planning practices. 

• Impact on Bridge Structures – Vehicle platooning, particularly involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), may place unexpected stresses on bridges, underscoring the need for further structural assessments. 

The integration of CCAM into mobility systems would mean a long transition period of mixed traffic. Infrastructure can help move things faster while providing a safe environment and while leading efficient operations.  

Strategy for Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Communication in Automated Vehicles 

This session was on the deployment of 5G-V2X and IEEE 802.11bd for enhanced safety and efficiency by enabling vehicle-to-vehicle, infrastructure, pedestrian, and network or V2X interactions.  

V2X is accelerating worldwide with Cellular V2X (C-V2X) emerging as the leading standard, the expansion of 5G networks and government-backed mandates and funding for V2X. There are also ongoing V2X rollouts that are targeting high-risk areas like junctions and schools while expanding beyond road safety into autonomous driving, tolling and emissions reduction.  

Acting DG Alcaraz shared how recent V2X deployments in the United States and in Europe demonstrated the technology’s potential to improve safety, optimise traffic flow and enable the transition to CCAM.  

Some examples include  

• The Atlanta V2X Day One Deployment District with a one-mile downtown that includes traffic signal prioritisation and integration with emergency services, transit and school buses.  

• The 5GAA Demonstration in Paris where CAVs were showcased using Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and 5G-V2X for advanced mobility services and real-time traffic management.  

Acting DG Alcaraz noted that governments and authorities have been backing V2X with mandates, funding programmes and infrastructure investments seen in the expansion of 5G.  

V2X rollouts prioritise high-risk areas with high rates of road traffic crashes. “V2X is moving into areas such as autonomous vehicle coordination, carbon reduction strategies and tolling systems”.  

Safer Future with Connected and Automated Technologies 

This plenary discussion focused on how CCAM technologies are transforming how people move and are essential to keeping our roads safe by reducing the annual number of crashes. It also moves that ensuring connectivity across all modes of transportation would require infrastructure equipped with communication capabilities and the connection for all road users, both human and machine.  

The topics discussed included technology usability, consideration human factors, consumer education and the importance of trust to drive acceptance and adoption. It also covered the use cases of connected and automated technologies delivering near-term benefits that can increase transportation system safety and demonstrate the value to the traveling public.