Mobility in Europe is facing profound changes – but also major challenges. To better understand these, the Horizon Europe-funded iDriving project conducted a Europe-wide expert survey from January to February 2025. Forty decision-makers from the transport sector were surveyed, including representatives of transport authorities, transport managers, political decision-makers, transport planners, researchers, and industry and maintenance managers.  

The participants came from a total of eight countries: Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Poland, and Belgium. The aim of the survey was, among other things, to identify the current problems in European road transport and to obtain information on how these could be solved.  

Key challenges 

The evaluation clearly shows that, despite many technical advances, there are still a number of structural and organizational hurdles that are weighing on the transport sector in Europe. The following points were particularly highlighted: 

• Data and monitoring gaps 
  Many experts criticize the lack of up-to-date and reliable real-time information—for example, on traffic accidents or near misses. Existing data is often outdated or insufficiently digitized. In addition, there is inadequate technical equipment, such as a lack of sensors or cameras. 
   

• Traffic jams & accidents 
  Persistent traffic jams and traffic accidents  impede traffic flow and safety. There is an urgent need for better tools and technologies to enable faster response times, both preventively and in the event of a crisis.  
   

• Deficits in maintenance & modernization
  In many regions, necessary maintenance work is delayed or not carried out at all. Repairs often take a long time. Even when modernization projects are completed, crucial details are sometimes missing—such as synchronized traffic lights, the absence of which impairs traffic flow and driving comfort.  

• Communication & public perception 
  Inadequate communication with road users and a lack of traffic education sometimes lead to negative public perception of new measures. An example from the survey: In several cities, the introduction of new bus lanes met with resistance, while at the same time there are problems with adherence to timetables.  
   

• Organizational & regulatory barriers 
  Legal, financial, and administrative hurdles hinder innovation and cooperation. 

Opportunities through innovation 

As part of the iDriving project, AustriaTech is working with 16 partners from across Europe to develop innovative technologies that increase road safety, optimize traffic flow, and make road maintenance more efficient. The results of the expert survey will be directly incorporated into the development of new solutions designed to address these challenges. 

The complete survey results are available in Deliverable D2.2.

In addition, many respondents see great potential in the use of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS). These technologies enable the exchange of information between vehicles and road infrastructure in real time – for example, on traffic jams, danger spots, or construction sites. This could provide road users with more up-to-date and reliable information in the future. 

AustriaTech is promoting this topic in numerous European projects and is working to establish C-ITS applications in practice. An overview of current projects can be found here.

This study was funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101147004 (Intelligent & Digital Roadway Infrastructure for Vehicles Integrated with Next-Gen Technologies – iDriving Project). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.