Page 129 - Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities

110 Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities Smart Cities 111

Figure 5.11 Lessons learned from the London Congestion Charge project.

Politics
This encompasses the ability to gain and retain political support for the project
by communicating the value of the services to be delivered. A structured out-
reach program is required to initially communicate the value and benefits of
the program to political decision-makers. The outreach must then continue to
ensure that the political support gained during the initial communications is
maintained throughout the life of the project implementation.
It should be noted that additional policy requirements can drive up the
cost of the project. Transport for London’s experience was that this type of proj-
ect required a larger budget for communications and marketing; this was partly
due to the need to explain the advanced technologies involved to the public and
partly to explain why a congestion charge was necessary and how the revenue
would be used to improve transportation. From a smart city perspective, it may
also be necessary to allocate a larger budget for outreach and communications