On March 28, 2025, the joint kick-off meeting of the DFG research unit MiRoVA (Migration of Road Vehicle Automation) took place at RWTH Aachen University. Organized by the Institute of Ergonomics at RWTH Aachen University, the meeting provided a good opportunity to jointly develop initial approaches, coordinate collaborations and plan the next steps in the project.

As part of MiRoVA, we are working with colleagues from RWTH Aachen University, TU Darmstadt and TU Munich to investigate the transition from human-guided to fully automated road traffic. In addition to the technical integration of (partially) automated vehicles into the traffic system, we are focusing in particular on the human-centered perspective of interaction and cooperation with different automation variants.

Our sub-project at the Institute for Transport Studies (IfV) at KIT, represented by Marvin Baumann and Peter Vortisch, is concerned with the investigation of these migration processes using microscopic traffic flow simulation. The aim is to integrate behavioral models from the other sub-projects and to analyze how different automation paths affect the traffic flow and the overall system.

Many thanks to Frank Flemisch, Michael Preutenborbeck and Paul Weiser for the successful organization of the meeting. We look forward to hosting the first MiRoVA Hot Topic Seminar in Karlsruhe in July and continuing the professional exchange.

Current data on everyday travel is important for transport planning and policy. With the end of the German Mobility Panel (MOP) in 2022, an important survey in Germany about travel statistics has come to an end. The Regional Mobility Indicators (ReMo) project aims to provide a continuous monitoring tool for cities in the trans-European networks at the regional level by combining innovative and up-to-date data sources to fulfill EU reporting obligations. For this, up-to-date input data on everyday travel will be essential. It was therefore important that Miriam Magdolen informed herself about the current results and findings of Mobility in Cities (SrV) and Lisa Ecke and Jan Vallée about Mobility in Germany (MiD) on March 25 and 26, 2025, at the respective project closing events. The events also provided an opportunity to discuss innovations, current trends, and developments in the survey world with the community. The findings can be incorporated into future surveys at the IfV and put to good use.

Freeway Control Systems improve safety and traffic flow on highways by displaying dynamic speed limits, overtaking bans and warnings. However, the integration of these systems into traffic flow simulations has so far involved a great deal of effort. This is where the project KISA (AI-based generation of a digital twin of freeway control systems) comes in. The aim is to efficiently integrate route control systems into simulations and thus facilitate their research and optimization.

The official kick-off event will take place online on 28.02.25 from 2 to 3 pm. Interested parties can register by e-mail. The content of the kick-off event is the presentation of the planned project content, as well as space for questions and exchange.

We look forward to your participation!

On February 19, 2025, the women of the IfV had the opportunity to take part in an exclusive event organized by the Women in Mobility Baden network and to explore the art Karlsruhe art fair in advance.

In addition to the valuable exchange and networking with other women from the industry, a personal guided tour through the diverse art exhibitions with a focus on moving art and mobility was an absolute highlight.

We look forward to further opportunities for exchange within the community!

As part of the laboratory internship, students gained practical insights into the processes of sound level and traffic measurement at the Institute for Transport Studies. Working in small groups, they set up sound level meters and side radar devices at various measurement locations to investigate the relationship between traffic noise and other noise sources, as well as their effects. In addition to the data automatically recorded by the measuring devices, manually collected data from the measurement logs was also analyzed and evaluated in a subsequent session using Excel and a simple sound simulation. This approach provided students with a valuable introduction to the critical phase of data evaluation and interpretation. The results, along with photo documentation of the measurement procedure and experimental setup, were compiled into an experimental report to familiarize students with the principles of scientific documentation.

Our post on LinkedIn about the TRB Meeting in Washington looks a bit different this year: Instead of being represented by 10 to 15 people as in previous years, only Marvin Baumann will represent us at this outstanding conference in 2025.

The reason for this decision is that we cannot credibly research sustainable mobility and explain to our students that long-distance travel – especially by airplane – is particularly harmful to the climate while flying across the Atlantic with half of our institute at the same time. Therefore, we are consciously reducing our participation in conferences outside Europe – even though this comes with a considerable dose of fear of missing out, and we will especially miss meeting all our international fellow researchers at our Wednesday evening reception.