Smart Mobility in the Netherlands: Road authorities' perspectives on obstacles and opportunities in the 2018-2023 time frame

There is a need for a more efficient use of existing infrastructure to improve the accessibility, liveability and safety of Dutch cities, metropolitan areas and provinces. A projected solution to growing mobility issues is Smart Mobility.From a scientific perspective, research has only been performed on the possible effects of Smart Mobility technologies. Yet, not much literature exists on the success and failure criteria for the implementation of Smart Mobility.The main objective of this research is to gain knowledge on obstacles and opportunities for implementing Smart Mobility in the Netherlands in order to fill the knowledge gap for road authorities and science.Six themes were observed in total during the analysis of the coded interview transcripts. After that, eighteen obstacle and nine opportunity categories were constructed. Three obstacle categories, one obstacle theme, one opportunity category and one opportunity theme for implementing Smart Mobility in the Netherlands were found to be crucial factors for implementing Smart Mobility in the Netherlands. The obstacle categories are (1) organisational inertia, (2) the changing role of governments, (3) cooperation with other governmental institutions and market parties and (4) the theme obstacles related to execution. The opportunity category is (1) (social) benefits and the theme is (2) cooperation and knowledge sharing.The most frequently addressed opportunity category was social benefits. Interviewees stressed that Smart Mobility is a mean, not a goal. Social benefits were named in all sorts and shapes: social benefits for the liveability of cities, quality of life, sustainability, sense of safety, and social prosperity.The most frequently addressed obstacle category was organisational inertia. On top of that, many interviewees had doubts whether people will accept Smart Mobility innovations and technologies in their daily lives. The scientific literature on Smart Mobility is far from conclusive. This thesis research is a thin cross-section of Smart Mobility efforts of road authorities in the Netherlands. However, it does give a rich image of the efforts and heuristics on Smart Mobility in the Netherlands.Management of Technology (MoT