Australia’s intelligent transport systems (ITS) community gathered in Melbourne on 12 February to honour the winners of the 16th annual ITS Australia Awards, recognising projects spanning connected vehicles, drone technology, motorcycle safety and transport data innovation.
Connected vehicle trial and drone programme among winners
The Smart Transport Infrastructure Award, sponsored by Daktronics, went to Transport for NSW for its Drones for Roads programme, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles to improve safety, reduce congestion and support emergency response across the state’s road network.
Melbourne-based toll road operator Transurban took the Connected and Automated Vehicle Award for a trial of connected vehicle technology on the West Gate Freeway, delivered in partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia. The project used real-time data to provide collective-perception-based speed advice during motorway merging, aiming to reduce crash risk and improve traffic flow.
“We’re always looking at ways to make journeys safer and more reliable for the communities who use our roads,” says Dave Clements, group executive of operations at Transurban. “This partnership allows us to explore how connected vehicle technologies can complement our existing traffic management systems to reduce crash risk and improve traffic flow.”
NEC Australia delivers Canberra’s new ticketing platform
NEC Australia won the Intelligent Mobility Award for My Way+, Transport Canberra’s new ticketing system. The cloud-native, modular platform unifies fare media, digital identities and real-time journey planning into a single system.
Motorcycle safety and transport data recognised
La Trobe University’s Centre for Technology Infusion received the Excellence in Research and Development Award, sponsored by iMOVE, for its C-ITS for Motorcycle Safety project. The initiative uses cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) to deliver warning systems to riders, including helmet audio alerts and LED mirrors.
“We are incredibly grateful to TMR, TAC and iMOVE for enabling us to be part of this groundbreaking effort, to the Connect Motorcycle Consortium and to all riders who contributed their time and expertise,” says Erik van Vulpen, deputy director of the Centre for Technology Infusion. “Together, we need to keep pushing to shape the future of safer and smarter transport.”
The Excellence in Transport Data Award, sponsored by Amazon Web Services, went to ConnectSydney and Service Stream Transport for their Contractor Call ON/OFF App. Developed in partnership with Mooven, the app digitises contractor access to Sydney’s road network, replacing manual call-ins with real-time tracking, AI geomapping and geofencing.
Individual awards
Kalan Ralph, from Main Roads Western Australia and co-chair of ITS Australia NextGens, received the Young Professional Award, sponsored by Transurban, for raising the national profile of regional transport challenges and championing youth engagement in the sector.
John Gaffney, winner of the Max Lay Lifetime Achievement Award announced in late 2025, was formally presented with his award at the ceremony. “To the next generation of ITS practitioners: the work ahead will be complex, the tools more responsive, the data richer, and the stakes higher,” he says.
Distinguished Professor Fang Chen, the 2026 Woman of the Year sponsored by Q-Free, was also honoured. “This recognition celebrates the collective effort of our research, industry and government partners working together to make transport smarter, safer, and more sustainable through data-driven innovation,” she says.
ITS Australia chief executive Susan Harris noted the role of university partnerships in delivering the winning projects. “As the peak industry body, ITS Australia is focused on strengthening these collaborations to scale technology-driven innovation that enhances transport outcomes and the end-to-end travel experience,” she says.
