Traffic nerds assemble!
This isn’t an insult – this is a rallying cry for the ITS industry.
Not all superheroes wear capes – although actually they do in ITS International's current promotional campaign, which reclaims the word ‘nerd’ and celebrates our pride in the sector.
Transportation is seen as – shall we say – a niche technical arena populated by engineers and eggheads. That’s probably why we love it: serious minds produce the life-saving technologies that have a positive effect on road safety. You don’t get to excellence without being enthusiastic and knowledgeable and, maybe, even a tiny bit obsessive about your subject. Attention to detail is what makes the difference between a good product or solution and a great one.
Nerds are cool: for instance, who hasn’t nerded out at a particularly interesting conference session on trends in urban mobility? Which of us hasn’t spent more time photographing intersection infrastructure than tourist spots on a city break? Why are road signs so cool? Why doesn’t the US have more roundabouts?
We should be embracing the difference. It’s time to get in touch with our inner geek. This is our tribe, these are our people. Being a nerd should be a badge of honour in our industry – literally, as it happens, since we have a number of branded pin badges (design below) to give away at the ITS World Congress in Dubai in September. We'll be wandering the floors - stop us and get one.
The time has come: join our movement.
