The Traffic Management 2.0 (TM2.0) Innovation Platform urges the European AI Office to involve traffic management stakeholders in the development of practical, proportionate, and operationally realistic AI Act implementation guidelines.
The Open Letter from the TM 2.0 to the European AI Office calls for structured and timely engagement with the road traffic management sector ahead of the publication of the Implementation Guidelines for High-Risk AI Systems under the EU AI Act.
The letter makes clear that the traffic management sector needs to be part of the discussion, so the upcoming guidance is based on how things actually work in practice. This is especially important as AI is increasingly used in systems linked to road safety, public services, and real-time traffic decisions.
Representing leading public and private actors in the field, TM 2.0 stresses the importance of developing guidance needs to be practical, proportionate, and based on how traffic management systems work across Europe. As the sector is directly connected to safety-critical infrastructure, public service provision and increasingly AI-supported decision-making, clear guidance is needed to support innovation while safeguarding legal certainty, reliability and public trust.
The Open Letter points out that the upcoming guidelines will have a real impact on how AI can be used in Europe’s transport infrastructure. TM 2.0 warns that, without proper consultation with the sector, the final framework may miss some of the practical challenges and complexity of day-to-day traffic management.
TM 2.0 through its AI Task Force, has already looked closely at traffic management services across Europe and compared them with the main principles of the AI Act. This work provides the platform with a practical and evidence-based starting point. Additionally, it can help shape implementation approaches that are responsible, realistic, and proportionate.
The letter identifies three areas where dialogue with the sector would be especially useful: practical guidance for the safe and compliant deployment of AI in traffic management; consistent classification of high-risk applications based on intended use and operational context; and a proportionate interpretation of risk, especially when distinguishing between advisory tools and autonomous systems with safety-critical implications.
TM 2.0 underlines that a cooperative approach would strengthen legal certainty for public and private stakeholders, support responsible AI innovation in European transport and mobility, and help ensure the effective implementation of the AI Act without imposing disproportionate burdens on traffic management actors.
