The perception of hazards around traffic lights could be changed forever if a new trial from Transport for NSW is deemed successful.
Eight sets of traffic signals have been installed at its Future Mobility and Testing Research Centre (FMTRC) that, if successful, will provide drivers with wireless messages in the event of roadworks, cyclists and pedestrians, or if the driver is likely to run the red light.
The signals can also receive transmissions warning of an approaching emergency vehicle.
The new light infrastructure tests have been partly funded by a $600,000 grant from the NSW state government which has enabled the FMTRC to enhance its connected technology tests through the installation of fibre-optic cable and site-wide 5G technology.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison says the work of the Cudal FMTRC site is key in finding more ways to drive down the international road death toll.
“These are the first traffic lights for the facility at Cudal but, as we strive to drive down the road toll in NSW, they definitely won’t be the last safety initiative the teams will help develop, test and refine here,” Aitchison says.
“Adding this connected infrastructure to Transport’s world-class testing site gives local and international researchers and developers a place to run real-world scenarios without risk.
“The other cars, pedestrians and cyclists using the intersection at our Cudal site are soft targets, not real people, cars or bicycles.”
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The improvements to the facility have followed an announcement in August this year that the Cudal site would quadruple in size to 100 hectares to expand the current track to a four-kilometre loop circuit capable of testing heavy vehicle safety systems at highway speed.
Despite being in the closed testing site, the lights are the first ever to be installed in the town of Cudal and come almost a century after Sydney’s first ever traffic lights were introduced.
“This work complements and expands on our real-world trials of connected traffic systems underway in Sydney and helps us work with our partners in other states and local industry to align advancements for safer outcomes on Australian roads,” Labor spokesperson for Orange Stephen Lawrence says.
Lawrence also says the potential for this traffic signal technology to be implemented in the real world is not too far away.
“There are already vehicles coming off production lines with the ability to receive and send information to traffic signals and by developing our own smart traffic systems in NSW it puts us in the front seat to bring the safety outcomes to our streets.”
“Our work bridges the gap between research advancements and seeing how this technology practically performs on our roads to make sure new vehicles and transport technologies meet the highest performance and safety standards,” Transport NSW Director Future Mobility Evan Walker says.
“Everything we do, design and deliver at this site is geared towards safety and sustainability improvements across the board.
“This includes testing emerging software and hardware solutions from across the globe, including the ongoing advancement of systems like Transport’s world-leading SCATS system to deliver those outcomes.”
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