Kapsch TrafficCom is supplying connected roadside technology for the cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) upgrade of Queensland’s Bruce Highway to improve safety and efficiency.
The Bruce Highway covers more than 1,500km (932 miles) along the northeast coast of Australia between Brisbane and Cairns.
The Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI), which is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments and delivered by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), piloted the system within the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot.
The Ipswich pilot validated the crash reduction benefits for the use cases tested. The Ipswich pilot systems consisted of 29 signalised intersections using Roadside Intelligent Transport Systems Stations (R-ITS-S) and a central facility to test six safety use cases.
Since the Ipswich pilot, Kapsch TrafficCom has supplied and remotely commissioned an additional 37 Kapsch TrafficCom road-side units (RSUs) along the Bruce Highway.
The RSUs, which are located at traffic lights where the Bruce Highway passes through townships, broadcast signal status and timing to connected road users, providing them with crucial warnings of red lights and pedestrian presence at crossings.
“This project gives regional road users the chance to explore the C-ITS service along the highway before it becomes commercially available in vehicles, which we are expecting on Australian roads in 2024–25,” says Mark Bailey, Queensland’s Minister for Transport and Main Roads. “My department is focused on unlocking the crash reduction benefits of C-ITS. This system is expected to reduce crashes by 20%, contributing towards the Queensland Government’s vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries, and save around A$2 billion over the next 30 years.”
“As traffic volumes increase, connected vehicle technology will play a major role in improving safety and efficiency of the transport network. Bruce Highway is one of the major traffic arteries in Queensland and Kapsch TrafficCom’s C-ITS technology gives regional road users the chance to experience the benefits of this technology as it starts to become more commonly available in vehicles,” says Matthew McLeish, EVP for the APAC region at Kapsch TrafficCom. “The project implementation and pilot execution have created a blueprint for C-ITS projects in Australia and internationally.
Images: AdobeStock.
