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ITS – system for driver safety

Posted on 20 May, 2014
ITS – system for driver safety

A system that changes traffic-light cycles so ambulances aren’t forced to run red lights is being rolled out across Queensland with drivers calling for it to be mandatory in every state. John Wiltshire, software development manager at Transmax Australia, says a growing and ageing population means there are a lot more ambulance call-outs and it’s harder for them to get through traffic. More than 90 per cent of incidents ambulance and fire-engine crews respond to happen when the lights and sirens have been switched on. Transmax’s solution automatically manages signals before and after an ambulance passes through intersections. It interrupts the normal traffic-light sequencing to turn the lights to green and sets signals for crossing traffic to stop. This ensures ambulances can pass through safely and the technology uses the global positioning system to define geographical boundaries called “geo fences”. The latest phase of the system has been rolled out on the Gold Coast and is set to become compulsory in Queensland. “Results were really good,” Wiltshire told the 13th ITS Asia Pacific Forum in Auckland. “We get about 100 intervention requests a week, travel times are better by between 12 and 20 per cent, and there has been no measurable impact on pedestrians. “Austroads found drivers feel safer so they can get to incidents quicker with fewer incidents, they are less worried about red lights and genuinely like the system.” The solution has been designed to be expanded and could also be used to prioritise buses.