How do you think the mobility ecosystem has changed over the past five years?
We have seen smarter technology being deployed across the mobility ecosystem. Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with sensors, including lidar, that improve navigation and safety. Infrastructure is becoming more intelligent, helping to improve traffic flow efficiency, advance sustainability and protect vulnerable road users. Communication between vehicles and infrastructure is also expanding. For instance, Velodyne Lidar’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution uses lidar to extract trajectory road user data around intersections to predict potential collisions, which can be used to warn connected vehicles via Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communications. Vehicle manufacturers can leverage the solution’s analytics in combination with their on-board safety systems to reduce accident probability.
What kinds of partnerships do you think work best for cities looking to incorporate new transit technologies?
Collaboration is the key to a successful partnership. Companies, local governments and universities are teaming up to improve traffic and energy efficiency, road safety and air quality. For example, Velodyne is collaborating with Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) to deploy our Intelligent Infrastructure Solution. CAIT will install Velodyne’s lidar sensors at multiple intersections in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The project will serve as a testbed for mobility data-gathering, analysis and sharing technologies that will help implement connected and autonomous vehicle systems in the future.
What areas can cities improve on when it comes to road safety and how?
There is a pressing need for smart city systems that can help improve road safety and prevent traffic accidents. 2020 was the deadliest year for US traffic crashes in over a decade, with a seven percent increase in traffic fatalities over the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is driving cities to invest in new technologies for traffic monitoring. For instance, the city of Austin, Texas is deploying Velodyne Lidar’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution to help achieve its Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Austin streets.
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