Creating the Safest Intersection in the World

Abstract

Despite the latest innovations aimed at shaping urban mobility, there are considerable challenges in achieving smart, liveable cities. For instance, BITRE show that 15% of road users killed in Australian crashes were pedestrians or cyclists in the year 2023. Hence, cities are looking at novel transformative solutions to enhance active traveller safety and promote sustainable modes of transport within urban areas.

An example of such a transformation is AMAG's collaboration with Blue-Band and the City of Brampton, Ontario, aiming to establish the "safest intersection in the world." This pilot, utilising AMAG's real-time SMART Operations solution, focuses on prioritising pedestrian safety by responding dynamically to pedestrian demand at the study intersection.

It is often the case that most intersections provide some degree of pedestrian protection, however the application does not facilitate all road users. Traditional signal operations provide predetermined and often insufficient pedestrian crossing times, where with the added influence of driver impairment, driver behaviour, and intersections with high flow, can lead to serious injuries or fatalities in specific cases.

Improving interaction operation using real-time video analytics involves leveraging advanced technologies to analyse video data and extract valuable insights for traffic management. Pedestrian signals adjustment offers advantages over static, fixed-time through adaptation of real-time adjustments based on pedestrian demand and traffic flow, especially in the event where pedestrians have insufficient clearance times due to mobility constraints. Real-time adjustments leads to the application of dynamic pedestrian timing which is essential for protecting vulnerable road users (VRUs), preventing road crashes, and creating urban environments that are conducive to active and sustainable modes of transportation.

While this application on its own is practical and has the potential to create the safest intersection in the world, it has the potential, even essential to maintain broader network coordination for signal synchronisation to maximise the benefits and operational efficiency.