500-vehicle C-ITS trial our first research project

iMOVE’s first research project will be the safety evaluation and user perception study of Australia’s largest on-road testing trial of cooperative vehicles and infrastructure. This is a $2.58 million, 3.5 year research partnership to help prepare for and accelerate the emergence of cooperative technologies onto Australian roads.

Delivered as part of an on-road field operational test (FOT) of a number of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) safety applications, in and around Ipswich, Queensland.

The project is being delivered by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads with the Queensland University of Technology undertaking the safety evaluation research.

The C-ITS safety use-cases include vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) applications, with around 500 public and fleet vehicles retro fitted with C-ITS technologies, and roadside C-ITS devices installed on arterial and motorways. These devices enable vehicles to ‘talk’ to vehicles, infrastructure, road operations systems and cloud-based data sharing systems.

Stay on top of everything in the brave new mobility world with the iMOVE Newsletter!

This C-ITS Pilot is intended to:

• contribute towards governments’ vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roads
• prepare for and accelerate the emergence of cooperative technologies onto Australian roads
• respond to the national call for priority trials and research of transformative transport technologies, including C-ITS.

What technologies will be tested?

C-ITS safety technologies tested will include:

• Emergency electronic brake light warning) (V2V) – alerts drivers to a cooperative vehicle braking hard some distance ahead.
• Stopped or slow vehicle warnings (V2V) – alerts drivers of an impending rear-end collision with another cooperative vehicle ahead of them.
• Turning warning for vulnerable road users (V2I) – alerts drivers to pedestrians or bicycles crossing at an upcoming intersection.
• Advanced red light warning (V2I) – alerts drivers if it’s likely that they’ll drive through a red light ahead, unless they brake.
• Road works warning (V2I) – alerts drivers to upcoming roadworks, giving them time to slow down or change lanes.
• In-vehicle speed warning (V2I) – provides drivers with information about active, static or variable speed limits. It then alerts them if they are exceeding the speed limit.
• Back-of-queue warning (motorways) (V2I) – provides drivers with information about an upcoming traffic queue.
• Road hazard warning (V2I) – alerts drivers to upcoming hazards, such as water on the road, road closures, or a crash.

Benefits of the project

This research will be conducted as part of the Queensland Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) Pilot Project which is currently Australia’s largest on-road testing trial of cooperative vehicles and infrastructure. It will provide a core data set to build a standardised analysis methodology and evaluate safety benefits of C-ITS.

The evaluation findings will be used by transport agencies (local, state and federal) to support the investment of infrastructure both digital and physical that supports the emerging C-ITS need.

The C-ITS Pilot project is part of the larger Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) being delivered by TMR to help prepare for the arrival of new vehicle technologies with safety, mobility and environmental benefits on Queensland roads. For more information on CAVI, visit www.qld.gov.au/CAVI.