Mobileye Shield+ Collision Avoidance System Pilot Program

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Alicia Miller
5 years ago
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1 Information Item Date: August 16, 2017 To: From: Subject: Mayor and City Council Edward F. King, Director of Transit Services Mobileye Shield+ Collision Avoidance System Pilot Program Introduction Big Blue Bus (BBB) is committed to improving safety for our customers, pedestrians and employees. In addition to training programs that are provided quarterly to Motor Coach Operators (MCOs) and MCO Supervisors, staff continues to evaluate new technology and tools that will enhance our safety program. BBB is committed to Santa Monica s Vision Zero goal, which targets the elimination of pedestrian fatalities and the reduction of severity of collisions. In June, BBB partnered with Rosco Collision Avoidance, Inc. (Rosco), to launch a pilot program for the installation and testing of the Mobileye Shield+ Collision Avoidance System (Shield+), a state of the art system which will serve as a tool for MCOs to prevent collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and rear-end collisions with vehicle by audibly and visually alerting MCOs of potential hazards. The collision avoidance system will be installed on 12 BBB buses. Background BBB provides public transportation services within a 58-square mile service area. Accordingly, its buses travel through areas that are heavily utilized by pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles. Bus operating conditions such as congested urban streets that are filled with other motor vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists provide opportunities for BBB to test new technology that will help our MCOs navigate blind spots around the bus by making pedestrians and cyclists who are vulnerable to street collisions more visible. 1

2 On March 17, 2015, Council authorized the City s participation in the United States Department of Transportation s Mayors Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets and reaffirmed that pedestrian and bicycle mobility and safety are of the utmost importance, instructing staff to pursue a multi-departmental approach to complete streets and safety, and to incorporate best practices from complementary initiatives such as Vision Zero. Subsequently, on February 28, 2017, the Council adopted the Pedestrian Action Plan advancing a Vision Zero goal for the City, by outlining numerous strategies aimed at bringing the number of severe injuries and fatalities caused by traffic crashes in the City of Santa Monica down to zero. Big Blue Bus is committed to the City s Vision Zero goal and is investing in technology to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the community. Taking advantage of recent technological advancements in the field of collision avoidance, BBB entered into a contract with Rosco to sponsor a pilot program for the installation, use, and testing of the Shield+ system on 12 transit buses. The purpose of the system is to alert MCOs of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles in front of or around the bus before an incident occurs, giving the MCO time to react and take corrective action in order to avoid the collision. The system will also provide detailed metrics and reports that staff will use to establish hotspots for training and notifying staff of locations where there is a need to be aware of pedestrian and cyclist traffic, as well as work with our partners in the City and service area to improve intersection, bus stop and roadway safety. Discussion The recent expansion of the Expo Light Rail line, along with the addition of bike/pedestrian paths and downtown pedestrian scrambles, forecasts changes in pedestrian demand with a likely increase in the number of pedestrians in the City. Therefore, it is imperative to remain proactive in the goal to reduce collisions and eliminate pedestrian fatalities. 2

3 In 2016, the Washington State Transit Insurance Pool (WSTIP) sponsored a 3-month pilot program for the installation, use, and testing of the Shield+ collision avoidance system in transit buses operated by the eight largest transit systems in Washington State: King County METRO, Pierce Transit, Community Transit, Spokane Transit, Intercity Transit, Kitsap Transit, Ben Franklin Transit and C-Tran. In its June 5, 2017 report, WSTIP reported its findings as follows: Data Collection Period: 4/1/2016 6/30/2016 Operating Miles: 352,129 Operating Hours: 23,798 Number of Pedestrian or Forward Collisions: 0 Given the success of the pilot program, Pierce Transit is adopting the collision avoidance technology system-wide. The agency received a $1.66 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to install Shield+ on 176 buses and to continue its research into other bus safety technology systems. Scope of Pilot BBB will conduct a one-year pilot program using the Shield+ system to examine, using a data-driven approach, whether the system is effective in reducing the number of pedestrian and forward collisions in vehicles equipped with the Shield+ technology. As part of the pilot program, Shield+ has been installed on 12 buses; 10 existing 40 transit buses and two existing 60 articulated buses. The 40 buses are equipped with a foursensor system, while the 60 buses are equipped with six sensors. The sensors allow for front and side-sensing capability of pedestrians and cyclists in a complex urban environment, including turns and intersections, with outputs to the MCO that will improve the ability to detect potential collisions with these targets in time to stop the bus. 3

The buses are equipped with three driver alert display modules that alert the MCO, visually and audibly, when the bus is in motion and a pedestrian and/or cyclist is in a danger zone around the bus.

4 The buses are equipped with three driver alert display modules that alert the MCO, visually and audibly, when the bus is in motion and a pedestrian and/or cyclist is in a danger zone around the bus. In addition to detecting pedestrians and cyclists, the Shield+ system includes the following features: Forward Collision Warning warns the MCO up to 2.7 seconds before an imminent rear-end collision, including low-speed collisions under 19 MPH; Headway Monitoring/Following visually displays the amount of time, in seconds, to the vehicle in front when the time is 2.5 seconds or less; Lane Departure Warning alerts the MCO when the bus departs from the driving lane without activating the turn signals if traveling at a speed greater than 34 MPH; and Speed Limit Indicator reads posted speed limits and alerts the MCO when the bus exceeds the speed limit at any speed. The pilot program includes a one-year subscription to the Shield+ Telematics System, which is a GPS mapping and tracking system designed to locate and pinpoint hotspots on driving routes. 4

5 The Shield+ Telematics System has the ability to track bus routes and identify where there have been detections and alerts. Using the collected data, Telematics can generate safety reports based on location, drivers, number of detections and other factors. After identifying the potentia hotspots, BBB can further investigate the possible causes of high number of alerts, allowing BBB to make data-based informed decisions on improvements to its bus routes and/or stops in order to reduce the number of collisions and near misses. In addition, BBB will share the safety reports with the City of Santa Monica s Mobility Team for their use in identifying potential pedestrian hotspots in Santa Monica. Measures of Success A successful pilot would meet the following objectives: Reduce preventable collisions in vehicles equipped with Shield+ by 50%; Design and apply methodologies for estimating the full cost savings of avoided collisions; Create safety reports delineating hotspots to identify danger zones and apply corrective measures; and Develop and document the installation and training process for potential future use. 5

6 Financial Considerations BBB entered into a contract with Rosco for an amount not to exceed $124,263 for the purchase, installation, licensing and monitoring of the Mobileye Shield+ Collision Avoidance System. Funding for the pilot program has been allocated under the State s Proposition 1B Bond program for safety and security in account number C Should the pilot program be successful, BBB will initiate a full-scale procurement process for a permanent solution. Prepared By: Liseth Guizar, Transit Safety and Training Manager 6

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MOBILEYE SHIELD + COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM OUR VISION. YOUR SAFETY. MOBILEYE SHIELD + OUR SOLUTION FOR PEDESTRIAN & CYCLIST SAFETY The Mobileye Shield+ System is the latest technological advancement