ITS for the safety of vulnerable road users Johan Scholliers, VTT Brussels, 11 February 2014
Main Project Objectives 1. Assess societal impacts of selected ITS, and provide recommendations for policy and industry regarding ITS in order to improve the safety and mobility of VRUs; 2. Provide evidence-based recommended practices on how VRU can be integrated in Intelligent Transport Systems and on how HMI designs can be adapted to meet the needs of VRUs, and test these recommendations in field trials 3
Duration: 1.4.2013-31.3.2016 Consortium: Project facts Associated Members: Ertico, ECF, FEMA, ACEM, Finnish Transport Agency, Rijkswaterstaat,, Finnish Road Administration, City of Helmond, City of Valladolid, Psychological University Berlin, University of Maine, CERTH/HIT 4
Which Vulnerable Road User are addressed? All non-motorised road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists as well as motorcyclists and persons with disabilities or reduced mobility and orientation For research on HMI design, Focus on non-motorized road users and elderly drivers For trials Focus on cooperative services for non-motorised road users and PTWs Helmond (NL): focus on cyclists and PTWs Valladolid (SP): focus on pedestrians 5
WP1: Project Management WP7: Dissemination and Exploitation Project structure WP2: VRU user needs, ITS prioritisation and methodology WP3: Impact assessment WP4: Recommended practices for ITS applications WP5: Innovative ITS applications WP6: Recommendations and conclusions 6
Most critical scenarios Data sources: CARE, national databases (UK,SE,SP,FI), indepth studies (SafetyNet, Pendant, MAIDS) Pedestrians Pedestrian crossing the road at mid-block Vehicle pulling out into the path of oncoming VRU Cyclists & PTWs At junctions: Vehicle turning into VRU s path 7
User needs analysis 5 focus groups with different types of VRUs in 4 countries (total 143 participants); 10 expert interviews from the fields of ITS technology, policy and VRU representation Critical situations: high (car) speeds, high complexity and density of traffic, local weather conditions, maintenance of infrastructure Main identified benefits and advantages of ITS for VRUs: increased visibility, increased comfort, improved traffic flow Adverse aspects: loss of autonomy, distraction, potential for overreliance, technical limitations and reliability Future technological advancements expected: VRU-vehicle communication, increasing visibility, standardisation of technologies, infrastructure developments, legal requirements for broad-scale deployment 8
eimpact assessment methodology Function description Describe effects on behaviour and safety For 9 safety mechanisms Qualitative impact assessment Estimate road exposure and accident trends in target years Estimate % of effects by factor Apply to accident data Estimate fleet penetration in target years Quantitative impact assessment 9
Selection of applications in VRUITS Critical scenarios User needs Inventory of ITS applications Group discussions Questionnaires with expert assessment First Interest Group Workshop Selection of ITS applications for qualitative assessment Qualitative assessment Selection of ITS applications for quantitative assessment Second Interest Group Workshop 10
Applications selected for qualitative assessment (1/3) Co-operative applications Intersection safety VRU beacon systems PTW oncoming vehicle info Bicycle to car communication Roadside Protection Systems Green wave for cyclists Urban sensing system Information on vacancy for bicycle racks 11
Applications selected for qualitative assessment (2/3) Infrastructure based Intelligent Pedestrian Traffic Signal Crossing Adaptive Lighting Red Light Camera/Average Speed Camera Automatic Bicycle Identification Vehicle sensor based systems Pedestrian detection + Emergency braking Blind spot detection Intelligent speed adaptation Night vision and warning 12
Applications selected for qualitative assessment (3/3) PTW Rider Monitoring System Digital bicycle rear-view mirror Advice system for elderly cyclists Trip planning and navigation for VRUs Real-time passenger information systems Road weather warning for pedestrians Infotainment 13
Input requested from cities Questionnaire on deployment scenarios in March Target: Public administration, ITS industry Questionnaire on impact on comfort & mobility Target: ITS experts Data to support impact assessment of selected applications Mobility data: annual kms traveled on different modes Accident data of VRUs (with/without motorized vehicle involved) Penetration rates of ITS systems under assessment Effectiveness of ITS systems 14
Trial sites and applications Valladolid (Spain): Intelligent pedestrian Traffic sign for vulnerable pedestrians with extended crossing time Intersection safety (I2V) at signalised crossings Helmond (Netherlands): Intersection safety for cyclists 15
Next workshops 2nd Interest Group Workshop (16 June 2014, Helsinki) Selection of services for quantitative assessment Deployment scenarios of ITS applications Draft recommendations for ITS applications improvement 3rd Interest Group Workshop (November 2015, Helmond) List of recommendations and rules of prioritization. Actions related to opening of the markets. 16
For more information www.vruits.eu Linkedin group Coordinator: Johan Scholliers, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, johan.scholliers@vtt.fi 17