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  • Author Author: yoSoyTono
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Smart Roads will provide quicker, safer and more efficient trips

yoSoyTono

One of the ways how Smart Cities will help urban areas to sustain growth and improve efficiency is by reducing the number of vehicles moving around the city, seeking the Smart Transit concept: highly-efficient autonomous transit systems, merging the flexibility of the personal car with the sustainability of public transit. However, it might take some time for this to happen, as several breakthroughs need to converge together with government legislation and public acceptance.

 

Another way is to take advantage of the many technological developments (on mobiles devices and self-driving vehicles) for updating the current roads through the Smart Road concept: innovating and improving the driving experience and safety; aiming to anticipate human behaviors and needs, avoiding hazards, and even charging vehicles while preserving the environment.

 

As we heavily rely on roads (Earth’s most massive infrastructure: covering a total of 30 million kilometers worldwide) to get to our destination, our society is demanding and expecting Smart Roads with an all-inclusive concept for boosting the available infrastructure, while defining a model for roads of the future to achieve Smart Mobility. The Smart Roads: A Vision paper from the Smart Transportation Alliance incorporates some key parameters contributing to the Smart Roads: mobility efficiency, environmental performance, advanced traffic control technology, life-cycle analysis of construction and maintenance costs and energy inputs, user-oriented designs, safety and security performance, and long-term financing solutions.

 

Smart Roads will be equipped with sensors for data capture and safely response capabilities for any changes in the environment; using the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect to all kind of vehicles (cars, bicycles, trucks...) and to city infrastructure (city lights, traffic signs, warning systems...) for transmitting real-time data across the network to provide quicker, safer and more efficient trips with positive impacts.

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  • Thanks for the blog.

     

    I've pondered the need for "smart roads" for a few years. I live in Chicago and before I commuted to work by train, I commuted by car. Awful experience.

     

    Chicago's roads have a pothole problem especially after a cold winter. What happens is as the snow melts the melted water gets below the road's surface through cracks, and when it expands beneath the surface, the pavement gets weakened. In some cases, potholes can be so bad that it can destroy your car's front end with thousands of dollars in damage.

     

    It would be great to have pothole sensors embedded into the the pavement when it is first laid. The sensors can send data back to notify the city where large potholes are forming; maintenance crews could be dispatched out.  Potholes cause gridlock too. Impacting transportation in Chicago at certain times of the year.

     

    Randall Scasny

    element14 RoadTest Program Manager

  • in reply to rscasny

    Hi Randall,
    Thank you for sharing! Here some more insights to think about: Could smart roads mean no potholes? 

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