Imagine being notified in your vehicle when a pedestrian is ahead. A pilot project of this
connected vehicle technology is coming to Roseville in the near future.
Phase 1: Pedestrian crossing signs
In the first phase, six locations in Downtown Roseville are receiving flashing pedestrian crossing signs. They include:
• Vernon Street between S. Grant and Lincoln Street;
• S. Grant Street between Vernon and Oak Street; and
• Oak Street and the Washington Boulevard roundabout.
Some signs will be activated with sensors that will detect nearby pedestrians and trigger flashing LED lights to notify motorists. Other signs will require pedestrians to use the push button to manually activate the signs.
Once the sign activates, an audible announcement will play, “Cross street with caution, vehicles may not stop.” While pedestrians have the right-of-way, they should remain alert when crossing.
Phase 2: Connected Vehicle Technology
The second phase of improvements includes installation of wireless transmitters which will send warnings to equipped vehicles to alert them of a pedestrian crossing. This phase is anticipated for summer 2022.
Allowing infrastructure and vehicles to anonymously “talk” is an Internet of Things technology and has been a focus of traffic engineering and automaker research since the mid-2000s.
Some newer vehicles come equipped with connected vehicle technology, including Audi, Cadillac, Ford, Toyota, and Tesla, among others. Companies are also developing after-market solutions that allow for alerts, like on-board units, SiriusXM Radio and phone apps.
As part of this pilot project, several test City of Roseville vehicles and buses will be outfitted to receive pedestrian crossing warnings. Testing allows the technology to be fine-tuned before it is installed more widely.
Because connected vehicle technology has a broad array of capabilities to improve traffic safety and efficiency, future applications may include:
• Construction work zones;
• Areas where there is slow traffic around a curve or hill; and
• Traffic signal-to-bus communication to provide bus priority green times, or to identify the right driving speed for most efficient travel.
Funding
The total project cost is approximately $200,000. Phase 1 totals about $71,000 for materials, design and installation. Most funding comes from the Transportation Development Act which can be used for bus, bike and pedestrian improvements. The remainder is funded by Traffic Mitigation Fees paid for by developers and will be used exclusively for Phase 2 of the project.
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