Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Use Cases for SS4A
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program provides funding for supplemental planning and demonstration activities to inform the development and improvement of Comprehensive Safety Action Plans (referred to as “Action Plans”). Applicants may—and are encouraged to—include supplemental planning activities and/or demonstration activities to support an Action Plan within either SS4A grant type: Planning and Demonstration Grants or Implementation Grants.
Eligible supplemental planning and demonstration activities must measure potential benefits through data collection and evaluation and inform an Action Plan’s list of projects and strategies (or, another area of an Action Plan).
The following are examples of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) use cases. These examples are potential operational and/or technology-focused activities, some of which may be eligible as SS4A supplemental planning and demonstration activities if they are temporary, small-scale, and inform an Action Plan.
Eligible ITS-Focused Activities
Traffic Conflict Analysis
Traffic conflict analysis that leverages cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and video analytics (which offers predictive insight into when, where, and why crashes are most likely to occur) to its high-injury network corridors can be used in supplemental planning activities. Data analysis integrating conflict analytics can be integrated into road safety audits (RSAs) to identify and prioritize projects.
Machine learning/artificial intelligence techniques to predict conflicts can be done in two ways: active and passive. For a passive system, like an RSA, a post-hoc analysis would be used to identify hotspots. The active approach uses the predictive capability and actively warns road users.
Connected and Automated Vehicle Data
Leveraging connected and automated vehicle hard braking data and other data collected from companies or original equipment manufacturers can be used to try to predict high-risk incident locations.
There may be other data sets that can be included, like weather data, historical traffic data, and historical incident data that can be used to determine the probability that a crash might occur.
Automatic Incident Detection
Automatic incident detection systems—video analytics with closed-circuit television (CCTV)—can identify when a crash occurs and verify crashes faster to divert traffic and provide post-crash care.
Intelligent Infrastructure
Intelligent infrastructure can help improve safety for vulnerable road users.
For example, thermal cameras or other technologies can identify the presence of vulnerable road users in a crosswalk and adjust the time (if appropriate) of the walk signal to add green time at signalized intersections to allow for safe crossing.
Mobile-Accessible Signals
A mobile accessible pedestrian signal system (PED-SIG) allows for an automated call from a smartphone of a visually impaired pedestrian to a traffic signal and provides audio cues to safely navigate the crosswalk.
Conflict Prediction and Warnings
Piloting a system that issues a safety warning if vehicles are on a crash trajectory by monitoring and analyzing approaching vehicles and predicting conflicts is an eligible demonstration activity.
Such technology can identify the location of pedestrians through CCTV images and then turn them into personal safety messages that are broadcast to connected vehicles and generate basic safety messages for non-connected vehicles that can be used on dynamic message signs.
Intelligent Speed Management
Intelligent speed management includes deploying the following technologies:
- A curve speed warning system - An application that alerts drivers of appropriate travel speeds on curves. These applications leverage ITS technologies and may leverage vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications and technologies.
- Dynamic speed harmonization or variable speed limit systems.
- Speed warning school zones - An application that alerts drivers if their vehicle is traveling above the speed limit in a school zone.
Work Zone Warning Systems
Piloting a real-time work zone warning system broadcasting service that can provide up-to-date work zone updates to drivers through messaging and providing a personalized, multimodal routing application is an eligible demonstration activity. Such technologies include the following:
- Connected vests for workers - Transmitters could be used to provide warnings to drivers of work zone areas and other events when workers are present.
- Work zone intrusion detection systems that recognize when a work zone intrusion is occurring, and provide audible, visual, or vibratory alarms to rapidly alert drivers and field workers of the intrusion.
- Work zone data exchange (WZDx) - Make harmonized work zone data available for third-party use to make travel on public roads safer and more efficient through ubiquitous access to data on work zone activity. Get data on work zones into vehicles to help automated driving systems (ADS) and human drivers navigate more safely.
Proven Safety Countermeasures
Technology-based Proven Safety Countermeasures include speed safety cameras, leading pedestrian intervals, pedestrian hybrid beacons, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, and yellow change intervals. Learn more about these and other Proven Safety Countermeasures on the Federal Highway Administration’s Proven Safety Countermeasures website.
Wrong-Way Driving Warning Systems
Wrong-way driving warning systems use ITS technologies to automatically detect vehicles entering a roadway in the wrong direction and activate a variety of warnings and alerts to the driver and other motorists of the wrong-way vehicle.
Advanced Traffic Management and Advanced Traveler Information Systems
Advanced traffic management and advanced traveler information systems include the following:
- Queue warning systems that detect bottlenecks and queues and provide drivers of approaching vehicles with timely warnings of existing and impending queues.
- An application that can alert vehicles of a crash or other event to prevent secondary crashes.
- Road weather information and management systems collect information about road weather conditions and alert drivers of adverse conditions to slow down or re-route.
Railroad Crossing Warning Systems
Railroad crossing warning systems alert vehicles when a train is approaching.
Smart Infrastructure
Piloting “smart infrastructure” through vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology that provides information to drivers on signal phasing and timing and alerts about potential conflicts with bicyclists, pedestrians, and all vulnerable road users is an eligible demonstration activity.
Emergency vehicle preemption, transit signal priority, and intelligent traffic signal systems are among the most deployed or planned applications for connected vehicles.
Adding extra green time at signalized intersections for transit vehicles, snowplows, or freight vehicles helps the vehicles avoid a stop at a red light. This additional time can also help a bus arrive at stops on time, reduce snowplow delays, or reduce truck idling for freight vehicles along an arterial corridor near a freight facility.
School Zone Warning System
Piloting a school zone warning system using V2X is an eligible demonstration activity. This includes an application that allows vehicles to recognize when entering a school zone and identify children and bicyclists that may have a transmitter.