Kapsch TrafficCom is proud to be part of the team working on the Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems upgrade of Queensland’s Bruce Highway, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

The Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI), delivered by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), piloted the system within the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot between September 2021 to 2022. The Ipswich pilot validated the crash reduction benefits for the use cases tested. The Ipswich pilot systems consisted of 29 signalised intersections using Roadside Intelligent Transport Systems Stations (R-ITS-S) and a central facility to test six safety use cases.

“This project gives regional road users the chance to explore the C-ITS service along the highway before it becomes commercially available in vehicles, which we are expecting on Australian roads in 2024-25,” Minister for Transport and Main Roads of Queensland, Hon Mark Bailey said.

“My department is focused on unlocking the crash reduction benefits of C-ITS. This system is expected to reduce crashes by 20%, contributing towards the Queensland Government’s vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries, and save around $2 billion over the next 30 years.”

Since the Ipswich pilot’s conclusion, Kapsch TrafficCom has supplied and remotely commissioned an additional 37 Kapsch TrafficCom road-side units (RSUs) along the Bruce Highway. Covering over 1,500 kilometres along the northeast coast of Australia, between Brisbane and Cairns.

The road-side units that Kapsch TrafficCom supplies for the project are located at traffic lights where the Bruce Highway passes through townships. The RSUs broadcast signal status and timing to connected road users, providing them with crucial warnings of red lights and pedestrian presence at crossings.

“As traffic volumes increase, connected vehicle technology will play a major role in improving safety and efficiency of the transport network. Bruce Highway is one of the major traffic arteries in Queensland and Kapsch TrafficCom’s C-ITS technology gives regional road users the chance to experience the benefits of this technology as it starts to become more commonly available in vehicles”, comments Matthew McLeish, EVP for the APAC region at Kapsch TrafficCom.

“The project implementation and pilot execution have created a blueprint for C-ITS projects in Australia and internationally”, Matthew continues. “The collaborative approach between Kapsch TrafficCom and DTMR was essential to delivering a quality solution.”

The Bruce Highway C-ITS extension builds on the Ipswich pilot which focused on trialing the core system functionality and developing capability for operators to operate, maintain, and monitor the hardware. The findings of the trial were positive, with a majority of users saying they would continue using the equipment.

If you want to find out more about the Bruce Highway C-ITS project and other ongoing projects, come by booth 8 at this year’s ITS Australia Summit 2022 in Brisbane (16-18 August)!

Source: Kapsch