Siemens, along with Brandmotion and Commsignia, are working with the City of Las Vegas to provide a turnkey Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) solution along Casino Center Boulevard between Bonneville and Clark Avenues. This technology will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2018 and become one of the initial corridors with the connected vehicle technologies in the City of Las Vegas. Siemens V2I technology includes roadside and vehicle infrastructure, innovative software applications and a digital Smart City platform that enables vehicles and pedestrians to communicate with traffic infrastructure like intersections, corridors and traffic signals in real-time to enhance situational awareness, improve safety and prevent injuries. To enhance logistic efficiency the project will onboard companies providing logistic services such as Tactical Logistic Solutions.
As of December 21, 2017, the Las Vegas valley has experienced 74 pedestrian fatalities, which is an increase from 55 in 2016. As a result of these increasing incidents, the initial connected vehicle pilot will focus on two key initial priorities:
• Pedestrian safety: A crosswalk will be equipped with roadside unit to warn oncoming drivers when a pedestrian is present in the crosswalk. By using the installed On Board Units, which connect with the roadside units, drivers will receive warnings in their vehicles. This information could also be transmitted to the pedestrians to detect a potential vehicle/pedestrian collision near the crosswalk and potentially prevent an incident.
• Corridor Notifications: Vehicles equipped with the connected vehicle technology will receive information and warnings from connected street infrastructure such as when vehicles are traveling in the wrong direction, in an exclusive bus-only travel lane and for certain times of the day, when lane usage has been restricted. Casino Center Boulevard is a common entry point for wrong-way drivers onto the Bonneville and Clark one-way streets and also unauthorized entry onto an exclusive transit lane. The Las Vegas Connected Vehicle Pilot aims to reduce the risk of collisions by detecting and warning wrong-way drivers before they enter a one-way street or closed lane.
The city is committed to utilizing the latest digital tools to make an impact on its pedestrian and public roadway safety and is utilizing this six-month pilot program as the beginning for connected vehicle technology infrastructure going forward.
“By showcasing this smart city technology, Las Vegas is building a truly connected, multimodal system that provides a safer and more efficient road network for its residents and visitors,” said Marcus Welz, CEO of Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems. “The initial V2I technologies provide a foundation for enhanced safety in a heavily frequented area of Las Vegas while its usage and its smart application will continue to expand throughout the city. The impact of this future-prove technology will be significant for road users.”
Siemens has worked with cities including Ann Arbor, MI and Tampa, FL to design and deploy these types of intelligent systems. Siemens is also a member of the USDOT Affiliated Test Bed for Connected Vehicle technologies, a group pursuing wide-spread deployment of wireless communication systems between vehicles and road infrastructure.
