Ludwigsburg has been furnished with Cohda Wireless’s V2X technology to allow fire trucks and rescue service teams to go to accidents and emergencies quicker, possibly saving lives long into the future.
In an initiative driven by leading traffic technology group SWARCO, all traffic lights and intersections in the city have been fitted with Cohda MK5 Road-Side Units, corresponding with the equivalent MK5 On-Board Units located in fire trucks and rescue vehicles to provide them green-light passage en route to emergencies.
The system works by transmitting messages relaying position and speed, several times per second, from emergency vehicles to a traffic light controller. The signals are processed and compared with the scenarios saved in the programming. If the system identifies an approaching emergency vehicle, the programmed signal sequence is started and the traffic light controller shifts to the prioritisation program. Once the firefighters have crossed the intersection, the traffic light controller reverts to normal as soon as possible to reduce the impact on road traffic and traffic disturbance.
Dr Paul Gray, Cohda Wireless’s CEO, said that this is a prime example of a cooperative, intelligent transport system that is geared to saving lives.
“V2X technology improves safety on our roads and is usually applied to help reduce injury and death. This initiative demonstrates the versatility of the technology,” explained Dr Gray.
“In this instance, it is being applied to support emergency services in responding to incidents and accidents that have already happened, thereby also saving lives.”
“A primary goal of our mobility concept is to optimise the traffic flow. To achieve this, we also rely on intelligent traffic light systems,” said Ludwigsburg’s mayor, Dr Matthias Knecht
“SWARCO’s technology for prioritising emergency vehicles of the fire brigade is an excellent example for this – because in an emergency every second counts, of course. Together with the city of Ludwigsburg, SWARCO has developed this innovative technology and brought it to the streets,” added Dr Knecht.
