Smart cities that adopt a plan for connected transportation have the opportunity to create easy to navigate, safe and secure highways.
Your hands are on the wheel. The road is in front of you. The excitement is palpable. You cruise onto the highway and you come to an abrupt stop. The congestion is real. You don’t know it yet, but you will be sitting there for the next two hours. Now rewind, same scenario except you cruise onto the open highway. No traffic congestion. Your favorite tunes are queued up on your play list and you’re on your way. You choose.
Let’s be real, traffic congestion is a fact of life and it’s clear that folks are not giving up their vehicles anytime soon. In fact, experts suggest that by 2020, there will be approximately 10 million self-driving vehicles on the road1. So the question becomes, how do we relieve the pressure and improve the situation for everyone?
That’s where Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) come in. As urban centers become smart cities they are looking at how to best implement IP connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT) to:
• Increase safety
• Reduce congestion
• Improve the traveler’s journey
• Optimize city operations
Cars are getting smarter which means roads have to get smarter too. Tackling road safety with sensors and surveillance can help manage everything from reducing the number of cars sitting at an intersection, to monitoring speeds, temperatures and mechanical defects. Brakes that can be automatically applied, and on-board cameras that let drivers and on board systems see what’s going on beside and behind them make everyone a little safer.
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) with flexible technology mean transportation operators can scale to manage whatever rush hour throws at them and that can help to make the daily commute a little less painful. But, what about first responders? ITS can deliver connectivity right into the EMR vehicles to make sure each vehicle has Wi-Fi and redundant 4G or LTE to connect and share instantly.
As cities become smarter with the adoption of ITS they also stand to reap the rewards of more efficient and less expensive operations. Centralized traffic control lets city transportation operators manage situations 24/7. Power over Ethernet (PoE) can make device and sensor installation easier by eliminating the need for electrical wiring in hard-to-reach places. As well, centralized provisioning and automated deployment help operational personnel to get set up and working faster.
While flying cars may still be a little way off in the future, now is the right time for smarter cars and connected highways. Smart cities that adopt a plan for connected transportation have the opportunity to create easy to navigate, safe and secure options to meet all of their citizens’ transportation needs.
Learn more about how intelligent transportation systems are providing secure solutions for smart roads and connected highways and how they are making life on the highway just a little bit easier.
1 http://www.businessinsider.com/report-10-million-self-driving-cars-will-be-on-the-road-by-2020-2015-5-6
Maria Espinosa-Gobuyan
Director – Network & Transportation Marketing Programs
Maria brings to ALE, more than twenty years of marketing experience. Maria is responsible for creating and orchestrating the marketing programs for ALE’s Network portfolio as well as for the Transportation industry. Maria is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada with a degree in Computer Science and Business.
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