Cooperative systems and traffic signals

摘要

UK local authorities are clearly interested in learning more about the potential of new ITS technologies for bringing advance signalised intersection information into emerging cooperative systems (CS). But they are waiting for a 'compelling narrative' that focusses more clearly on their traffic management policy goals. This is the main conclusion that emerged from a recent international technical workshop on the role of CS in traffic control that the UK's Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) secretariat ran in Reading. Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) infrastructure-vehicle (I2V) communications systems are intended designed to keep drivers and their vehicles informed in advance of the current signal status of one or more upcoming intersections. Drawing also on the sister MAP technology, which stores a full geometric layout of each intersection being approached, an in-vehicle ITS 'station' (on-board unit) will then be able to identify, while en-route, the currently operating signal phase, and predict when the next one will occur.