Transurban has partnered with Toyota Australia on a trial of cooperative ITS (C-ITS) technology on the streets of Melbourne.
The testing is taking place in Port Melbourne at the Cook St on-ramp inbound, and uses the latest, Vehicle to Everything (V2X)-enabled Toyota HiLux model.
The main aim is to improve safety outcomes when merging onto a motorway - which the partners say has one of the highest potentials to cause collisions and traffic congestion.
The Toyota C-ITS technology utilises Transurban’s proprietary traffic system which uses AI camera detection to determine traffic density, location and speed.
This data is then shared with the vehicle's C-ITS systems to notify drivers of any speed discrepancies between the vehicle and the surrounding traffic, as well as the presence of other road users in the vehicle’s blind spot.
“Partnering with Transurban allows Toyota Australia to test exciting new technologies in real-world situations on some of our most frequently travelled roads,” says the OEM's vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley.
“Technologies like the Merge Assist feature being trialled will help in the development of future automated driving capabilities, which will help improve safety outcomes for all, in particular on motorways.”
“We’re always looking at ways to make journeys safer and more reliable for the communities who use our roads,” explains Transurban group executive of operations, Dave Clements.
“This partnership allows us to explore how connected vehicle technologies can complement our existing traffic management systems to reduce crash risk and improve traffic flow.”
