Skip to main content

Ireland to deploy ITS technology to save lives

In the wake of the European Parliament’s approval of the mandatory installation of automatic emergency phones in all cars and vans by 2015, the Irish Times says Ireland’s National Roads Authority (NRA) is to deploy a range of intelligent transport systems to improve travel times, warn drivers of weather, dangers and delays ahead and automatically notify emergency services in the event of crashes or even the potential for crashes. The NRA has developed a motorway traffic control centre, based at the Dubli
March 18, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
In the wake of the European Parliament’s approval of the mandatory installation of automatic emergency phones in all cars and vans by 2015, the Irish Times says Ireland’s National Roads Authority (NRA) is to deploy a range of intelligent transport systems to improve travel times, warn drivers of weather, dangers and delays ahead and automatically notify emergency services in the event of crashes or even the potential for crashes.

The NRA has developed a motorway traffic control centre, based at the Dublin Port Tunnel offices, to monitor more than 65 million journeys a year made on the motorway network.  Managed by port tunnel operator 7319 Egis, the control centre will supply information to the NRA phone app which gives motorists route information including about weather, travel time, crashes, road conditions and potential diversions. The app also links to CCTV cameras based on the main inter-urban routes.

The NRA plans to test Bluetooth-enabled traffic monitoring, where Bluetooth devices in passing vehicles automatically provide data to roadside sensors, feeding into the control centre’s information on travel times.

The control centre is also developing systems that can detect the speeds of slowing traffic slowing and interpret whether this is caused by increasing traffic volume, or the possibility of a crash. The systems will also detect and warn operators of wrong-way drivers and cycles or pedestrians on a motorway.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Real time GPS tracking on school buses drives efficiencies
    January 25, 2012
    Application of real time GPS tracking to school buses is driving operational efficiencies and allowing parents to follow their childern's movements, report Jason Barnes
  • Keeping cities moving: five ways to manage traffic better with smart video
    May 3, 2022
    Excessive traffic is a growing issue on road networks around the world, and reliance on private vehicles is still increasing. The good news for authorities is that the latest smart video technologies can help to keep traffic flowing – cutting journey times, increasing road safety, and helping to reduce vehicle emissions, says Juan Sádaba, ITS Business Development Manager at Hikvision Spain
  • Reducing transport energy use with real time travel information
    January 23, 2012
    The In-Time project is looking at the effect that multi-modal real-time traveller information services can have of reducing transport's energy consumption levels. By Martin Böhm, AustriaTech GmbH. Around the world, significant research and development effort is currently directed towards reducing energy consumption by addressing those areas where the biggest savings can be expected. European studies have shown that the transport sector has the potential to reduce its energy consumption by up to 26 per cent
  • Commsignia stops AVs behaving badly
    May 16, 2022
    Cybersecurity concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles create uncertainty but Commsignia has set out to win trust by combating ‘misbehaviour’ attacks, finds Ben Spencer