| The Mode Warrior
| Technology Profile
by Greg Winfree
DSRC’s first, best mission
is traffic safety
“Waiting for 5G to
catch up to DSRC risks
delaying deployment of
intelligent transportation”
January/February 2020 Traffic Technology International 065
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
DSRC’s primary mission
is traffic safety. In a traffic
safety facts research note
towards the latter end of last year, the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration reported that 36,560
people died in motor vehicle crashes
on US roadways in 2018. Connected
and connected-automated vehicles
(CAVs) promise to significantly reduce
that number by enhancing situational
awareness and improving the traffic safety
equation. Computers don’t get sleepy or
distracted, and they don’t drive impaired.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Read
a book. Watch a movie.
But to operate safely, CAVs – remember
the “C” stands for connected – must
exchange data seamlessly, securely and
reliably with one another and the connected
roadside. In 1999, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
allocated the dedicated short range
communication (DSRC) 5.9GHz band for
transmitting intelligent transportation
signals. DSRC can transmit a safety
message 20 to 30 times in the time it takes
a human driver to react. Toyota and Lexus
were so convinced that DSRC was the right
answer to connected communication, they
committed to include systems using a radio
frequency specifically reserved for that
purpose on cars by 2021. Due to uncertainty
created by government inaction, which is
further delaying implementation, Toyota
recently shelved that decision.
Today, some wireless companies argue
we should use emerging 5G technology for
CAV transmissions. The problem? DSRC is
proven, and currently the only technology
capable of supporting CAV safety
applications. Waiting for 5G to catch up
to DSRC risks delaying deployment of
intelligent transportation technology—
virtually ensuring tens of thousands
more traffic deaths in the meantime.
The FCC recently announced that it’s
reconsidering the decision to reserve the
5.9 GHz DSRC band for CAV data exchange.
The entertainment industry—nearly
synonymous these days with wireless
providers—wants to share that DSRC
frequency to stream movies, games,
and television programs. But, frequency
spectrum, like shelf space in your closet,
is limited; in both cases, it’s easy for clutter
to create chaos.
A Rand Corporation study in 2018
estimated that opening up DSRC to wi-fi
use would add between US$60-106 billion
annually to the US gross domestic product.
But compare that to the $800 billion costs
associated with traffic crashes in the
United States every year. Moral arguments
aside, does selling safety to the highest
bidder even make good financial sense?
Preserving the 5.9 GHz DSRC band
for traffic safety applications will
keep the ‘noise’ of streaming
entertainment, like movies, from
competing for bandwidth – and,
potentially, contributing to traffic deaths.
You will be able to travel safely and
peacefully while the car drives for you.
It is annoying when you are watching
a movie at home and the connection
fails due to too many demands over wi-fi.
Imagine, however, the cost of failing to
preserve the bandwidth protecting your
family in the car.
Gregory D Winfree is director of the
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
21-24 APR 2020 AMSTERDAM
MIOVISION Stand: 11.210
illustrated the need to improve
congestion in the area.
Conclusions
The information gathered in all
locations featured in the study,
including travel time data,
ultimately helped the team
conclude that a single traffic
signal was the cause of all the
backup traffic along the
corridor. Further, the data
showed that the city’s assumed
shift in traffic to parallel routes
only occurred for a few hours,
or not at all, disproving the
theory put forward before
the study. The analysis of the
crossing pedestrians confirmed
the safety concern relating to
the conflicts between vehicles
and pedestrians.
Recommendations
Modus Consult was able to make
data-backed recommendations
following the in-depth traffic
study, thanks to data collected
with Miovision Scout. These
suggestions included a plan to
control ingress and egress into
the city via the traffic signals
located outside the city, and to
reduce the speed limit to a level
which maintained free flowing
traffic. Alternate considerations
included the complete removal
or retiming of the signal in
question, to minimise
congestion, or to reroute traffic
via new build streets. The team
at Modus Consult presented
their findings to the town
and are awaiting a decision
on how to implement the
recommendations.
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