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The Challenge 2.1: Making roadworks safer for workers and other road users.
Waka Kotahi have announced their funding recipients in the second round of the Waka Kotahi innovation fund Hoe ki angitū. The fund aims to support the development and acceleration of innovative solutions that solve some of our biggest transport challenges.
Traffic Safe NZ in partnership with Alamance, are very excited to be one of the 15 approved applications. As a traffic management company whose priority is keeping everyone on the road corridor safe, our focus fitted perfectly with one of the key challenges of this round: improving the safety of roadworks for workers and road users.
“Traffic Safe NZ are proud to be involved with our partners in embracing and developing leading safety solutions for the TTM industry. Continuing to focus on improving safety outcomes is incredibly important to us and all of our stakeholders” according to Karl Hitchcock, Traffic Safe NZ Director involved with the project.
Our project focuses on improving safety and efficiency for different transport users in the same space by developing AI-based visual technology to proactively detect and address near misses and dangerous behaviours across the worksite.
The innovative Alert System along with the AI component is a huge step forward from Dashboard cameras. A 130 degree increase in field of view visibility in all weather conditions, coupled with IoT-enabled devices can alert traffic management crews in real time to road artifacts and potential risks, while also building an event database.
Waka Kotahi expects the Hoe ki angitū funded projects have the potential to make a positive and significant impact on New Zealand's environment and communities, leading to safer, greener, and more efficient transportation.
According to Manoj Dolli, Alamance co-founder, “the potential for NZ industry to initiate thought leadership for road worker safety and economic activity on a global-use case is immeasurable.“
ALERT SYSTEM BENEFITS
SAFER Site crews
- Increased operational site visibility.
- Operational site’s parameters identified to create the opportunity for Site Alerts.
- Specific characteristics identified for Alerts, such as TTM crew, public pedestrians, motorists, equipment, and work site boundary.
SAFER Public
- Alerts allow early intervention to stop risks and harm before damage and incidents occur, making access safer for contractors and public as they transition through the live lane.
- Timely problem resolution in case of unforeseen threats.
- The Alert System will reduce risk and incident occurrence through benchmark learning, enabling delay reduction from work stoppages caused by incidents and investigations.
SMARTER
- From an Audit perspective, the Operational Site audits become continuous.
- Alerts create re-education and resets as Alerts are only triggered for the exception.
- We can benchmark off the alerts.
- Increase to 130° visibility.
- The mobile and cloud-based ubiquitous technology in this innovation provides a resilient and secure way to predict road worker safety metrics which leads to timely problem resolution in the case of unforeseen threats.
WHO BENEFITS
- Traffic management Site crews
- Contractors, subcontractors, and all road users including motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
- TTM industry –improved safety, innovation, and benchmarking opportunities.
