Australian city centres are becoming more and more busy giving us a need to make our existing infrastructure work harder, by making it smarter.
WSP are working with Lexus, the Department of Transport Victoria, the Department of Transport and Main Roads Queensland (TMR) and Melbourne University to create safer, efficient and more sustainable transport solutions. Capturing data, trialing cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) and creating readiness for this technology is allowing industry, government and the community become ready for the future of our road networks.
As part of this national approach to C-ITS, WSP will be bringing our expertise developed working as part of TMR’s Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) to the Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES) in Victoria.
Collaboration between road authorities will be necessary for deployment of C-ITS around Australia, this trial will investigate this aspect with the cooperation and support of the Queensland and Victorian State Governments.
Rebecca Davis, Director of Advisory, Engagement and Digital at WSP, says, “WSP are proud to be part of this project, connecting vehicles using the latest digital technologies is a wonderful way to make our transport network more considerate of place, fuel efficient and much safer for all road users.”
Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES):
WSP is one of the five foundation members of AIMES helping to trial the transport technologies with a goal to deliver safer, cleaner and more sustainable urban transport outcomes.
AIMES is the worlds first outdoor living laboratory based on the streets of Melbourne, established in 2016 to test highly integrated transport technology. It looks at connectivity and automation by linking all transport infrastructure and users using smart sensors in a connected eco-system based in an inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton. The focus is the movement of people, partially the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, safely and efficiently through the transport network.
Scott Benjamin, Technical Director at WSP and Chair of the AIMES Technical Committee Chair says, “AIMES has been on a five-year journey, delivering multimodal technology solutions in a highly collaborative manner. This new trial will help test our readiness and collaboration nationally as state agencies move into deployment of Cooperative intelligent transport systems”.
Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI)
WSP has been working closely with the Department of Transport and Main Roads since 2017 on the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot as part of CAVI. The Ipswich connected Vehicle Pilot is Australia’s largest on-road trial of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems technologies with the involvement of around 300 participants over a 12-month period.
WSP has worked with a number of suppliers to contribute professional and technical expertise and equipment to the delivery of the pilot, helping to create a safer and more efficient road network.
The pilot will validate the impacts and benefits of Cooperative Intelligent Transport System use cases, demonstrate evolving technologies to the public, grow TMR’s technical and organisational readiness and encourage partnerships.
This connection between AIMES and CAVI offers a platform for government, industry and academia to work collaboratively to gather key learnings across states and get the right outcomes for our transport networks and its end users. WSP are excited to be a part of this work going forward.
ABOUT WSP
WSP is one of the world’s leading engineering professional services consulting firms. We are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower. We are technical experts and strategic advisors including engineers, technicians, scientists, planners, surveyors, environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. We design lasting solutions in the Property & Buildings, Transportation & Infrastructure, Environment, Power & Resources and Water sectors, as well as offering strategic advisory services. With approximately 47,000 talented people globally, we engineer projects that will help societies grow for lifetimes to come. www.wsp.com/en-AU
