On the inside of the vehicle, information that the traffic signal sent to the car is presented. | Photo: Kristina Jensen
Traffic signals can now communicate with cars, as demonstrated in the NordicWay 3 project, a collaboration of several partners, including the Urban Environment Administration of the City of Gothenburg, Volvo Cars, Traffic Technology Services Europe and The Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The project aims to increase safety and efficiency in the road transport system by developing IT-based tools and business models to enable secure data sharing between vehicles, the infrastructure and authorities. The NordicWay project has been ongoing since 2015 and is now in the test phase as NordicWay 3. It is set to conclude at the end of 2023.
Johan Lindqvist, system developer at Infracontrol, has been part of the project on behalf of the Urban Environment Administration of the City of Gothenburg since 2021 and shares his insights:
– It has been a fun and different project to work on. We have contributed to the development with our expertise in traffic signal communication. Traffic signal information will be sent to cars and presented to the driver. If drivers have access to signal information in time, they can plan their routes in advance, creating better city traffic flow.
A collaborative project for future traffic
The NordicWay 3 project is a collaboration between industry, business, academia, road managers and cities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. One of the involved parties is Traffic Technology Services Europe, which can forecast how traffic signals change over time with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
– We observe the traffic signals to know if they show green, yellow or red. This information is then forwarded to Traffic Technology Services Europe, which predicts how the signals will change in the coming minutes. That information is then sent to the cars, which present it to the driver, explains Johan.
NordicWay increases road safety
NordicWay 3 is a direct result of an EU directive that requires the EU countries to enable communication between traffic signals and cars by 2025. This directive marks an important milestone in developing traffic management technology and opens the door to new opportunities to optimize traffic flow and make our roads safer. The project is partly financed by the EU and is a collaborative project between the four Nordic countries. The current phase of the project, where testing of the technology is underway, should result in services that are soon ready to implement.
At a time when technology continues to change the way we move and communicate, the NordicWay 3 project shows how traffic signals and cars can work together to create a smoother and more efficient transport infrastructure. At Infracontrol, we are pleased to contribute our expertise in traffic signal communication to instill successful communication between traffic signals and cars, which leads to a brighter future for managing the increasing traffic and improving road safety in our cities.
Johan Lindqvist, system developer at Infracontrol, has been part of the project NordicWay 3 since 2021. | Photo: Johan Lindqvist
