Existing roadway traffic data has been widely used to improve traffic mobility and safety. Yet new traffic systems and applications require traffic flow information with more detail and higher accuracy – specifically, multimodal, all-traffic trajectories.

Curtis Vickers, writing in Nevada Today, looked at how University of Nevada, Reno engineering researchers are using lidar sensors to improve traffic efficiency, reduce accidents and facilitate the use of autonomous vehicles. The program integrated Velodyne Ultra Puck™ lidar sensors with traffic signals to detect, count and track pedestrians, cyclists and traffic.  

The article quotes Civil & Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Hao Xu saying:

“The most exciting thing about this research is the data coming from the lidar sensors. New, revolutionary data change the whole transportation system and prepare our roads for the future. The lidar sensors make collecting this data possible.”

University researchers see that lidar can provide civil engineers, transportation agencies and smart vehicle developers the information necessary to make safer choices in the design and use of roadways.

To read the Nevada Today article, please go to: New roadside lidar sensors help build a safer transportation infrastructure.