The Columbus Dispatch
By Bill Bush
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The city of Columbus is looking for 1,300 people willing to rig out their cars and trucks with connected technology that allows vehicles to communicate with each other and traffic signals under a program approved Monday by the City Council.
If you’re selected to participate in the test of the new technology, you’ll receive a series of five gift cards totaling $300 to encourage you not to drop out of the study.
During the Connected Vehicle Environment research program, on-board devices will be installed on public and private vehicles so they receive in-vehicle alerts, including blind-spot detection and rear-end collision warnings. The on-board units also allow vehicles to communicate with traffic signals and other roadway infrastructure to provide alerts, including red-light violation warnings.
The alerts will warn drivers of potential hazards or safety concerns so they can slow down or take other precautionary measures, according to the $429,000 ordinance approved Monday that includes $390,000 for the gift cards.
In 2016, Columbus bested six other finalists in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City competition to receive $50 million in grants from the federal government and Vulcan Inc. to develop the city into the nation’s proving ground for intelligent transportation systems.”
The pilot research program seeks to test how vehicles can communicate with 77 new wired traffic signals along stretches of Cleveland Avenue, High Street and Morse Road -- areas that have some of the highest collision rates in the city.
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