Viktor Musil
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Transportation Department has secured a $1.4 million grant to implement a pedestrian detection system in downtown Las Vegas. This project, part of the city’s Vision Zero Program, aims to enhance pedestrian safety through the installation of sensors and intelligent traffic signal communication.
These grants underscore the pivotal role of federal funding in driving transformative transportation projects and fostering safer, more sustainable communities.
US Department of Transportation Grants Drive Transit Innovation and Zero-Emission Vehicles for Pedestrian Safety
Combined, the cities received nearly $1.5 million in grants through a U. S. Department of Transportation program. They will use it to maintain and plan the expansion of zero-emission vehicles and increase safety for pedestrians.
US Department of Transportation Grants Drive Transit Innovation with Autonomous Shuttles for Enhanced Pedestrian Safety
The DOT announced on March 14 that the program funded 34 technology demonstration projects totaling more than$ 50 million. Seven of the awarded projects are related to connected and intelligent vehicles, and eight are” transit innovation,” with the deployment of sensors in one of them.
The training in Shreveport will be developed to serve no just e-buses, but little, energy automatic shuttles.
“We have been, for many years now, engaged in deploying intelligent technology”, said SporTran CEO Dinero Washington, explaining its plan to introduce shuttles in the city’s downtown and riverboat casino entertainment districts.
“The autonomous vehicles are going to serve our downtown corridors, and even our casino district”, Washington said in an interview last month. “And so we’re going to be looking at upgrades that’s needed within those districts, looking at the routes, the lighting equipment, striping on the streets, whatever we might need to actually make this AV work and function in those areas”.
Transforming Transit: AVs and Tech Improvements Propel Shreveport’s SporTran Towards Enhanced Efficiency and Workforce Development
Today, buses traveling there routes serve stops about every 20 minutes. Through the use of AVs and other tech improvements to make the routes more successful, Washington aims to reduce these times to 12 to 13 minutes. The grant will help with the development of workforce training in collaboration with a nearby community college, as well as the analysis of the deployment of AVs.
Washington said,” We’ll study the area and the workforce development that are necessary to make sure that we are safe and effective when we roll out that new technology in Shreveport.”
Since the nine energy buses used by SporTran are still fairly new, the manufacturer has done a lot of the servicing, but the agency will need to do a lot of this work over time.
Washington said, “We put up a complete course study that we will put each of our technicians through. We’re really trying to be more strategic, than reactive, with this new technology”. The training will concentrate a lot on how to use the charging infrastructure. A distinct grant was given to SporTran to build an EV bus depot and maintain a maintenance facility.
Enhancing Pedestrian Safety: Las Vegas Receives Grant for SMART Program to Install Sensors in Downtown
The SMART program, which will enable the Las Vegas Transportation Department to install sensors at 17 locations in downtown as part of a pedestrian detection system, earned a $1.4 million grant from the Las Vegas Transportation Department, which will help make the Fremont Street Experience safer.
In plain English, the technology operates is that cameras will be installed that can “talk” to the traffic signals to make crossing the street safer, according to Jace Radke, the Las Vegas director of public and media relations, in an email. The city’s Vision Zero Program, which sets objectives for improving roadway safety throughout the neighborhood, is a part of the pilot program.
The city of Las Vegas is appreciative of these national grant funds, according to Joey Paskey, the city’s director of public works for a statement.
