Readers Response Draft 1

According to Cox (2018), smart roads are made of sensors that monitor the deterioration of the roads and they act as a touchpad for vehicles. These sensors are connected to the web to warn car drivers of traffic congestion and request assistance immediately in the event of accidents. About 80 miles southwest of Denver, the smart pavement was implemented and tested for five years. Cox (2018) said, that the Wi-Fi connectors and pressure sensors are implanted in the smart pavement through fiber-optic wires which then cover the existing road surface.

However, in this article, there are some concerns raised regarding the reliability of the optic cables that run under the concrete road and the cost that will be incurred if done on large scale. But the CEO of Integrated Roadways said, selling information on the traffic could assist to reduce the greater cost and thus enable the road industry to bargain on new road technologies. The article said that smart pavements could be the future of road technologies as it has many benefits that integrate the user experience while driving on the road. This benefit includes enhancing the safety of the motorist, helps to send out traffic alerts and helps to monitor the condition of the road.

 This smart pavement enhances the safety of the motorist on road. As smart pavement uses IoT traffic-monitoring solutions to detect automobiles, pedestrians, and bicyclists, enabling a safer environment on the road for the users. Smart devices can immediately notify first responders in the case of a collision or crime on the road. According to Aguilar (2018), there was news about a Colorado woman who abruptly drifted off the road and went downhill, was only found after five days with broken ribs and crushed legs. Her help came after five days if the smart pavement was in use. She would have gotten immediate responses and medical care just a few minutes after the crash. Thus, in this sense, smart pavements can save a life.

Secondly, the smart pavement is a system that provides a range of authentic services, such as sending out traffic alerts which help to decrease traffic congestions. According to Inrix (2020), Traffic jams cost an average US citizen 99 hours of their time and USD 1,377 per year. When there are fewer or no cars approaching, smart road technology can monitor and adjust traffic lights, reducing bumper-to-bumper traffic. This could save motorists 9.4 hours per year.

 Thirdly, cities can continuously make improvements in road maintenance as the smart pavement collects data and send them to the cloud to be analyzed over time. As we know, roads do corrode away in time, thus having a good system to monitor the condition of the road over the years can be a big deal. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, if road cracks are treated effectively enough, the government can pay less which is around USD 62.50/lane/km/year, compared to USD 1,000/lane/km/year.

 In conclusion, Smart roads will result in greater automated systems, enhanced safety of the public, less road congestion, fewer accidents and deaths, and thus an overall improvement in the quality of life for the people. Roads will be viewed as an 'intelligent grid' rather than a static infrastructure. As smart roads become a reality, more research and development efforts in the areas of personal, mobile, and cloud services which include human intelligence will be required to help people reap the full benefits of the future smart road. ICT and transportation will be more intertwined and embedded in the future.

 

 

References

Advances in smart roads for future smart cities. (2021). Retrieved 8 October 2021, from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2019.0439.

Aguilar, J. (2018, May 30). "Data is the new asphalt": High-tech Colorado Road Test to be first of its kind in the U.S., may improve traffic and save lives. The Denver Post. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.denverpost.com/2018/05/30/us-285-smart-pavement-technology/.

Cox, D. (2018, June 26). Smart road technology could turn highways into crash-sensing “touchpads.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/can-smart-roads-save-lives-new-test-may-provide-answer-ncna885816

 Roadways are key to a thriving economy and critical to our future. Today, cities are facing pressures to respond to urbanization. (n.d.). The Future of Smart Road Infrastructure. Intel. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.intel.sg/content/www/xa/en/transportation/smart-road-infrastructure.html.