Summary Reader Response Draft 3

 According to Cox (2018), in the article “Smart road technology could turn highways into crash-sensing “touchpad”, 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. In my opinion, smart pavement could be the future of road technologies as it has many benefits that integrate the user experience while driving.

 The first benefit is that smart pavement enhances the safety of the motorist. 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 an immediate response and medical care just a few minutes after the crash. Thus, in this sense, smart pavements can save lives.

 Secondly, smart pavement is a system that provides a range of authentic services, such as sending out traffic alerts which help to decrease traffic congestions. Inrix (2020), mentions that 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. Minnesota Department of Transportation said, 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.

 However, there is a drawback. The cost incurred to build and maintain these smart pavements is high. As said by Integrated Roadways, the smart pavement will cost roughly $4 million per lane per 1.6km or roughly twice as much as regular roads. So implementing this smart road on a large scale would need a major investment.

 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. The drawback could be a stepping stone if it’s overcome. 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

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. https://www.denverpost.com/2018/05/30/us-285-smart-pavement-technology/

Baldwin, J. (2018, August 21). Smart Roads: Highways of the Future. GrabCad. https://blog.grabcad.com/blog/2018/08/21/smart-roads-intuitive-highways-that-will-make-us-safer/

 

Chai, K. (2020, January 29). Advances in smart roads for future smart cities. Journals Royal

Society. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2019.0439

Cox, D. (2018, June 25). 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

Smart Roads Start with Smart Infrastructure. (n.d.). Intel. https://www.intel.sg/content/www/xa/en/transportation/smart-road-infrastructure.html