A new watchdog has been created to keep a close eye on major intersections in the Salt Lake Valley region.
It's called “LIDAR,” short for Light Detection and Ranging. The technology uses eye-safe laser light to measure the distance and movement of cars, pedestrians and cyclists, and explores ways to make intersections safer and more efficient for everyone.
Currently, only two intersections are fully operational for riders: 5900 South and State Street in Murray, and 2100 South and Redwood Road in Salt Lake City, near the Glendale Golf Course, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
But there are plans for expansion: The next intersections to go fully operational with the technology will be at the 700 East and 1300 South in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park neighborhood, and at the 300 West and 600 North in the Marmalade neighborhood.
What exactly does LIDAR do?
The technology works similarly to echolocation, which allows bats to detect sounds around them.
The laser beam targets and recognizes what is happening at the intersection and recreates it in 3D, allowing you to investigate the 3D view to see how and where near-misses are occurring, if the green light time is too short, if the pedestrian crossing time needs to be increased, and more.
Utah currently has three other methods for monitoring traffic signals that fall short of LIDAR, according to Mark Taylor, a traffic signal operations engineer for UDOT: induction loops, video and radar.
Induction loops, which are highly accurate but have difficulty detecting cyclists and pedestrians, work by installing wire systems on the sidewalk at intersections to detect vehicles, Taylor said.
Video surveillance detects vehicles by detecting changes in pixels in an image, but this method falls short when shadows or weather conditions such as heavy rain obscure the camera.
In Utah, radar is the most common method for detecting vehicles, Taylor said, but lidar is more accurate, able to detect vehicles 99.8 percent of the time.
UDOT says the technology has also recently come down in price: For example, a LIDAR installation now costs about $30,000 to $40,000, compared with $25,000 to $40,000 for traditional monitoring methods.
“There's a lot of things we can do with this technology that other companies can't do,” Taylor said, adding that it's cost-effective.
How can LIDAR make roads safer?
One of the companies partnering with UDOT on the project is Blue-Band, which is using its Integrator-AI software to collect and analyze LIDAR data, which it predicts will help significantly reduce traffic accidents.
“Whether it's wrong-way driving or running red lights, we're actually providing the means to address these issues in real time,” said BlueBand CEO Kevin York.
UDOT spokesman John Gleason said that type of analysis and precision allows the transportation agency to “take the guesswork out” of how to make roads safer.
He noted that riders also help prioritize buses and snowplows at intersections, allowing buses to run on schedule and snowplows to clear roads more quickly.
The lidar technology currently installed is operated by different companies: the Murray intersection is operated by Seoul Robotics, and the Redwood Road intersection system is operated by Auster.
Taylor said UDOT is currently testing multiple brands in order to “be as fiscally responsible as possible to Utah taxpayers.”
“Competition leads to cost competitiveness, innovation and better customer service,” Taylor said.
Gabriel Cho, Seoul Robotics' director of business development, told the Korean-language edition of the Salt Lake Tribune that he hopes the project with UDOT, the company's first in the US, will “grow from a proof-of-concept into a large-scale, diversified deployment effort.”
What's next?
UDOT is also testing how LIDAR works in conjunction with connected vehicle technology at two intersections in Provo, including 500 West and 940 North near Utah Valley Hospital.
The idea is that lidar technology could communicate with vehicles to better understand pedestrian and cyclist interactions and risks. UDOT is working with Panasonic to develop the technology.
“The more vehicles and roads can communicate, the safer we'll all be,” said Blaine Leonard, a transportation engineer with UDOT.
Taylor said such progress will bring UDOT closer to its goal of “zero fatalities” on the roads.
“I believe this is the future,” he said.
