Reducing the response times of emergency vehicles in Queensland

To address a growing and ageing population in Queensland and increased demand for emergency services, Transmax and the Queensland Government partnered to develop the successful Emergency Vehicle Priority (EVP) solution. EVP is a dynamic ITS solution that automatically interrupts normal traffic signal operations, providing a green traffic signal to emergency vehicles in advance of their arrival at an intersection. The benefit of this technology is that it helps reduce emergency vehicle travel times whilst enhancing the safety of front-line officers, other road users and the broader community. The technology was trialled on the Gold Coast in Queensland in November 2012. The 20 EVP-enabled emergency response vehicles received more than 650 green traffic signals per week supporting in excess of 120 EVP-assisted incidents a week. Analysis indicated improvements in travel time of up to 20% along major routes with no measurable impact on congestion. A roll-out of the technology to other areas of Queensland commenced in 2014 and trial results have shown similar levels of travel-time improvements. There are 150 planned new EVP-enabled intersections at Bundaberg, Townsville, north-west Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Logan. In the first week of September 2014, EVP-enabled ambulance and fire vehicles received more than 2,500 green traffic lights during more than 600 Priority 1 events.

• Record URL:
  http://acrs.org.au/publications/acrs-conference-papers/acrs-database/
• Authors:
  • Wiltshire, J
• Conference:
  • Australasian Road Safety Conference, 1st, 2015, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
• Publication Date: 2015-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 9p
• Monograph Title: Taking action together: 1st Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC2015), 14-16 October, Gold Coast, Queensland

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Emergency vehicles; Highway traffic control; Reaction time; Right of way (Traffic); Time; Traffic signals; Travel; Travel time
• Uncontrolled Terms: Safe systems (roads)
• Geographic Terms: Australia; Queensland
• ATRI Terms: Emergency vehicle; Priority traffic; Reaction time; Traffic management; Traffic signal; Travel time
• ITRD Terms: 648: Priority (traffic)
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01591458
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 26 2016 9:26AM