NSW to trial solar-powered smart highway

New South Wales has announced it will embark on a pioneering new trial that will see designated regional highways adopt self-adaptive electronic signage capable of machine learning.

Deployed under the NSW Government’s new Smarter Highways program, the new experiment, intended to improve road safety in regional areas, will see new and existing technology rolled out on the state’s road network.

If successful, the NSW trial could be adapted for use on more remote roadways, but will for now focus on five locations along the Great Western and Newell Highways.

As part of the plans, new solar-powered, self-adaptive signage will be used in high-risk areas currently only serviced by portable signs.

Featuring full internet connectivity for real-time remote access, each of the new clever signs can display three warnings.

NSW will also embed new Road Pod Vehicle Magnetometer (VM) traffic counter technology that monitoring vehicle volumes, what’s travelling on the roads, speeds, road temperatures and how close vehicles are travelling to one another.

The clever new tech includes a new rural intersection activated warning system (RIAWS) that automatically alerts and instructs drivers on the highways to slow down when a vehicle is approaching from a side road.

RIAWS is already used in Victoria and has been installed in the Glenelg Highway since 2019.

A specific trial concerning the Victoria Pass will see a set of permanent traffic lights added on the road that cuts through the Blue Mountains at a location famous for breakdowns.

It’s hoped the new traffic lights will not only manage the queues during peak season but also allow safe access to recover stranded vehicles.

Motivating the new trial is the fact that out of the 1302 Australians that lost their lives last year on our roads last year, 340 of them died on NSW roads – the highest of any state or territory.

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