More green time for freight trucks in the Port of Hamburg thanks to Talking Traffic
Talking Traffic is becoming a reality in the Port of Hamburg thanks to the Green4TransPORT project. On the roads leading to and from the busy Kattwyk Bridge, freight trucks are given priority and receive recommended speeds at traffic lights thanks to direct communication between them and the traffic light controllers at the bridge. The advantages are improved traffic flow and reduced emission of exhaust fumes.
Smart transport systems
Green4TransPORT is an innovative pilot project in which the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is deploying smart transport systems to improve the flow of traffic in and around the port. Participating freight trucks on the roads leading to and from the Kattwyk Bridge can automatically signal their arrival to the traffic light controllers on the intersections. The traffic light controllers then issue a recommended speed to the driver of the freight truck through an app. If the driver follows the recommendation, the traffic light will be green when the vehicle arrives at the intersection. An important innovation is that convoys are given priority: if the system observes that several trucks are approaching an intersection in close proximity to each other, the green time of the traffic light will typically be extended to let them pass. All the actions of the system are logged in a cloud system for future evaluation.
Talking Traffic
TNL developed Green4TransPORT for HPA together with technology companies NXP and Siemens and truck manufacturer Scania. The system includes roadside equipment roadside units (RSUs), onboard units (OBUs) in the trucks and a mobile app. The OBUs in the vehicles were built by TNL under the name FlowRadar. The FlowRadars communicate immediately with the RSUs installed in the traffic light controllers at the traffic lights. At the same time, the RSU communicates information about the green and red times to a mobile app, which was also developed by TNL. The app then issues a recommended speed to the driver. Talking Traffic in real life! The first trials with the system in the Port of Hamburg have now concluded.
