Diving brief:
- The City of Charlotte is piloting a new travel safety app to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in the city’s south end of North Carolina.
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As part of the city’s Vision Zero effort to eliminate road deaths, the TravelSafely app connects users to each other and to an electronic data network of intersections and crosswalks, according to a statement. city press. The pilot will run until November 2023 and the application is free to download.
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The app alerts motorists using the app when a light is about to turn green and if they are driving too fast when approaching a red light or in slow speed zones. It also alerts drivers when cyclists ahead are using the app and when pedestrians using the app are in a crosswalk if it doesn’t look like the motorist is going to stop.
Overview of the dive:
Cities across the United States have launched Vision Zero campaigns aimed at reducing or eliminating road deaths through design and policy. However, despite these efforts, the number of road deaths has increased since the start of the pandemic.
After seeing its population grow rapidly, Charlotte launched its Vision Zero action plan in 2018, aiming to reduce crashes and eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Through this effort, the The city has installed bike lanes and protected bike lanes, reduced speed limits, improved lighting along roads with high injury rates, and the publication of crash data, among other initiatives.
The city’s new travel safety app is the campaign’s latest pilot project. The Charlotte Department of Transportation has partnered with the nonprofit Charlotte Center City Partners to alert residents in the city’s neighborhood about the app and their ability to participate. City staff will evaluate and compare crash data before and after the pilot in conjunction with the local police department.
“We need to work together to improve road safety and this app promotes connectivity with each other and with our environment,” Charlotte City Council member Victoria Watlington said in a statement. “The app is another tool that will help us improve the safety of everyone who uses our roads and I encourage everyone to download the app and use it in the South End pilot project area. “
