Broad social acceptance of new forms of mobility is crucial for a successful mobility transition. The needs of numerous user groups must be taken into account when developing and implementing these forms of mobility in order to make public space accessible to society as a whole. With the advancing automation of transportation, it is therefore of central importance to put people at the heart of developments and to take into account the different mobility needs of vulnerable road users. The Test intersection for urban automated and connected traffic will provide a safe testing ground for automated forms of mobility in interaction with vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians and wheelchair users.
Following the start of construction work on the test intersection this year, it is expected to be completed by the end of the year. In the meantime, stationary LiDAR systems, which will also be used at the test intersection and allow data protection-compliant recording of all road users, as well as traffic technology components that enable the networking of all road users, have been installed and tested at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences' technology campus. In addition, work on the Chair of Traffic Engineering's research vehicle, an automated rickshaw, was driven forward.
Once the test junction has been completed, tests will be carried out on various use cases, which will cover the following topics:
- The interaction between automated and connected vehicles and vulnerable road users.
- Networking and communication between different road users and the transport infrastructure.
- Development of certification concepts for automated forms of mobility.