The new SmartTravel app, available on iTunes and at online Andorid app stores, is helping to make Edmonton streets safer. The app was jointly designed by the City of Edmonton and the UAlberta Centre for Smart Transportation.
Recognizing that most drivers now carry a smart phone, the City of Edmonton Office of Traffic Safety and the Centre for Smart Transportation worked together to create SmartTravel, a traffic safety mobile application using smart phone technology.
Released to the public free through the iTunes app store or Android app centres Sept. 12, The SmartTravel app provides drivers with a variety of voice alerts designed to increase awareness and safety. For instance, when approaching a school zone, users will hear the voice of a little girl advising the driver to slow down.
Other message types use adult male and female voices to advise motorists of changes in speed limit and will alert them when they are entering high-risk collision locations. The voice variation assists with engaging and maintaining the attention of the driver.
The SmartTravel app is able to run in the background and complies with Alberta's distracted driving legislation. When not driving, users can browse the app and review maps of high-collision locations, school zones and speed limits, as well as review traffic safety-related information sent through SmartTravel's push notifications system.
Users are also invited to participate, anonymously, in a data collection project that gathers information on speed, rates of acceleration in order to conduct statistical analysis of driving patters. The data, which cannot be connected to individual drivers, will help traffic safety planners understand driving habits and enhance the effectiveness of the app and, potentially, other infrastructure features such as signage.
Push information includes real-time traffic disruptions and reminders of seasonal events (such as school season start, adverse weather, etc.).
The app was also showcased earlier this year at the International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety, where it won recognition for innovative technology.