It’s a nightmare scenario.
A wrong-way driver touches off a chaotic chain of events, as oncoming traffic scurries out of the way, using shoulders and exits to evade the wayward motorist.
But, in Florida, this nightmare has been somewhat mitigated by technology that warns motorists of a “WRONG WAY DRIVER REPORTED – USE CAUTION.”
For the last 10 years, Central Florida Expressway Authority has been researching and implementing ways to improve the safety of driving on the busy highways of Orlando.
“We continuously use new means and methods to better detect vehicles entering the system the wrong way,” said Racquel Asa, “It’s a combination of both infrastructure improvements and technology improvements.”
The result? More than 2,400 wrong-way driver detections and alerts with 88 percent of those turned around.
Asa made the remarks during a summit hosted by Plug and Play Smart Cities last month, during which its latest batch of startups met the community.
The invite to local tech leaders has become a staple of the group’s summits.
Central Florida: Where Innovation Becomes the Standard
For Asa, it was a way to highlight her agency’s leadership.
“Innovation is deeply rooted in what we do as a region,” she said. “We don’t just adopt innovation. We strive to make it the standard in everything we do, every day.”
That’s a commitment that aligns well with Central Florida.
The area has a unique convergence of engineering, creativity and technology fostered by a strong public-private partnership and a collaborative community.
Orlando was one of the first to implement intelligent transportation systems that networks all traffic signals.
In addition, smart parking options exist downtown.
“We embrace innovation day in and day out,” Asa said. “We foster it, we implement it, and continuously evolve it over time, whether it’s how we build our infrastructure or utilize intelligent transportation systems to help meet the growth of our region.”
The Authority is an independent agency of Florida, covering five counties and 125 miles of expressway.
Despite the challenges of leading the way in technology, Asa said the obstacles to building a forward-looking transportation system has become increasingly rewarding.
“When you think about innovation, it’s a topic that is truly near and dear to my heart,” she said.