Title: Making intersections safer with I2V communication,
Abstract: Intersections are hazardous places. Threats arise from interactions among
pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles, more complicated vehicle trajectories in
the absence of lane markings, phases that prevent determining who has the right
of way, invisible vehicle approaches, vehicle obstructions, and illegal
movements. These challenges are not fully addressed by the "road diet" and road
redesign prescribed in Vision Zero plans, nor will they be completely overcome
by autonomous vehicles with their many sensors and tireless attention to
surroundings. Accidents can also occur because drivers, cyclists and
pedestrians do not have the information they need to avoid wrong decisions. In
these cases, the missing information can be computed and broadcast by an
intelligent intersection. The information gives the current full signal phase,
an estimate of the time when the phase will change, and the occupancy of the
blind spots of the driver or autonomous vehicle. The paper develops a design of
the intelligent intersection, motivated by the analysis of an accident at an
intersection in Tempe, AZ, between an automated Uber Volvo and a manual Honda
CRV and culminates in a proposal for an intelligent intersection
infrastructure. The intelligent intersection also serves as a software-enabled
version of the `protected intersection' design to improve the passage of
cyclists and pedestrians through an intersection.