Connected Dublin Technology Improves Safety in School Zones

The City of Dublin is using smart mobility technology to watch for pedestrians using the crosswalk, jaywalkers and people doing u-turns near school zones. This Connected Dublin initiative is part of a partnership between the City and DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier.

Dublin parents can send their kids to school each day with even more confidence they will get there safely this year. The City of Dublin has teamed up with global partners to roll out new technology in The Beta District to ensure children walking, biking or driving to and from school are better protected. It is part of the City’s Connected Dublin initiatives to leverage technology to improve lives, drives, safety and experiences.

“Safety is our number one priority, and we want to make sure that our kids, who are traveling to and from Dublin Coffman High School and Emerald Campus are in the safest position possible,” says Jeannie Willis, City of Dublin Deputy Director of Mobility and local mom. “I’m a mom too and I want to make sure that my kids along with every child possible gets to and from school safely every day.”

Willis is among leaders in the City of Dublin and The Beta District investing in cutting-edge safety technology. The City of Dublin is using smart mobility technology in the form of wireless devices, cloud computing and a network of sensors, cameras and data, near Dublin Coffman High School and the Emerald Campus to watch for pedestrians using the crosswalk, jaywalkers and people doing U-turns near school zones.

"This is not technology used to ticket people. It is used to collect data so we can make decisions and upgrades that will match, correct and make sense with the type of things happening on our streets," says Willis. She added this is the type of research and development that is putting Dublin and its partners in The Beta District on the global stage.

The Beta District is the newly named high-tech region that stretches northwest along US 33 from Columbus through Franklin, Union and Logan counties. It is overseen by the Northwest 33 Council of Governments, which includes Dublin, Marysville, Union County and the Marysville-Union County Port Authority. The Beta District offers an ecosystem of smart infrastructure and living labs where leaders in all industry sectors can tap into resources and collaborate on groundbreaking projects.

Dublin’s Smart Mobility Ecosystem is a partnership with DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier, DERQ and NoTraffic. Dublin uses the DERQ dashboard to gain safety insights at key intersections near two schools with student drivers. The NoTraffic dashboard provides a deeper understanding of traffic and signal operations in Dublin.

DENSO and Dublin announced the project in 2019. It is ongoing but has already produced several key takeaways:

•  Data collected and analyzed in this project have strengthened DENSO's advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and safety technologies. It's proven that these solutions, ranging from cameras to radar to predictive technology like AI, are key to increasing safety for all road users. 
• Serving as a living lab, Dublin is an example of how V2X technologies and the real-time data they produce can positively impact communities. With this data, Dublin has been able to better understand traffic flows, pedestrian movements and driving behavior locally. As a result, they now have more and higher quality information that can help them make their road planning and infrastructure as efficient and safe as possible.
• Collaborations like this will play important roles in advancing ADAS and V2X technologies and help further protect everyone on and around roadways, whether in urban, suburban or rural areas.

Real-world research leads to real results in The Beta District. Red tape and roadblocks are replaced with partnership, green lights, and possibility. To learn more about The Beta District or discuss beta testing your technology, contact the Beta District team.