City Of Arlington Continues Advancing Vehicle-to-Infrastructure , Connected Vehicle Technologies
Arlington Residents Invited to Name New RAPID Self-Driving Shuttle
A data sharing agreement with Traffic Technology Services , Inc . ( TTS ) is the latest example of how the City of Arlington is collaborating with private companies to Enhance Regional Mobility through vehicle-to-infrastructure and connected vehicle technologies .
As part of this collaboration , TTS provides real-time information from the City ’ s 360 traffic signals directly to automotive original equipment manufacturers and app developers to help drivers adjust their speed for optimal travel time , safety , and fuel economy . This information service allows applications to inform the driver of recommended reduced speed to avoid
stopping at the intersection ahead , or how many seconds remain until a red light will turn green .
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“ Arlington joins six other cities in the greater Dallas metro supporting our services for connected vehicles .
— KIEL OVA , TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY SERVICES , INC .
“ Arlington joins six other cities in the greater Dallas metro supporting our services for connected vehicles . While this is still an emerging technology , we have been providing this service since 2016 supporting thousands of drivers in the region . The potential benefits of not stopping at red lights equates to thousands of gallons of fuel saved ,” said Kiel Ova with TTS .
The City of Arlington will be able to gather reports about signal operations and anonymized driver experiences , such as arrivals on red . These reports can then be utilized to address timing or other issues at trouble intersections which can benefit all drivers . The TTS system is free to the City . The innovative project was recognized nationally as a 2020 Smart 50 Awards winner .
The future of automobile technology is set to arrive in Arlington this March , with the arrival of a fleet of autonomous vehicles . The City and May Mobility , the autonomous vehicle provider , asked the public for help in naming one of the new self-driving shuttles .
Everyone was welcome to submit ideas from Feb . 10 - 17 , 2021 . Eligible submissions were required to begin with the letter M and could not be longer than 20 characters , including spaces . The other shuttles in Arlington ’ s fleet will be named Mojo , Molly , Morocca , and McHale .
Community members can vote on one of the three top name choices from Feb . 23-March 3 , 2021 to select a winner . The person who submits the winning name will receive a special preview of the self-driving technology . The name will also be displayed inside the shuttle . The winning name will be announced March 23 , 2021 .
The RAPID program is a partnership among the City , Via Rideshare , May Mobility , and the University of Texas at Arlington .
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