Salzburg Research is testing a LiDAR-based traffic observation system at a complex intersection in the city of Salzburg. The goal: more safety for vulnerable road users.

At complex intersections in inner-city traffic, there is an increased safety risk for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists or pedestrians. In the city of Salzburg, some risky intersections with multiple cycle paths have been identified.

A LiDAR-based traffic observation system is currently being tested at the intersection of Sterneckstraße and Linzer Bundesstraße. A customized 3D smart monitoring system, consisting of LiDAR sensors and high-quality 3D perception software, captures real-world conditions and interactions at the intersection. This system provides precise and high-frequency data on all traffic movements in large volumes. The focus is on specific and complex interactions between vehicles and vulnerable road users. The LiDAR data ensures anonymity and provides open access for analysis.

Salzburg Research develops methods to analyze the behavior of road users and dangerous conflict situations: How do the different road users use the intersection? What paths do they take, and if they use the intersection in ways that were not intended and/or are unsafe? Where do dangerous situations or near-misses occur?

From this, valuable insights to increase the road safety for all road users can be derived, and targeted improvement measures can be developed. The knowledge gained can also be applied to other similar intersections in the city of Salzburg.

The traffic monitoring is carried out on behalf of zukunftswege.at in cooperation with ALP.Lab.