CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte is taking one more step toward the future.
On Thursday, Charlotte officials announced a new pilot program in South End. All of it is based on an app called Travel Safely.
"Technology plays a critically important role in the future of traffic safety and piloting this app positions Charlotte at the cutting edge," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Major Dave Johnson said.
The app uses technology to connect to a network of intersections and other drivers. It allows you to keep your focus on the road, all while receiving audible warnings from your phone.
“Our streets are our responsibility,” Charlotte Department of Transportation Deputy Director, Justin Carroll said.
According to city officials, in 2020 there were 500 crashes in the area where the city has deployed TravelSafely. From January 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021 there were 449 crashes in the area.
“We wanted to focus on the South End area due to the number of pedestrians and cyclists," Carroll said.
Other reason include:
- Dense mix of land uses
- High levels of pedestrian activity
- Center City Partners assistance with rollout and education
- High Injury Network Overlap
It could help save the lives of pedestrians and bicyclists, but, it has some helpful tools for drivers too.
The tool will tell you how long you have before a light turns green. It also gives you warnings about upcoming curves and when emergency vehicles are nearby. All of this is supposed to help protect you and your friends on the road.
The pilot project is part of the City's Vision Zero Safety initiative that aims to end road deaths and serious inquires.
“Hopefully will make South End a safer place for people to live, work, or play, if it saves even one life, it’s going to be worth while,” Major Johnson.
After a year, the city will gather data to see if the app made a difference in safety, but officials say to see if it'll make a difference, people have to download the app and give it a try.
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