Brian Johnson, City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Ga., Criterium, New Tech

Rick talks with City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Ga., Brian Johnson, this week. Each year about 1,000 cyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on roadways in the U.S. To bring attention to the importance of roadway safety for cyclists, pedestrians and more, Peachtree Corners, Georgia is hosting the U.S. Pro Cycling Curiosity Lab Criterium on Wednesday, April 26. This Curiosity Lab Criterium is more than a qualifying bike race – this Criterium is a way to bring attention to the issue of roadway safety by demonstrating first-ever technologies focused on saving lives and preventing injury for pedestrians, cyclists and more. In addition to the Criterium, in front of City Hall Peachtree Corners will be showcasing smart city technologies that improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and more. These technologies will be on display for attendees to experience during the event. Technologies include: The first-ever connected vehicle technology for cyclists to prevent injury and death. This VRU2X technology by Spoke allows cyclists and drivers to be alerted of each other before the human eye can even detect them. This is through connected vehicle technology known as C-V2X (cyclists can communicate with vehicles, vehicles can communicate with cyclists, cyclists can connect with traffic infrastructure, etc.). Cyclists will be using this technology during the Criterium race. This is a simple unit placed on the bike that sends signal 10x per second. Spoke partner Audi will be onsite to demonstrate the C-V2X within their vehicles as well. Attendees can experience how drivers will see where the cyclist is located in relation to the vehicle and from what direction they are approaching. Beep’s autonomous and electric shuttles will be on display showcasing C-V2X technology by Commsignia. This tech improves AV safety by alerting vehicles of oncoming traffic, pedestrians and more. Video analytics and LiDAR for traffic and intersection management will be demonstrated to show how object detection and data is used to make roadways safer and more efficient to improve congestion, traffic, pedestrian safety and sustainability initiatives. For additional event information visit: https://www.curiositylabptc.com/curiosity-lab-criterium/.