Intelligent motorways
As road and motorway infrastructures cannot be extended endlessly, SOFICO is developing several projects aimed at ensuring dynamic, intelligent traffic management. "Intelligent motorways" will improve mobility and also support the development of connected cars and prepare for the arrival of autonomous cars.
Perex Center
The new Perex 4.0 centre is located at the Daussoulx interchange, right in the heart of the motorway network. It is developing an “intelligent network” concept to manage motorway, road and waterway infrastructures in real time, focusing on improving road safety, mobility and user information.
The Perex 4.0 centre houses various services :
- Motorway and road traffic management
- Waterway traffic management
- Integrated hydrological management
- Management of electromechanical facilities and telecommunications
- Federal traffic police – Centre Régional de Traitement (CRT): the single service that centralises the processing of tickets for traffic offences
- Radio media
ITS Plan
SOFICO’s ITS Plan (Intelligent Transport System) will be gradually implemented in 2019 as part of Walloon Region’s FAST project (Fluidity, Accessibility, Health/Safety and Modal Shift).
The five areas concerned by the ITS Plan :
- Safety: detect any events and situations that may impact the viability of our motorways, deal with them, take action to rescue, alert and protect
- Traffic fluidity and management: manage network usage as well as possible according to the resources available
- User information: have reliable information on traffic conditions before and during the journey
- Environment: ensure the sustainability of the network while taking into account the population’s concern for travel management, the modal shift, inconveniences, the impact on the environment, etc.
- Added-value services: provide users with the services they require
This ITS Plan provides the following :
- A computer system to supervise and aid traffic management for the Perex 4.0 centre
- Web and smartphone applications to allow better direct interaction with users
- New traffic lights controlled by Perex 4.0 and the possibility of interacting with connected vehicles
- An infrastructure capable of interacting with connected vehicles (C-Roads)
- Pilot projects to test a lane dedicated to carpooling
- 6 extra weighing stations for heavy goods vehicles
- AID cameras (Automatic Incident Detection systems) and other cameras
- New variable message signs (VMS) integrating new functions
- New counting stations and the renovation of existing stations
- Collecting and processing FCD (Floating Car Data) and FMB (Floating Mobile Data)
- Renovating existing weather stations and integrating the thermography and interfacing specified in the Perex 4.0 plan
positive Impacts :
- Road safety = drop in the number of accidents
- Environment = reduction of CO2 emissions
- Traffic = fewer traffic jams and shorter journeys
- A better understanding of the traffic network = warning users of dangerous situations and avoiding additional accidents, optimising itineraries, more peace of mind and comfort