Welsh Government improves road safety with Vivacity Labs’ data insights

Vivacity Labs, the London-based transport technology scaleup, is supporting a first-of-a-kind initiative in collaboration with the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Government is using cutting-edge AI technology from Vivacity Labs to analyse the impact of reducing speed limits on pedestrian footfall and vehicle volumes, alongside the impact on pedestrian and vehicle interactions.

In March 2019, the Welsh Government announced plans for a new national speed limit of 20mph to be implemented in residential areas across the country by 2023. Phase 1 of this process is the introduction of 20mph limits in eight trial areas. By comparing data from crossings within 20mph and 30mph zones, it’s possible to determine the role that speed plays in vehicle yield rates at crossings. 

Mark Nicholson, Vivacity Labs’ CEO, commented: “Vivacity Labs is proud to be supporting this initiative by collaborating with the Welsh Government. This is an exciting, first-of-its-kind initiative, where gathering data insights on yielding behaviours is achieved through bespoke application of our ground-breaking Near Miss capability.”

With 3D pose detection, Vivacity Labs’ Near Miss capabilities enable the accurate analysis of post-encroachment time. For the first time, it is possible to analyse vehicle behaviours in response to pedestrian presence at crossings, and provide data-backed evidence of pedestrian safety and Highway Code compliance.

Lee Waters, The Deputy Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for Transport, added: “We are pleased to be working with Vivacity Labs on our 20mph initiative. The use of this cutting-edge technology will help us gain valuable insight into the behaviour of motorists ahead of the national 20mph roll-out in 2023.”