Q-Free have announced the upcoming deployment of a new Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS) network in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital city and an important crossroads for traffic transiting between several European countries.
In collaboration with DARS d.d., Slovenia’s primary highway operator and Q-Free’s 30-year partner, Q-Free has customized a roadside unit and back office solution. This system will enable equipped Volkswagen vehicles to receive crucial in-car notifications, including traffic incidents, construction zones, low visibility alerts, and wrong-way driver warnings. Volkswagen is one of the first automakers to equip its vehicles with onboard capability to receive roadside notifications, and other OEMs are already following suit.
Q-Free CEO Mark Talbot believes the contract is a perfect example of Q-Free’s commitment to go beyond customer expectations.
“We put a high value on our relationship with DARS and though this solution is not part of our commercial portfolio, we decided to develop a customized solution that would exactly fit their needs,” he said. “I’m proud of our team for recognizing that we’re not just in the traffic management business, we’re in the relationship business.”
The new network features 25 strategically placed roadside units (RSUs) arranged around more than 100km of Ljubljana’s major ring-road. The RSUs will transmit important traffic information to equipped Volkswagen vehicles while receiving traffic flow information from them at the same time. DARS will also utilize five vehicle-mounted mobile units, likely to be placed around work zones and traffic incidents. This is not the first time Q-Free and DARS have partnered on this kind of solution. The two entities developed a local pilot in 2018 using nine RSUs and a central management system.
Traffic volume throughout Slovenia, particularly around Ljubljana, has increased dramatically over the last few years, with some estimates suggesting a 5% annual rise. The nation sits between Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Italy and has become a favoured freight route between the European countries.
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