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Location:
Quebec and New Brunswick
Scope:
National
Organization:
L-P Tardif & Associés Inc.
Project Status:
Ongoing
Transport Canada Funding:
$90,300
Total Project Cost:
$188,060
Contact Name:
Louis-Paul Tardif
Phone Number:
613 225-8796
E-Mail:
lptardif@cyberus.ca
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School transportation safety is always topical, and it is a field in which all parties
practice zero tolerance. The issue of safety devices on school buses was discussed in the course of Transport Canada’s recent national consultations on bus safety. Particular attention was paid to the many concerns raised about the eight-light system or advance warning system. It is also well established that the most dangerous risk to which school children are exposed around a school bus is the vehicle itself. That is why one of the priorities for action on a safety device is to help the bus driver detect the presence of children around the bus, especially when the bus starts to move away.
This project concerns the use of an intelligent transportation system (ITS) to enhance bus passenger safety.
- The project involves a feasibility study on the deployment and modification of an existing ITS that has proved its value in commercial uses.
- In addition, the project calls for cooperation between government and the private sector.
- The project will cover the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick.
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The objectives of this project are categorized as priority and secondary. Priority objectives are:
- to identify the point at which advance warning should be given and to identify situations where a decision support system would enhance safety;
- to use a collision warning and detection system for the purpose of identifying the critical area within a distance of 150
meters between the school bus and oncoming traffic, to enhance the advance warning system;
- verify the value of having a system to warn the driver of the presence of children or other pedestrians around a parked school bus that is loading or unloading passengers.
Secondary objectives are:
- to identify functionalities required for a decision support system through the use of an available commercial system, taking the human factor into account and analyzing the auditory and visual characteristics of warnings generated by the system;
- to identify the potential risks inherent in the use of decision support systems in school buses;
- to establish requirements for modifying a decision support system to meet the needs of school transportation;
- to examine the pros and cons of using a detection system linked to devices on the school bus that could immobilize it;
- systematically weighing the advantages and disadvantages, from the engineering and ergonomic standpoints as well as from the point of view of the bus driver, of using the
ITS studied in the context of the present project;
- establishing driver training needs.
Following selection of a set of alternatives, a modified version of the Eaton Corporation’s VORAD system will be installed in two school buses in Quebec and two in New Brunswick. The research team will work with the industry to select carriers and vehicles for the pilot study. The tests will be conducted over a long period, in order to obtain data for the different seasons. It is also important to see how the systems can assist drivers in a variety of weather conditions. The time period allowed for the testing must also take the school holidays into account. The project duration is 18 months, with completion scheduled for March 2004. A report will be submitted to Transport Canada.
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