„Die Ausgangsfrage in der heutigen Zeit ist doch: Kann die Mobilitätswende gelingen?“, eröffnet Dr. Stefan Mittermeier. „Ja, unter 2 Prämissen: Mobilität muss erstens Spaß machen und zweitens sicher sein. Beides ist aktuell nicht ausreichend erfüllt. Das gilt auch für den ÖPNV. Zusätzlich kommt hinzu, dass Unfälle der größte Kostentreiber für ÖPNV-Betreiber sind.”
Im Rahmen des 5G-Förderprojekt hat sich das MVI-Team auf den zweiten Aspekt, die Sicherheit, konzentriert. Für den öffentlichen Personennahverkehr in Rosenheim wurden verschiedene technische Analysen durchgeführt und gemeinsam mit dem Fraunhofer Institut ein potenzieller Einsatz von 5G-Technologien im Busverkehr untersucht, um mögliche Gefahrensituationen im Verkehr in Zukunft minimieren zu können.
Auswertung des Datenbestands, den die MVI gesammelt hat
„Unser technisches Setup u.a. mit IoT, Heatmap per GPS-Daten und den Kameraaufnahmen von Live-Fahrsituationen ermöglichte uns die Sammlung und Auswertung eines umfangreichen Datenbestands. Unser Take-away aus dem Projekt: Die meisten kritischen Fahrsituationen entstehen, wenn verschiedene Aspekte kumulieren“, erklärt Dr. Mittermeier. Ein Beispiel: Bei einer Fahrbahnverengung ist grundsätzlich wenig Platz. Wenn der Bus dann noch neben einem Radweg rechts von ihm herfahren muss und andere Autos von links unerwartet vor dem Bus einscheren, besteht auf beiden Seiten des Busses Unfallrisiko. Tatsächlich kommt es zu solchen kritischen Situationen meist beim Gerade-Aus-Fahren.
The strong expansion of cycle networks in cities also brings with it more risks in road traffic. “In my opinion, it’s not enough to simply mark a red stripe as a cycle lane. Unfortunately, this does not create safety, but rather creates critical driving situations. Because: A person in the role of cyclist or pedestrian usually behaves more recklessly than the same person in the role of car driver. Structural aspects must therefore also be considered, e.g. dedicated lanes separated by a kerb would make much more sense than the current implementation.”
The technology can therefore only help to a limited extent at present, as assistance systems with sensors or GPS have their limits. In public transport, the fact that an operator always comes into conflict between accident prevention and passenger protection when using emergency brake assistants makes things even more difficult. Excessive braking leads to people falling off the bus. Therefore, public transport is not just about avoiding accidents.
Assistance systems also have technical limitations, such as the limited radius of sensors and the fact that GPS does not work indoors. “5G can fill these gaps. But only if everyone involved in road traffic were equipped with 5G, e.g. 5G could transmit technical instructions from a cyclist to the sensor network to others in road traffic.”
Quintessence from the study and the MVI data
According to Dr Stefan Mittermeier, a combination of 3 points is the only way to improve road safety:
- Behavioural sensitisation of road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists
- Urban planning measures, e.g. separate lanes for different types of mobility, optimised locations for road signs, etc.
- Technical mix of high-precision GPS (known as DGPS) and 5G – but only once points 1 and 2 have been fulfilled.
The hundreds of video recordings made by MVI AUTOMOTIVE in Rosenheim have shown that the technology can only provide predictive support as long as everyone behaves more considerately. Only in this way can the safety aspect of the mobility transition be realised in practice.
The MVI research data as data-as-a-service
What can we do with it as MVI? “We can make the development data we collect available to potential customers for simulations. “We can supply the data because we have a nationwide cooperation with partners from the public transport sector. MVI AUTOMOTIVE has access to the data that the bus fleets drive. These real driving situations could be of interest to OEMs for autonomous driving, for example.” The data pool is very satisfactory and helpful for the regional transport company, as the video recordings will be used for bus driver training in the future, for example.
All in all, a successful research project for MVI AUTOMOTIVE. The comprehensive integration of 5G in road transport may still take time, but the technical implementation is already in full swing.
