I came across this little article in the New York Times. I've read abut the "bus is turning" announcement on here, but I don't remember reading about the sensors for collision avoidance technology here in any of the forum topics. Do we know which buses will get this technology, or how it will be implemented? Is this technology added post-manufacturing?
Q. I’ve always been curious about the beeping signal that New York City Transit buses emit as a warning when they back up. Does the driver see an image on a rearview camera? If not, it would seem that the warning would be of little value to a hearing-impaired person behind a bus.
A. Coming this fall, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to begin several pilot programs using new technology to improve bus-pedestrian safety, said Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the authority.
They include a pedestrian warning system that will alert pedestrians near the crosswalk when the bus is making a right or left turn. “Furthermore, this system will also remind the operator to check for pedestrians when performing a turn,” Mr. Ortiz said.
An active collision-avoidance system will warn the operator about potential collisions. “The system will use multiple sensors, such as camera and radar technologies, to detect vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists,” Mr. Ortiz said. “The detection capabilities will warn the operators of excessive lane departures and close headways.”
Financing for the pilot projects is already in place, he said. They are aligned with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate pedestrian deaths.