CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new phone app designed to prevent crashes is rolling out across several cities in North Carolina.
What You Need To Know
- The TravelSafely app aims to make streets safer for drivers, walkers and cyclists
- The app audibly gives cues to drivers about lights changing red or green, as well as nearby pedestrians and bicyclists
- Charlotte is piloting the app in the city's South End neighborhood through November 2023
The TravelSafely app aims to make streets safer for drivers, walkers and cyclists by connecting them to an electronic network of intersection and crosswalk data.
The City of Charlotte launched a pilot program of the app in November in the South End neighborhood.
"I think that this can be a really useful tool to help and improve safety," Sustain Charlotte's Meg Fencil said.
Fencil also works closely with the city's Vision Zero Task Force, which aims to find ways to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.
"I want Charlotte to be my home forever," Fencil said. "And in order for that to happen, we need to make choices now, so that we can become a city where people of all ages and all abilities can use our streets."
Fencil says the app works like a GPS. She says once users have it downloaded, all they need to do is open the application and leave it running in the background. The app will audibly give cues to drivers about lights changing red or green, as well as pointing out potential hazards, such as someone crossing the street.
Fencil says walkers and cyclists can also use the app to alert them of speeding cars.
"Pedestrians and cyclists are involved in less than 3% of crashes in Charlotte," Fencil said. "But they account for nearly a third of our traffic fatalities."
City officials say South End was chosen for the pilot program because of its high volume of pedestrians, bicyclists and cars.
"I would love to see this app being used in other neighborhoods," Fencil said.
She says it's a "tool in a toolbox" that's helping improve Charlotte's roads and accessibility for non-drivers.
"That's one of the reasons that it's important that we look at immediate solutions, like testing out a safety app, but also that we not lose sight of the big picture," Fencil said. "The long-term goal that we need to be working on now and into the future, making our streets safer through better design."
Officials with Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) say the pilot program runs through November 2023. They plan on implementing the app in other areas of the city, if they deem the South End test run is a success.
To learn more about the app and provide feedback, users are encouraged to visit CDOT's website.
The Town of Cary is also piloting the app.