Learn more about the City of Riverside Innovation Corridor
As part of the City of Riverside’s Smart-City initiative, UC Riverside researchers are developing an Innovation Corridor testbed for enabling shared electric connected and automated transportation research. This Innovation Corridor consists of a six-mile section of University Avenue between UC Riverside and downtown Riverside, and supports various transportation modes including passenger vehicles, trucks, transit (RTA buses), bicycles, and various forms of micro-mobility. It is proposed to instrument this corridor with various infrastructure equipment to support research in shared electric connected and automated transportation. Specifically, researchers will equip the corridor with roadside communications equipment and advanced traffic signal controllers at several key intersections, to help improve safety, mobility and environmental sustainability. With this initial instrumentation, the research team will then conduct connected vehicle experimentation that utilize the signal phase and timing (SPaT) data from these intersections to smooth traffic flow. For this Innovation Corridor, the researchers will also set up a high-fidelity simulation environment to evaluate potential connected vehicle strategies. Investigators will carry out a variety of Eco-Approach and Departure (EAD) connected vehicle scenarios that the researchers will evaluate both in simulation and in the real-world. As part of the simulation ecosystem, the research team will compare energy and emissions models to see which best matches the real-world measurements.
Implementation of Research Outputs
The development of an Innovation Corridor testbed for shared, electric, connected, and automated transportation in Riverside, CA has provided opportunities for both government and industry to test new technologies and policies. The City of Riverside has invested in new technology based on the team’s initial report, including additional LiDAR sensors and computer vision systems for additional intersections along the corridor. Other companies such as Toyota Motor Company are now using the Innovation Corridor for their research, in conjunction with UC Riverside.