Safe and inclusive integration of micro-mobility to current mobility paradigms

LL#1 in a nutshell

SOTERIA’s Living Lab #1 will take place in Oxfordshire, UK aiming to collect evidence of safety issues for cyclists in the region. LL#1 is expected to recruit approximately 300 cyclists to test SOTERIA’s innovative solutions to improve the safety of pedestrians and micromobility users. In May 2023, a series of workshops and surveys will be launched across a breadth of stakeholders in Oxfordshire to identify local issues, needs and behaviours related to safety.

Local setting in Oxfordshire for Vulnerable Road Users

Cycling is a popular transport mode in the county, with Oxford ranking 2nd highest in the UK for its number of residents making their journeys by bicycle at least once a week. The city aims to make 50% of journeys to work by bicycle by 2030, however road safety is a major barrier to cycling. Each year around 30,000 accidents are reported, and 43% of active cyclists in Oxfordshire identified traffic and junction safety as their main concern. Oxfordshire County Council’s, a partner in SOTERIA project, is committed to EC’s Vision Zero aiming the elimination of deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions in Oxfordshire by 2050.

Oxfordshire Living Lab |Innovative ways to save lives

In the context of these goals, during an 18-month pilot, approximately 300 cyclists will be recruited in Oxfordshire, in order to use on their bicycles Onsee’s REBO – a smart bike light and dashcam that continuously records. With a simple click of its wireless handlebar button, REBO saves a 1-minute clip showing 30 seconds before and after the declared incident. The clip is automatically uploaded to Onsee’s platform for sharing, mapping, and expert analysis. This data, along with data from other living labs, will be analysed by SOTERIA partners to create innovative solutions for vulnerable road users and transport professionals.

Our Goals

With SOTERIA analytical tools, the data collected – such as incident videos, user reports and countywide sensor data – will be continuously analysed using AI and state-of-the-art techniques. We will then design and run trials of low-cost interventions in Oxford informed by these results.

The goals of the pilot are to:

• Obtain a comprehensive understanding of multi-dimensional issues related to vulnerable road user safety
• Test new and easy ways to improve user safety, and gather evidence of significant reductions in safety incidents and near misses
• Enable more cycling and other micro mobility journeys by improving safety
• Validate cutting edge tools for pushing the boundaries of vulnerable road user safety analysis

The results of the pilot will be publicly shared with participants, the public, local councils, and professionals from other counties and countries so that everyone can benefit from the learnings of this research.

Moving Oxfordshire towards Vision Zero

The ultimate goal of the SOTERIA Living Lab #1 is to push forward Vision Zero in Oxfordshire so that more people can enjoy making journeys using healthier, and lower carbon options in a safer and less stressful environment. By testing solutions for improving the safety of pedestrians and users of micro mobility, we hope to lay the foundation for implementing a new generation of tools to inform future plans and policies that’ll help accelerate the uptake of active travel for the transition to net zero. Transportation accounts for 40% of the county’s carbon emissions, and OCC aims to achieve net zero in transportation by 2040. Oxfordshire County Council’s vision is to lead positive change by working in partnership to make Oxfordshire a greener, fairer and healthier county.

Partners

SOTERIA’s Living Lab #1 is organised by cycling data company Onsee and Oxfordshire County Council, and is supported by partners from the University of the West of England, the University of Wolverhampton and Dekra Digital.