Green light ahead? App for drivers aims to improve safety in Charlotte’s South End
The Charlotte Department of Transportation launched a new TravelSafely app on Thursday that aims to make streets safer for drivers, walkers and cyclists.
The department will focus first on the South End neighborhood, officials said at a news conference at the Charlotte Urban Design Center in South End.
The app connects drivers to an electronic network of intersection and crosswalk data, and to each other, city officials said.
Drivers using the app are notified when a light is about to turn green and when they approach a red light too fast or are over the speed limit in a school or other slow-speed zone.
Drivers are alerted to pedestrians using the app in a crosswalk ahead, if the app detects the driver isn’t going to stop, city officials said. The app also warns drivers if a cyclist on the road ahead is using the app.
The free app is available for download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The app is part of a year-long South End pilot project through November 2023 that will see if it reduces wrecks and where.
Rapidly developing South End has the city’s highest concentration of cyclists, CDOT Deputy Director Justin Carroll said in explaining why that neighborhood was chosen for the study.
The app is part of the city’s Vision Zero safety initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.
“We must work together to improve traffic safety, and this app promotes connectivity to each other and to our surroundings,” Charlotte City Council member Victoria Watlington said Thursday. “I encourage everyone to download the app and use it in the South End pilot project area.”
All information shared on the app is anonymous and protected, officials said.
CDOT has partnered with Charlotte Center City Partners to make South End-area residents and visitors aware of the app and pilot project.
The app “has the potential to make the roads and sidewalks of South End safer places to walk, run, bike and drive,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Major Dave Johnson said at the news conference.
“Leveraging technology is the future of traffic safety, and piloting this app positions Charlotte at the cutting edge,” Johnson said.