Pittsburgh Tests New Bus Safety System

A new collision avoidance system is being tested by Carnegie Mellon University on 100 city public transit buses.

1 minute read

March 30, 2001, 7:00 AM PST

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


"The Port Authority of Allegheny County will kick off the largest fieldtest of Intelligent Vehicle Technology by a public transit agency in the U.S.A two-day meeting of federal and state officials April 4-5 will mark the start of the year-long test of the side collision avoidance system recently installed on 100 port authority buses. The meetings will be conducted at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh. The $1.8 million projectis being funded jointly by the Federal Transit Administration and PennDOT aspart of FTA program designed to reduce transit accidents. Sensors on eachbus are spaced about six feet apart and mounted between 30 and 50 inches above the road surface. An on-board computer measures the time it takes anemitted sound wave from the sensors to return after bouncing off a hard object within six feet of the side of the bus and four feet to the rear. The system is designed to detect typically stationary roadside objects at least12 inches in diameter when the bus is moving and detect an automobile while both the bus and the car are in motion."

Thanks to APA Dateline

Saturday, March 24, 2001 in American Planning Association

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Yellow electric school bus with preteen students exiting.

California Invests Additional $5M in Electric School Buses

The state wants to electrify all of its school bus fleets by 2035.

45 minutes ago - Associated Press

City Hall building in Austin, Texas.

Austin Launches $2M Homelessness Prevention Fund

A new grant program from the city’s Homeless Strategy Office will fund rental assistance and supportive services.

1 hour ago - Spectrum Local News

Brick school building with mid-sized tree on front lawn.

Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards

Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.

2 hours ago - Governing