The Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) initiative is the UK framework for the development and deployment of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) in urban areas. One of the key aspects of developing future ITS in an urban context is the issue of safety. Historically, a Statutory Type Approval process has been used to certify traffic control equipment, but the added complexity of ITS means that additional procedures are required for such integrated systems. This paper describes the steps that have been followed in developing such an approach for urban ITS in the UK, in particular bringing together the previously separate disciplines of Functional System Safety, Human-Machine Interaction and Traffic Safety. A combined lifecycle for urban ITS is presented, along with areas identified for further investigation and development.
Abstract