A summary is given of an evaluation of the effectiveness of an automatic pedestrian detection device and a smart lighting system in improving pedestrian safety. These countermeasures were deployed at a midblock location in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada. The evaluations are based on field observations of pedestrian and motorist behaviors before and after the installation of the countermeasures. Their effectiveness was evaluated by using the following measures: percentage of pedestrians who looked to their left and right before and while crossing, percentage of pedestrians who changed their course of action, percentage of pedestrians trapped in the middle of the road, percentage of motorists who yielded to pedestrians, distance from the crosswalk at which motorists yielded to pedestrians, and delays. The results show an increase in pedestrians’ observational behavior and an improvement in motorists’ yielding behavior. A reduction in the number of pedestrians trapped in the roadway was also observed. Overall, the installation of the automatic pedestrian detection device and the smart lighting showed positive safety benefits for motorists’ and pedestrians’ behaviors at the test location. The findings from this study could be used to enhance pedestrian safety on arterial roads in other cities with similar demographic characteristics and traffic conditions.

Microgeneration of electricity using solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is a sustainable form of renewable energy, however uptake in Ireland remains very low. The aim of this study is to assess the potential of the community-based roof top solar PV microgeneration system to supply electricity to the grid, and to explore a crowd funding mechanism for community ownership of microgeneration projects. A modelled microgeneration project was developed: the electricity load profiles of 68 residential units were estimated; a community-based roof top solar PV system was designed; an electricity network model, based on a real network supplying a town and its surrounding areas, was created; and power flow analysis on the electrical network for system peak and minimum loads was carried out. The embodied energy, energy payback time, GHG payback time, carbon credits and financial cost relating to the proposed solar PV system were calculated. Different crowdfunding models were assessed. Results show the deployment of community solar PV system projects have significant potential to reduce the peak demand, smooth the load profile, assist in the voltage regulation and reduce electrical losses and deliver cost savings to distribution system operator and the consumer.

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