Implementation of uavs and fcd in adapting to the ‘new normal’ in the transportation industry: a traffic management case study

Abstract

The Transportation industry has grown over the last few decades with the improvement of current transport technologies as well as through the implementation of innovative transport practices. This growth is happening worldwide at a country-specific pace. Now, with travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the transport sector, the Transportation industry is forced to adapt to changes in conventional travel behaviour and practices. Whether it be changes to current aspects of a transport system or reimagining entire processes, adaptation is required. This paper assesses both of these possibilities through a case study relating to traffic management processes in the study area of Stellenbosch. Changes to current traffic management processes relating to road traffic management and incident response with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Floating Car Data (FCD) are assessed in this paper. Furthermore, a reimagination of the entire traffic management process is explored theoretically, which incorporates innovative transport technologies and systems. The goal of this paper is to development a framework for efficient transportation management that is relevant for a country with a developing transport infrastructure.