Jun. 22, 1973

TOYOTA TO AID JAPAN GOVERNMENT'S
NEW TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM

 

TOKYO―Toyota Motor Sales Company and three other Toyota group companies have accepted the Japanese Government's invitation to participate in a major research effort to devise a comprehensive traffic control system.

Primary goals of the new system will be the eventual elimination of traffic jams and a significant reduction in traffic-generated air pollution.

The 5-year, large-scale research and development program will be jointly inaugurated this year by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the Industrial Science and Technology Agency (ISTA).

The R & D program will concentrate on improving traffic flow through the application of advanced computer systems and communications techniques.

Toyota Group firms participating in the program are Toyota Motor Sales Company, Toyota Motor Company, Nippon Denso and the Toyota Central Research and Development Institute.

Group companies will be responsible for the design and engineering of a vehicle information system, ground equipment for incorporation into the system, and the development and refinement of traffic flow control methods.

The Government agencies involved have determined that a massive and accelerated effort is needed to cope with current traffic problems and gain maximum utilization for existing and planned highways. The work of participating companies will be subsidized to some degree by the Government.

Government and industry planners hope to develop

  1. A system in which a destination code is assigned to each vehicle so that an optimum route can be individually predetermined and traffic flow on each route can be stabilized at the best possible rate.
  2. A system that will induce motorists to travel in an indirect way and thereby avoid highly polluted areas.
  3. A system which, by means of automated control of traffic signals will give top priority at intersections to public vehicles, such as patrol cars and buses.
  4. An emergency communication system that will function whenever and wherever an accident occurs.
  5. A driving information system in which traffic signs will be shown on a built-in display device to alert the driver to changes in traffic conditions.

Toyota Motor Sales Company and the other three Toyota group companies were invited to participate in the project on the basis of their past achievements in traffic safety-related projects, including the epochal development of the Toyota MAC System.

The managements of the Toyota group companies chosen believe that the project will contribute greatly to enhancing the value of motor vehicles in our society.

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