Building the next generation of School Zone Alerts

When public safety infrastructure ages, the challenge is not simply replacement. It is modernisation without disruption, and innovation without loss of trust. 

Through the NSW Government Small Business Innovation and Research program, HIVIS partnered with Transport for NSW to address a defined challenge: modernise the School Zone Alert System while improving compliance, interoperability and long-term fleet management. 

The existing School Zone Alert System fleet spans more than 6,800 signs across the state. Many units are approaching electronic end-of-life. Multiple supplier formats have created support and interoperability complexity. Traditional time-based flashing operates on fixed schedules, regardless of actual driver behaviour or pedestrian presence. 

The opportunity was clear. Move from static activation to intelligent, responsive safety systems. 

HIVIS began with a structured feasibility study, working directly with TfNSW to define requirements, prioritise features and assess retrofit constraints. The goal was not wholesale replacement. The goal was scalable improvement. 

A key requirement was retrofit compatibility. Existing sign hardware needed to be reused wherever viable, while enabling radar detection, adaptive messaging, telemetry and remote management capability. 

The Enhanced School Zone Alert System Proof of Concept was deployed during Term 3, 2025. Multiple operating modes were trialled, including baseline time-based flashing, adaptive flashing with dynamic messaging and pedestrian-triggered alerts. 

Safety-critical trust sat at the centre of the engineering approach. Incorrect operation risks driver fatigue and distrust. Connectivity relies on 4G networks, which can introduce reporting delays. The system architecture was designed to ensure accurate on-sign behaviour, resilient event publishing and transparent logging. 

Key innovations included:

• Real-time radar detection with driver feedback messaging such as “SLOW DOWN” and “THANK YOU”.
• Adaptive flashing patterns that respond to behaviour rather than time alone.
• Machine vision pedestrian detection triggering “PEDESTRIANS CROSSING” alerts.
• A centralised cloud portal enabling remote configuration, telemetry, scheduling, auditability and role-based access control. 

The measurable outcomes were strong: 

• Speed compliance improved to 58.09 percent in Adaptive plus Textbox mode, compared to a 55.40 percent baseline.
• Pedestrian alert messaging activated in approximately 0.95 seconds, well within the two-second performance target.
• Messaging legibility was confirmed at approximately 50 metres, exceeding minimum requirements.
• Sign uptime during required flashing periods reached approximately 99.88 percent.
• The monitoring platform maintained 100 percent operational availability during the trial period. 

The platform architecture was designed from inception to scale across more than 7,000 signs, with bulk onboarding, governance controls and long-term fleet management capability embedded into the system. 

This project demonstrates more than hardware capability. It reflects systems engineering, data-led safety improvement and scalable infrastructure thinking. 

If you are reviewing ageing public safety assets or seeking measurable compliance improvements through intelligent infrastructure, we welcome the opportunity to discuss scalable, engineered solutions.