Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately woven web of processes that help transportation personnel, drivers and commuters manage the flow and efficiency of traffic. Utilizing advanced IoT equipment, sensors routers, cellular technology and sensors, intelligent traffic systems can modify control mechanisms in a dynamic manner, such as traffic lights as well as freeway on-ramp meters bus rapid transit lanes, highway message boards and even speed limits. They can also predict changes in traffic demand, and provide in-real-time information to road users.
An excellent example is the adaptive traffic signal system in Pittsburgh. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) was the one who installed his first experimental traffic signals to a heavily congested part of East Liberty in the city. The immediate results were evident. Drivers drove 25 percent faster and spent 40 percent less time idling.
The system works by collecting data from sensors that track the flow of traffic and adjust their timings on the fly. It also detects pedestrians in intersections and gives them enough time to safely cross the technologytraffic.com/2022/04/28/turning-to-data-room-to-gain-a-competitive-advantage-in-ma street. Sensors send their raw data to a central hub which is then processed by artificial intelligence. The data is then transmitted back to the intersections through 5G-enabled cell networks.
These intelligent systems also enable better, more precise simulation of risk-minimizing scenarios that a human traffic controller could not achieve – all in real-time. This is a significant step towards Vision Zero, the goal of accident-free road driving where both vehicles and humans can share the road without collision.