Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately interwoven network of processes that assist transport personnel, drivers, and commuters regulate the flow and efficiency of traffic. Making use of advanced IoT equipment, sensors, routers and cellular technology intelligent traffic systems dynamically adjust control mechanisms like traffic lights, freeway on-ramp meters, bus rapid transit lanes highway message boards, and even speed limits. They can also forecast changes in traffic demand and provide real-time information for road users.
Pittsburgh’s adaptive traffic signal system is a good example. When Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor Stephen Smith installed his first couple of traffic signals, which were merely experimental, in a crowded area of the city’s East Liberty, he saw immediate results: drivers traveled 25 percent more efficiently and spent 40 percent less time idling in traffic jams than before.
The system works by capturing data from sensors that track the flow of traffic and adjust their timings on the fly. It also detects pedestrians near intersections, and allows them enough time to safely cross the street. The sensors transmit their raw data into the central hub, where it is processed by artificial intelligence. It is then sent back to the intersections using 5G-enabled cell networks.
These intelligent systems allow for more precise and accurate modeling of scenarios that reduce risk, which human traffic managers are unable to do. And all this in real-time. This is a significant step towards Vision Zero, a goal of safe and secure driving in which cars and human beings share the road without collisions.