Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately integrated network of processes that help transport workers, drivers, and commuters regulate the flow and efficiency of traffic. Utilizing the latest IoT devices, sensors, routers and cellular technology, intelligent traffic systems can automatically adjust control mechanisms 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 assist in forecasting shifts in traffic demand and provide a variety of live information to road users.
Pittsburgh’s adaptive traffic signal system is a perfect example. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU), installed his first experimental traffic signals in the heavily congested part of East Liberty in the city. He noticed immediate results. Drivers travelled 25 percent further and technologytraffic.com spent 40 percent less time in traffic.
The system works by collecting data from sensors that monitor traffic and adjust their timings on the fly. It also detects pedestrians in intersections and gives them enough time to safely cross the street. Sensors then send their raw data to a central hub, where it’s processed by artificial intelligent and then dispatched back out to the intersections via 5G-enabled mobile networks.
These intelligent systems also permit better, more accurate simulation of risk-minimizing scenarios that a human traffic manager could not achieve – and all in real-time. This is a major step towards Vision Zero, the goal of a safe road that ensures motorists and pedestrians are able to share the road without colliding.