A delicately interwoven system of processes, smart technology for traffic can help transport workers, drivers and commuters control traffic flow and efficiency. Intelligent traffic systems are able to adjust the controls of traffic lights as well as freeway onramp meters, and bus rapid transit lanes. They also make use of advanced IoT routers and hardware that use cellular technology as well as cell networks. They can also forecast changes in traffic demand, and provide in-real-time information to road users.
Pittsburgh’s adaptive traffic signal system is a good example. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) was the one who installed his first traffic signals to a heavily congested area of East Liberty in the city. He saw technologytraffic.com/2021/07/08/generated-post/ immediate results. Drivers drove 25 percent more efficiently and spent 40 percent less time in traffic.
The system works by capturing data from sensors that track traffic and adjust their timing on the fly. It also detects pedestrians near intersections, and allows them enough time to safely cross the street. The sensors then send their raw data to a central center where it’s processed by artificial intelligent and then distributed back to the intersections using 5G-enabled mobile networks.
These systems are also able to provide better, more accurate modeling of risk-minimizing scenarios that a human traffic controller could not manage – all in real-time. This is a major step towards Vision Zero, the goal of a road with no accidents where both vehicles and humans can travel together without colliding.
