Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately interwoven network of processes that assist transport workers, drivers, and commuters regulate the flow and efficiency of traffic. Intelligent traffic systems are able to adjust control mechanisms such as traffic lights and freeway onramp meters as well as bus rapid transit lanes. They also make use of advanced IoT hardware and routers with cellular technology, as well as cell networks. They can also assist in forecasting shifts in traffic demand and provide a range of 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) He installed his first experimental traffic signals in the heavily congested area of East Liberty in the city. He noticed immediate results. Drivers travelled 25 percent farther and spent 40 percent less time in traffic.
The system collects data from sensors that monitor the traffic flow and adjust their timings in real-time and also detecting pedestrians in intersections and giving them enough time to cross the street. The sensors then send their raw data to a central center where it is processed by artificial Intelligence and then sent back to the intersections using 5G-enabled cell networks.
These systems are also able to enable better, more precise modeling of risk-reducing scenarios that a human traffic manager could not manage and all in real time. This is an important step toward Vision Zero, a goal of safe and secure driving in which both vehicles and humans share the road without collisions.