Smart Technologies for Traffic
Cities are adopting smart traffic technologies to reduce energy waste and improve road safety as urban traffic congestion is becoming a growing issue. This helps motorists and passengers save time, reduces carbon emissions and traffic jams.
The technology behind it is based on software and hardware. The first is the component that executes, while the second is the command and control center. Both are complemented with advanced technology for sensing and processing like ANPR (automotive plate recognition) that collects information regarding vehicle movements and is able to detect road signs.
Depending on the type of solution, smart traffic lights are able to process data on-device or send it to a cloud. This allows for more sophisticated modeling and analysis to reduce traffic congestion and harmonize schedules of public transport. This way, they can reduce the average travel time by 25%, shorten time to signal by 40%, and cut down on emissions by 20 percent according to Carnegie Mellon University.
In addition to cutting down on the time it takes to control traffic signals, a smart traffic light system will also improve the flow of pedestrians and micromobility vehicles such electric scooters and ebikes. This is due to the fact that they’re not able to adhere to traditional traffic signal preemption rules. In London, e-scooter accidents increased by 2,800% over the first half of 2021. Therefore, it is crucial to include them in traffic lights controls.