Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately interwoven system of processes that aid transport workers, drivers, and commuters regulate the flow and efficiency of traffic. Intelligent traffic systems can alter control mechanisms such as traffic lights and onramp meters for freeways as well as bus rapid transit lanes. They also utilize advanced IoT routers and hardware as well as cellular technology and mobile networks. They can also assist in forecasting shifts in traffic demands and offer a variety of real-time information to road users.
A good example is the adaptive traffic signal system in Pittsburgh. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) He installed his first experimental traffic signals to a heavily congestion-ridden area of East Liberty in the city. He noticed immediate results. Drivers travelled 25 percent faster and spent 40 percent less time idling.
The system works by collecting information from sensors that are monitoring the traffic flow and adjust their timings on the fly, as well as spotting pedestrians at intersections and giving them the time to safely cross the street. The sensors transmit their raw data to an centralized hub, which is then processed by artificial intelligence. It is then sent back to the intersections via 5G-enabled cell networks.
These advanced systems also allow for better, more precise modeling of risk-minimizing scenarios that a human traffic supervisor could not manage and all in real-time. This is a big step toward Vision Zero, a goal of safe and secure driving in which humans and vehicles share the road with no collisions.
www.technologytraffic.com/2022/07/25/start-using-a-virtual-data-room-today-to-save-time-money/