A delicately knitted network of processes, smart technology for traffic help transport personnel motorists, commuters and drivers improve efficiency and flow of traffic. Using advanced IoT hardware, sensors routers, sensors and cellular technology, intelligent traffic systems can adapt control mechanisms dynamically, like traffic lights as well as freeway on-ramp meters bus rapid transit lanes highway message boards and even speed limits. They can also predict changes in traffic demand and provide real-time information for road users.
A good example is the adaptive traffic signal system in Pittsburgh. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) constructed his first experimental traffic signals in technologytraffic.com/2020/05/01/modern-traffic-technologies-by-board-room/ a congested area of East Liberty in the city. The immediate results were evident. Drivers travelled 25 percent faster and spent 40 percent less idling.
The system works by collecting data from sensors which monitor traffic patterns and adjust their timings on the fly. It detects pedestrians at intersections, and gives them enough time to cross the street safely. Sensors send their raw data into a central hub which is then processed by artificial intelligence. It is then sent back to the intersections using 5G-enabled cell networks.
These systems can provide better and more accurate modeling of scenarios that reduce the risk that humans cannot attain. All this in real-time. This is a significant step towards Vision Zero, the goal of accident-free road driving where humans and vehicles can share the road without colliding.
