Smart technologies for traffic are a delicately interwoven network of processes that assist transport personnel, drivers, and commuters regulate the flow and efficiency of traffic. Intelligent traffic systems can adjust control mechanisms such as traffic lights and https://technologytraffic.com/2022/11/02/top-free-traffic-simulation-software-list/ freeway onramp meters as well as bus rapid transit lanes. They also use advanced IoT hardware and routers as well as cellular technology and mobile networks. They can also predict changes in traffic demand, and provide real-time data to road users.
Pittsburgh’s adaptive traffic signal system is a perfect example. When Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor Stephen Smith installed his first few experimental traffic signals in a heavily congested area of the city’s East Liberty, he saw immediate results: Drivers traveled 25 percent farther and spent 40 percent less time idling in traffic jams than before.
The system works by collecting information from sensors that are monitoring incoming traffic and adjusting their timings in real-time and also identifying pedestrians near intersections and giving them the time to safely traverse the street. Sensors send their raw data into an centralized hub, where it is processed by artificial intelligence. It is then sent back to the intersections via 5G-enabled cell networks.
These intelligent systems also provide better, more precise simulation of risk-reducing scenarios that a human traffic manager would not be able to achieve – and all in real-time. This is a significant step towards Vision Zero, the goal of a safe road that ensures both vehicles and humans are able to share the road without collision.
