A delicately interwoven system of processes, smart technologies for traffic can help transport workers motorists, commuters and drivers control traffic flow and efficiency. Intelligent traffic systems can adjust the mechanisms that control traffic, like traffic lights, freeway onramp meters and bus rapid transit lanes. They also employ advanced IoT routers and hardware that use cellular technology as well as cell networks. They also aid in forecasting changes in traffic demand and provide a variety of live information to road users.
An excellent example is the traffic signal system that is adaptive in Pittsburgh. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) was the one who installed his first experimental traffic signals in a trafficked area of East Liberty in the city. He saw immediate results. Drivers travelled 25 percent more efficiently and spent 40 percent less time in traffic.
The system collects data from sensors that monitor the flow of traffic and altering their timing on the fly in addition to identifying pedestrians near intersections and giving them enough time to safely traverse the street. The sensors transmit their raw data into the central hub, where it is processed by artificial intelligence. It is then sent back to the intersections by 5G-enabled cell networks.
These intelligent systems allow for better and more accurate modeling of scenarios that minimize the risk that human traffic managers are unable to accomplish. And all of this is in real-time. This is a major step towards Vision Zero, the goal of a safe road that ensures motorists and pedestrians are able to share the road without colliding.