A delicately interwoven system of processes, smart technologies for traffic assist transport employees, drivers and commuters control traffic flow and efficiency. Making use of advanced IoT sensors, hardware routers, cellular technology and sensors smart traffic systems can dynamically adjust control mechanisms like traffic lights, freeway on-ramp meters bus rapid transit lanes, highway message boards and even speed limits. They also assist in forecasting changes in traffic demand and offer a variety of real-time information to road users.
An excellent example is the adaptive traffic signal system in Pittsburgh. Stephen Smith, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) was the one who installed his first experimental traffic signals to a heavily congested part of East Liberty in the city. He noticed immediate results. Drivers were able to travel 25 percent faster and were able to drive 40 percent more efficiently.
The system collects data from sensors which monitor incoming traffic and adjusting their timings on the fly, as well as detecting pedestrians at intersections and giving them the time to safely walk across the street. The sensors transmit their raw data into a 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 also provide better, more precise modeling of risk-reducing scenarios that a human traffic controller could not accomplish and all 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.