A delicately interwoven system of processes, smart technologies for traffic help transport personnel commuters, drivers and drivers control traffic flow and efficiency. Using advanced IoT sensors, hardware, routers and cellular technology intelligent traffic systems dynamically adjust control mechanisms like traffic lights as well as freeway on-ramp meters bus rapid transit lanes highway message boards, and even speed limits. They also assist in forecasting shifts in traffic demand, and provide a range of real-time information to road users.
A good example is the traffic signal system that is adaptive in Pittsburgh. When Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor Stephen Smith installed his first few experimental traffic signals in a crowded area of the city’s East Liberty, he saw immediate results: Drivers travelled 25 percent farther and spent 40 percent less time in traffic jams than before.
The system works by capturing data from sensors that monitor the traffic flow and adjust their timing on-the-fly. It detects pedestrians at intersections, and allows them enough time to safely cross the street. The sensors send their raw data into the central hub, which is then processed by artificial intelligence. The data is then transmitted back to the intersections through 5G-enabled cell networks.
These systems can provide more accurate and precise modeling of scenarios that reduce the risk that human traffic managers are unable to accomplish. All this in real-time. This is a significant step towards Vision Zero, a goal of safe and secure driving in which cars and human beings share the road with no collisions.
