As congestion in urban areas becomes a major issue, cities are turning to smart technologies to improve road safety and decrease wasted energy. This helps passengers and drivers save time, reduces emissions, and reduces traffic jams.
The technology behind this is based on two fundamental components: hardware and software. The first is the subcomponent which executes, while the second is the command and control centre. Both are enhanced with modern technology for sensing and processing like ANPR (automotive plate recognition), which captures data about vehicles’ movements and is able to detect road signs.
Based on the type of solution, smart traffic lights can process data on a device or transfer it to a cloud-based location. This type of solution allows for more advanced analysis and modeling to reduce traffic congestion and coordinate schedules of public transport. This way, they can reduce the average travel time by 25%, cut down the time between signals by 40%, and cut down on emissions by 20 percent, according to Carnegie Mellon University.
A well-designed traffic light system is not only able to reduce the time taken by traffic signals it can also improve the flow of pedestrians as well as of micromobility vehicles like e-bikes or e-scooters. This is because they’re typically not able follow the traditional preemption rules. In London E-scooter accidents increased by 2,800% in the first quarter of 2021. It is therefore crucial to include them in traffic light control.