Photo: trans.info
Smart traffic light systems aren’t necessarily something new, but tech companies and authorities across the world are constantly proposing new iterations that improve the original concept.
For example, a new implementation that will be tested by Israeli automotive tech firm Autotalks with help from U.S.-based Applied Information in Alpharetta, Georgia is supposed to provide emergency responders with a green light all the way to the location of an incident.
The new system relies on a rather smart yet super-simple approach. The whole thing uses wireless communications between the emergency vehicle and the main unit whose purpose is to control the traffic light on their route.
More specifically, an emergency vehicle can tell a smart traffic light that it’s approaching in an attempt to clear the traffic on the same route and, at the same time, to stop the cross traffic. This way, the emergency responders would have a clear route to their destination, thus reducing the time they need to reach a specific location where an incident occurred.
The technology has already been installed in a total of 150 smart traffic control systems, and Autotalks explains that the idea can be further improved to become even more effective whenever emergency vehicles are approaching.
For example, the same system can also communicate with an application that’s installed in the car (or on a smart device, like a smartphone, that’s placed inside the vehicle) to alert the driver that they need to clear the way for emergency responders. Furthermore, the app can be used to give priority to buses and to even alert drivers whenever a red-light runner is spotted close to their current location.
Of course, it’ll take a while until such a system is adopted by more authorities in the United States, but it all depends on the data collected after the pilot stage launched in Georgia.
The new system relies on a rather smart yet super-simple approach. The whole thing uses wireless communications between the emergency vehicle and the main unit whose purpose is to control the traffic light on their route.
More specifically, an emergency vehicle can tell a smart traffic light that it’s approaching in an attempt to clear the traffic on the same route and, at the same time, to stop the cross traffic. This way, the emergency responders would have a clear route to their destination, thus reducing the time they need to reach a specific location where an incident occurred.
The technology has already been installed in a total of 150 smart traffic control systems, and Autotalks explains that the idea can be further improved to become even more effective whenever emergency vehicles are approaching.
For example, the same system can also communicate with an application that’s installed in the car (or on a smart device, like a smartphone, that’s placed inside the vehicle) to alert the driver that they need to clear the way for emergency responders. Furthermore, the app can be used to give priority to buses and to even alert drivers whenever a red-light runner is spotted close to their current location.
Of course, it’ll take a while until such a system is adopted by more authorities in the United States, but it all depends on the data collected after the pilot stage launched in Georgia.
Google News