If you’ve never heard of intelligent portable traffic management systems, you would be in the majority, yet these state of the art systems offer urban traffic solutions that are making all of our lives easier. A typical system would consist of portable variable message signs (PVMS), motion detectors and video surveillance cameras, with the system being controlled from a single location using a digital communication platform.
Proven Track Record
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, or so the old saying goes, and any smart traffic review will give the system a thumbs-up, as it is a tried and tested method to control urban traffic. More and more cities are incorporating a range of stand-alone systems that can be plugged into the urban grid and help to effectively control the movement of city traffic.
Global Efforts
The great thing about digital technology is that we can share it with our global partners – here is a link to some great initiatives around the world – that continue to raise the bar. All of the new systems that are tested worldwide can be utilised by everyone, and by sharing our newfound knowledge, we all get to benefit. Some cities in the world have made remarkable progress in traffic and incident management, with many rood users fully updated on traffic and weather conditions, allowing them to avoid congested areas. Technology is enabling us to make maximum use of our roads and this undoubtedly reduces accidents, as well as keeping traffic congestion to a minimum.
Traffic Lights
Many countries are already taking advantage of numbered traffic lights – which countdown prior to changing to red – giving drivers advanced warning of light changes, and an integrated network can ease the flow of traffic be monitoring the number of vehicles at any one location. One example is when a traffic light changes to green, yet there are no vehicles waiting, and a modern traffic management system would detect this and therefore maintain the red light, allowing crossing traffic to keep moving. Click here for more information on smart traffic light systems and how they can be of benefit.
Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian crossings have also benefitted from new technology, making our crossings safer, and with better vehicle speed monitoring, we can effectively maintain slower speeds near pedestrian crossings. Cities that employ state of the art pedestrian crossings are reporting a dramatic reduction in accidents, as well as reduced waiting times for drivers at crossings where no one is waiting to cross.
Urban Driverless Vehicles
While we have made good use of mass transit systems like buses and underground trains, a new generation of driverless vehicles that look like something out of the future are almost upon us. It is understandable for people to be a little apprehensive climbing into an automated vehicle, but when you consider that no vehicle can ever get close enough to another to be involved in a collision, it makes you realise just how safe they really are.
It seems that very soon, we can say goodbye to polluted and overcrowded roads and with the help of new technology, our cities will become safer for all of us.
