Shift In to the Fast Lane (Intelligent intersection)

With special radios fitted in vehicles, commute time could be significantly reduced, especially
during rush hours.

Innovations to improve the good old traffic light have been few and far between. One of these, recently
pilot tested in Hamburg, involves light assistants that show drivers recommended speeds for different
phases of the road ahead so that the journey means less stopping at traffic signals and a smoother, more
fuel efficient ride. Enough data has been collected for the project to be implemented, recommending
green times to drivers.

In Los Angeles, a system of intelligent traffic lights is planned for 1500 intersections. Touted as a
solution for smart cities, it involves a large control cabinet that will help the lights adapt to situations
and control guide lights for bikes, crosswalks and more. Portland, too, is testing a system to reduce
waiting time. India is also supposed to get Japanese traffic lights fitted with 360 degree cameras so that
these can look around and adjust 'go' time.

A group of researchers has demonstrated an intelligent transportation system (ITS) where traffic lights
are activated by dedicated short range communication (DSRC) radios fitted in vehicles. The idea is to
reduce travel or commute time significantly, especially during rush hours. The outcome reported in a
research paper claims that the overall performance of the system is superior to current traffic control
even when only 20% of the city vehicles are equipped with the radios.

The research group also points out that the traditional ITS employs intelligent intersections that can
detect vehicles by using loop detectors, magnetic detectors or cameras, and then actuates traffic lights
accordingly. But these solutions are costly and hence, could not be scaled in most cities over the past
three decades. In contrast, new vehicles with pre-installed DSRC radios can easily enable vehicle to
infrastructure (V2I) communications based on a vehicle detection method, which would make the
system viable. Moreover, this one has several benefits compared to other detection methods. First, it is
a robust system that can deal with brightness, illumination and weather conditions. Second, it is easy to
implement and maintain. There are other DSRC based solutions, but unlike this system, they require
every vehicle to be fitted with a radio, again adding to costs.

Field trials show that the new system can sense vehicles continuously when they are more than 100m
away from an intersection. This feature also supports the viability of the new sensing technology for
intelligent intersections.