March 18, 2021

The use of Artificial Intelligence is solving traffic issues.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making a difference to most industries and human beings around the world. AI automates systems and processes, enabling performance with little or no human involvement. With its use, it can reduce time and increase safety by removing the potential of human error.

AI use within the traffic management sector is now streamlining systems and potentially saving lives.

Three companies using AI within their solutions to traffic issues are Signal Labs, Nedap, and Rapid Flow. See below for details.

Feb 2022 UPDATE: Signal Labs don't appear to be running these solutions anymore.
Signal Labs, based in SAN FRANCISCO, USA, is using AI technology in its mission to save lives.

In 2008, founder Hari Srinivasan lost a friend to a traffic accident. His friend misjudged a turn on a mountain road - and drove over a cliff.

"We couldn't help thinking he might still be here if there was just the right warning sign was in place. Sadly, our friend is not alone. More people die in traffic accidents than war & malaria combined. 90% of these accidents are driver errors, and 50% are due to under-informed drivers." Hari Srinivasan

Their team holds multiple automotive patents and has spent years creating award-winning products at Stanford, Apple, Ford and other top technology & automotive companies.

Signal Labs envision a future in which notifications on your car's dashboard replace physical traffic signs.
They have created a dashboard device (named 'Signal') which alerts drivers to traffic conditions, potential hazards, construction, accidents, and more as they happen. The device runs on Signal Labs software, analysing data from multiple sources, including existing road infrastructure, police reports, and private data.

Testing and use of Signal has taken place in the San Francisco Bay Area, but interest from the general public has prompted plans for a consumer model that can be used elsewhere.

If you live in the San Francisco area, you can download and use their free signal app

See their video here

As a leading specialist in systems for long-range identification, Dutch-based Nedap offers a wide range of solutions to identify vehicles and drivers without delaying them.

There are over a billion motorised vehicles in this world that need to be parked when they are not in use. Parking, therefore, is a major and also growing global industry. Parking operators are all trying to optimise their occupancy rates to get the most return out of their capital investments in parking facilities.

Nedap have three solutions:

Automatic Vehicle Identification:
Using Nedap's long-range RFID readers or ANPR readers, registered drivers can get easy access to a parking facility. Cars and drivers are identified automatically, and they can obtain access without delay.
Parking Guidance:
Nedap's SENSIT wireless in-ground parking sensors allows the monitoring of the occupancy of individual parking bays. It guides drivers to empty bays and detects if anyone overstays.
Smart vehicle access gates:
With Nedap MOOV parking management systems can be linked to several online portals that enable sales and reservation of a parking bay. The MOOV controller will open the barrier for authorised customers and will store relevant events for future analysis.

Rapid Flow Technologies, based in Pittsburgh, USA, have created Surtrac, an Intelligent Traffic signal control system.

Unlike other systems that may take minutes to respond to traffic changes, Surtrac adapts in real-time to changing traffic by optimising traffic flows every second.

'Surtrac is an innovative approach to real-time traffic signal control, combining research from artificial intelligence and traffic theory. Surtrac optimises the performance of signals for the traffic that is actually on the road, improving traffic flow for both urban grids and corridors and leading to less waiting, reduced congestion, shorter trips, less pollution, and happier drivers. ' Rapid Flow.

Surtrac optimises many modes of travel, keeping vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and transit moving and safe. It aims to be an improvement over conventional traffic signal timing. Producing the following benefits:

Time savings with real-time traffic control
Get people to their destinations 25% faster by eliminating stops, reducing wait time, and increasing travel speeds.
Money savings with scalable deployments
Air quality improvement through a 20% reduction in emissions
Make 30-40% fewer stops, decreasing wear on the road and tires and resulting in cost savings for drivers and cities.

For further details on how it works, click here.

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