Smart Technologies for Traffic Management
Managing road traffic is not easy, especially in densely populated cities. Overcrowding causes accidents, delays, and stifles the environment, but intelligent technology can assist pedestrians, drivers, and other road users get to where they want to go in a safe and efficient manner.
IoT technology allows for the collection of data that can enhance urban mobility, transportation systems and parking facilities. The data collected can aid in decision-making about traffic congestion reduction, improving safety and efficiency, and increasing the sustainability of economics.
For example, when an traffic signal detects that one direction has more vehicles arriving than another, it can automatically retime itself to better serve those drivers. This is a time-saving and fuel-saving option for motorists, and decreases the carbon emissions of idle vehicles. Smart traffic lights can also be programmed to alter their timings in real-time according to road conditions like construction zones or traffic jams. This greatly reduces the interruption of traffic flow, and could cut travel time by 10% or more.
These developments can help city planners avoid costly infrastructure upgrades, as well as overcrowding. They can also detect structural issues like bridge that is unsafe or are under construction. They also can help emergency vehicles get to the road faster. Every minute that an ambulance or firetruck is delayed en route to a traffic accident could drastically decrease the chances of survival for victims.
However, for these and other smart traffic technologies to work efficiently, they require an efficient, secure and scalable network infrastructure. Spectrum Enterprise offers the connectivity needed to power IoT sensors in a smart traffic management system, as well as the interfaces that deliver actionable insights.
