Managing road traffic is not easy, especially in cities with a high population. The overcrowding causes delays, accidents, and environmental degradation. Smart technology can help pedestrians and drivers get where they need to go in a safe and efficient manner.
IoT technology enables the collection of data that can enhance urban mobility and transportation systems, such as traffic lights and parking lots. These data can assist in the making of decisions about reducing traffic congestion, improving the safety and efficiency of the system, as well as increasing economic sustainability.
For example, when an traffic signal detects that one direction has more vehicles coming in than another, it will automatically adjust its timing to serve the drivers better. This can save motorists fuel and time, as well as reduces the carbon emissions from idle vehicles. Smart traffic lights can be programmed to alter their timings in real-time according to road conditions like construction zones or heavy traffic. This drastically reduces the interruption of traffic flow, and could cut time to travel by 10% or more.
These new technologies can assist city planners in avoiding costly infrastructure changes and overcrowding, and they can also detect structural issues like bridges that could be unsafe or in construction. They can also help emergency vehicles to get on the roads swiftly. The chances of a victim being able to survive a traffic collision are dramatically reduced for each second that an ambulance needs to get to the scene.
However, for these and other smart traffic technologies to operate efficiently, they require a reliable, secure and robust network infrastructure. That’s why Spectrum Enterprise provides the connectivity required to power IoT sensors in smart traffic management systems as well as the interfaces that give real-time information.
