Stop Lights Of The Future Will Be Much ‘Smarter’

Artificial Intelligence is being used to make our traffic lights smarter.

LYT (pronounced “light”)  software uses data and machine learning to manipulate traffic signals and improve the flow of traffic.

With GPS practically everywhere nowadays – in our phones, cars, SUVs, trucks, public buses, trains, and emergency vehicles – aggregate data is used to paint a picture of  what traffic looks like at any given moment.

Suppose there’s a city bus that’s running a few minutes off-schedule.  AI’s LYT would then use historical information on bus routes, coupled with real-time data that shows where the bus actually is, to set up a “green wave,” allowing the bus to hit green lights as needed to get the it back on schedule.

“Then people who are taking the bus (are) less stressed because those buses feel like trains, where they only stop at each bus stop,” LYT CEO Tim Menard said.

A pilot program involving 17 intersections on a San Jose bus route shortened travel times by 20%.

LYT is also being used to improve response time in Fremont, California.  LYT helps emergency vehicles reach their destinations faster by assuring green lights along the route.

Principal transportation engineer Eric Hu says that because AI can respond to approaching emergency vehicles at greater distances, it allows “crossing motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to clear the intersections ahead of time,” improving safety.

Two more benefits of LYT is less stop-and-go traffic, resulting in less pollution. And  It also creates less overall congestion and reduced wait times for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.