41 replies to this topic

[pherthyl]

Well either we could spend millions of dollars in trying to make traffic lights smarter or we could start prioritizing roundabouts with the same effect and no need for massively complicated traffic light AI

[James Bay walker]

Well either we could spend millions of dollars in trying to make traffic lights smarter or we could start prioritizing roundabouts with the same effect and no need for massively complicated traffic light AI

Well, a very simple and inexpensive (~<$30,000 imo) approach for major intersections in Victoria would be:

a) monitoring a typical 7:00am-7:00pm weekday's traffic flow at an intersection for each hour (there's road volume pressure sensor tubes that can be stapled onto the asphalt with recording boxes chained to nearby lamp posts); else mount a few camcorders high up, and fast forward through the day's recordings while noting what's needed.

b) adjusting the signal timing for each direction for each hour to adapt to the trends noted for various times of the day

Do the same for other intersections, one at a time.

At some times of the day there's a consistently higher north-south or east-west load then at other times of the day. And yet at present, the traffic signal light timing is typically identical 24/7 (there's a few exceptions, but only a few).

In particular, commuters entering the city in the morning, and exiting in the late afternoon / evening along major corridors -- those routes need much longer (eg. continuous for up to three minutes at a go if traffic's not letting up) green lights at those times.

jbw

editted to add: And, I'd like the introduction of BladeRunner style pedestrian audio instructions: "Walk Now, Walk Now", "Don't Walk, Don't Walk" at all intersections (or at least those without the bird tweets designed for the blind).