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Cities Time Traffic Lights to Save Gas
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Commuters who fume at consistently ill-timed red lights and traffic snarls have some new allies: researchers hoping to reduce global warming.
30-Second Summary
A growing number of cities in the United States and Canada are testing innovative technologies like “smarter” traffic lights and buses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving traffic flow.
Both high gas prices and climate change concerns are accelerating research into improving traffic light timing as a way to decrease fuel consumption.
“We use very high-fidelity microscopic traffic simulation tools,” said traffic-light researcher Byungkyu “Brian” Park of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. “We can then optimize traffic signals to maximize fuel efficiency and lower emissions, or to minimize delays.”
In Calgary, a wireless technology called “signal preemption” changes traffic lights depending on bus location. The system is saving thousands of gallons of fuel per year and reducing the pollution caused by idling cars, reports Forbes.
Other innovations include replacing standard intersections with roundabouts, and developing “intelligent” mass transit vehicles that use wireless technology to track and respond to traffic patterns.
Booming metropolises like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver “are completely enamored of the density that intelligent bus transit enables,” said Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution.
Portland, Oregon has used a smart traffic-light timing system for more than five years. The city also signed an agreement in 2005 with the environmental group The Climate Trust to implement a “transportation efficiency” project with a goal of reducing fuel consumption “equivalent to taking 34,220 cars off the road for a year.”
Both high gas prices and climate change concerns are accelerating research into improving traffic light timing as a way to decrease fuel consumption.
“We use very high-fidelity microscopic traffic simulation tools,” said traffic-light researcher Byungkyu “Brian” Park of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. “We can then optimize traffic signals to maximize fuel efficiency and lower emissions, or to minimize delays.”
In Calgary, a wireless technology called “signal preemption” changes traffic lights depending on bus location. The system is saving thousands of gallons of fuel per year and reducing the pollution caused by idling cars, reports Forbes.
Other innovations include replacing standard intersections with roundabouts, and developing “intelligent” mass transit vehicles that use wireless technology to track and respond to traffic patterns.
Booming metropolises like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver “are completely enamored of the density that intelligent bus transit enables,” said Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution.
Portland, Oregon has used a smart traffic-light timing system for more than five years. The city also signed an agreement in 2005 with the environmental group The Climate Trust to implement a “transportation efficiency” project with a goal of reducing fuel consumption “equivalent to taking 34,220 cars off the road for a year.”
Headline Links: Traffic light timing picks up speed
Research by University of Virgnia assistant professor Byungkyu Park shows that timing traffic signals could help consumers use less gas and lower carbon emissions. Park and his team are utilizing innovative research techniques based on individual vehicles, rather than the overall traffic flow.
Source: University of Virginia
Calgary is using wireless technology to manipulate traffic lights on bus routes, resulting in faster car travel, less pollution caused by idling cars, and increased fuel savings for the Canadian city. According to Forbes, each “transmitter-equipped bus saves 2,000 gallons of fuel and nearly 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.”
Source: Forbes
Related Topics: Roundabouts and smart driving technologies
North Carolina newspaper The News and Observer reports that roundabouts, which have been growing in popularity throughout the state, are “more environmentally friendly than traffic signals because, when navigated properly, they eliminate stopping.”
Source: News and Observer
A new Mercedes-Benz indicates the vehicle’s daily rate of fuel consumption, reports U.K. newspaper the Globe and Mail. The daily tally shows “stop-and-go traffic, stoplights, rates of acceleration,” and encourages intelligent driving requiring less fuel. “The consequences of how you’re driving are displayed in bright, red digital numerals,” says the article.
Source: Globe and Mail
Reference: Portland’s five-year plan
In 2002, Portland, Oregon made a carbon-offset contract with The Climate Trust, based on a five-year project that would improve the timing of traffic signals. “By reducing idling and acceleration, emissions of carbon dioxide from gasoline and diesel fuel will decrease,” said the agreement. Details, including statistics, of how the project reduces carbon dioxide emissions are included.
Source: The Climate Trust
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