Thinking lights to revamp traffic

INDEPENDENT "thinking" traffic lights will judge the volume of cars, buses and trucks and respond immediately to keep vehicles flowing as part of advances being developed for the NSW Government.

Elevated video cameras, infra-red sensors and radar as well as weight-activated sensors will monitor the traffic at each intersection.

A trial of the free-thinking traffic lights, part of the Smart Transport and Roads (STaR) project, is ready to proceed at an Albion Park roundabout, south of Wollongong.

At present, the co-ordination of neighbouring traffic lights is pre-programmed for specific times of day and predicted traffic flow patterns, such as morning and evening peak hour. A single loop system underground can detect when traffic is waiting at the lights but cannot discern the number of vehicles waiting or other conditions.

The STaR initiative involves the Roads Traffic Authority and information and communications technology company NICTA, with funding from the Federal Government and backed by universities.

The STaR project system engineering manager, Glenn Geers, said massive changes to how drivers negotiate the 3500 intersections with lights across the state would occur over the next five to 10 years.

Further developments will allow neighbouring traffic lights to communicate with each other and take action to control changing traffic flows, ensuring time savings and environmental benefits.

Dr Geers said communication between vehicles and traffic control systems will eventually become two-way, once a critical mass of vehicles have wireless radio systems. Drivers will be informed of major delays, availability of spaces at parking stations and the running times of connecting buses and trains.

"The potential by 2030 is amazing," he said. "By then, if you wake up late for work it won't matter because your car has already received the latest traffic data via wireless infrastructure.

"A voice will sound in your car informing you [that you] have only 32 minutes to make it to your meeting and you will be in time based on prevailing conditions. Then during the journey it could tell you about an accident ahead … and your revised travel time. It will then examine other route options and could tell you the quickest one."