Brisbane to test AI-powered traffic lights
In Brisbane, Australia, a six-month trial of an artificial intelligence-based traffic light control system is planned to begin early next year. The technology will be installed at 37 intersections: 22 intersections on Logan Road and 15 intersections along Kelvin Grove Road, ABC News Australia reports.
Brisbane City Council says this will be the first trial of its kind in Australia. The new system will operate using existing infrastructure and is intended to replace traffic light phase control, which has been widely used since the 1950s.
How the system will work
According to Ryan Murphy, chair of the city council's transport portfolio, cameras will be able to identify pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trucks and public transport. The system will determine traffic intensity and queue lengths at intersections, then calculate the optimal sequence of traffic light signals.
The technology will learn over time and offer operators different intervention options. It will also be able to adapt its operation to weather conditions and major events, including football matches.
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Data and traffic priorities
Murphy said that a human will remain involved in the system's operation. According to him, all collected data will be stored in Brisbane, faces and licence plates will be blurred, and the information will not be transferred abroad.
The city council will determine priority rules for individual sections. For example, pedestrian traffic may be given priority in the central business district, while other corridors may be optimized for freight transport during the day.
The experiment costs $15 million. The council believes that the system, which has already been deployed in major cities around the world, could potentially reduce average travel times by up to 15% and cut rear-end collisions by 12%. After the trial is completed, authorities will decide whether to expand the technology to the network of 1,000 city intersections.
