Leeds roads are getting 'smart signal controls' with artificial intelligence for detecting traffic, across 25 sites to tackle congestion.
Leeds City Council has announced plans to install 'Smart Signal Control: AI for Detection'. ‘AI for Detection’, made by VivaCity, enables junctions to operate more efficiently by responding to real-time demand.
It allows optimisation for active travel road users and the setting of multiple detection zones. In addition, ‘AI for Detection’ offers a wide range of traffic monitoring datasets. These include vehicle paths, classified counts of a range of transport types, including e-scooters, pedestrians, cyclists and buses, - anonymous journey time data, and speed insights.
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The sensors can be optimised for active travel by detecting cyclists approaching the crossing from up to 70 metres away and providing a green signal for their arrival. Leeds is also finding the solution highly effective for improving bus journeys, upon which many commuters rely.
Joel Dodsworth, Urban Traffic Management & Control Manager at Leeds City Council, commented: “Our work with VivaCity is making Leeds a safer and more efficient place to travel sustainably. As a city, we’ve experienced increasing problems with congestion and pollution.
We’re seeing real potential for this technology to improve our bus network because it will enable us to prioritise buses at junctions more effectively at crucial times of the day, while also balancing the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. Overall Smart Signal Control is making travelling around Leeds more efficient and pleasant for our community, and the city less polluted.”
Beyond the signal control benefits the sensors’ breadth of datasets will support Leeds’ other sustainable transport initiatives and our overall understanding of road user behaviours which can help direct future transport investment.
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