The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 has formally announced that it is set to implement an advanced Internet of Things traffic management system in a bid to address and resolve the state's on-going problems with urban congestion.
The technology set to be deployed is an arterial management system (AMS) that will be implemented at 91 signalized intersections on California's Pacific Coast Highway. The Pacific Coast Highway (AMS) has been identified as a key component of Caltrans dynamic corridor congestion management program.
City officials have come under increasing pressure from businesses and residents on the Pacific Coast Highway, who have seen the deterioration of the state's traffic woes. However, this innovative new project has injected fresh optimism amongst residents that the Internet of Things management system is the remedy required to resolve urban congestion.
It has been disclosed that the partnership will see Parsons leverage the Sensys Networks IoT platform and SNAPS software to obtain a variety of performance measures on parallel arterial routes including level-of-service, travel-time variability/reliability, and intersection queue length.
This synergy between different technologies will provide real-time assessments of the arterial system performance and will also enable signal timing to change in order to accommodate unforeseen events on the adjacent freeway or the arterial system. In addition to this, it has been revealed that the IoT platform will also broadcast recommended routes and predictive travel times to roadway users.
Vice President of Parson, Dan Lukasik, says the implementation of 'smart technology' in the transportation sector is both necessary and critical in order to make driving more efficient and safe. Lukasik said, "Intelligent transportation systems increase capacity, efficiency, and safety for motorists. This important project will collect and manage the data and performance measures that will allow our ITS systems to maximize mobility and minimize the impact of traffic incidents."
CEO of Sensys Networks, Amine Haoui said the platform will represent a brilliant example of how intelligent solutions can transform a transportation system in a smart city. The CEO said, "This particular implementation leverages the full capabilities of our IoT and data analytics platform and is an excellent example of how our systems are enabling smart city solutions to deliver measurable benefits to the travelling public."
The development in California is yet another example of a growing movement amongst governments and enterprises across the US to deploy 'smart traffic' solutions in major cities in a bid to tackle traffic congestion head on.