Both citizens and traffic teams feel the pressure when unexpected traffic issues arise. Citizen complaints are good indicators of these issues but rarely provide all the information needed for a traffic team to take action. Traffic teams must observe issues themselves to:
- Identify the problem (and the cause)
- Assess a course of action
- Determine who and what is needed to fix the problem
- Coordinate the required resources to get the issue solved as soon as possible
That’s why solutions designed to provide real-time information about a traffic network enables traffic teams to respond to issues faster and more efficiently. Through features like connectivity and smart video sensors, signal communications improve significantly and provide traffic teams with:
- Remote access to monitor and manage signals
- Visibility into what’s happening, in real-time, at an intersection
- Accurate and reliable data from the roadside
Real-time alerts and better visibility
Using cellular connectivity to gather data directly from the traffic signals means it’s possible to deliver email alerts to traffic teams letting them know when there’s an issue, such as signals stuck in flash. Combined with improved visibility through video streaming, traffic teams can immediately verify the issue in real-time, deploying the necessary resources to fix the problem faster than traditional processes allow.
Traditionally, traffic teams need to travel to the location of a reported issue to confirm and assess the problem. Sometimes other priorities delay this process and, in the meantime, additional citizen complaints continue to come in. While some reporting systems allow citizens to upload photos when reporting an issue, circumstances can change quickly and these photos are not always a great representation of what’s happening at the intersection or roadway right now.
Smarter intersections for innovative traffic teams
Connecting signals within a traffic network is an important step towards delivering smart intersections that allow traffic teams to do more with existing resources and infrastructure. Simplifying processes is just one way signal communications help support these teams, giving them the ability to assess problems remotely and prioritize work more efficiently.
