An MIT study determined that traffic lights, and their inefficiencies, could be eliminated if all vehicles were equipped to regulate their speed and "batch" together as they approach intersections.
Less a fully autonomous system than an extension of cruise control, the slot-based network could take away the need to wait at traffic lights. "The basic idea is that actors in a system are grouped into batches, and the speed of their movement is carefully controlled to move them more efficiently through a space."
Carlo Ratti and Paolo Santi of MIT have released a study that examines how cars could communicate to navigate intersections without coming to a stop. The system relies on sensors that relay a vehicle's trajectory to a central computer, which can then control that vehicle's speed and group it with other cars before arriving in the intersection.
Essentially, writes Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan, "What Santi and Ratti are proposing is a super-intelligent piece of software that could take the basic model of a stoplight—cycling between stop and go—and speed it up," so that all vehicles continue through the intersections at slow but steady speeds.
Of course, the article notes, slot-based design has to contend with the same barrier autonomous vehicles face: a human unwillingness to give up control.
FULL STORY: MIT's Not-So-Crazy Plan To Get Rid Of Stoplights
On the Benefits of Traffic Signal Removal
Certain intersections stand to gain from losing their traffic lights. According to this study, cities can save money and improve safety by uninstalling signals in low-traffic zones.
California Approves Waymo Driverless Taxis
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles can begin picking up passengers in Los Angeles and San Francisco in spite of opposition from local officials.
An Approach for Managing the Risks of Autonomous Cars
As ‘robotaxis’ and other autonomous vehicles make their way onto American streets, cities can take proactive steps to mitigate risks and balance the benefits and challenges of new technology.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
