Boston AI Pilot Optimizes Traffic Light Timing

The program has led to reductions in stop-and-go traffic of as much as 50 percent.

1 minute read

August 16, 2024, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Close-up on red traffic light with blurred street in background.

KONSTANTIN SHISHKIN / Adobe Stock

A pilot program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) platform Green Light to improve traffic flows in Boston has led to a noticeable reduction in stop-and-go traffic, reports Jonathan Andrews in Cities Today.

“A platform like Green Light is a low-barrier way for us to try more frequent signal timing changes that are responsive to recent traffic conditions. The automated impact analysis helped us evaluate the recommendations– and by extension, the value of the platform –very easily,” said Michael Lawrence Evans, Director of Emerging Technology for the City of Boston.

Engineers at the Boston Transportation Department assessed the AI recommendations to decide where and whether to implement them. “At one intersection, stop-and-go traffic has been reduced by over 50 percent and cities around the world that use Project Greenlight have reportedly experienced a 10 percent average reduction in emissions.”

The city says the tool assists them in identifying signals that need to be optimized “particularly at the 300 signalised intersections that are not directly connected to the city’s Traffic Management Center.”

Thursday, August 15, 2024 in Cities Today

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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