The new signals will respond to congestion in real time throughout the day.
Hoping to cut drive times by up to 13 percent, Maryland will spend $50 million to install smart traffic signals statewide.
Currently, if congestion occurs, "the state's 2,500 signals require a technician to go out and reprogram their timing, leaving them unable to adjust quickly to keep traffic moving," explains Katherine Shaver in The Washington Post. The new signals will use pavement sensors to detect even minor backups, and adapt by re-timing light changes.
Maryland isn't the first state to use smart signals, but its network may become the country's most extensive. The rollout will begin this month, starting in corridors with the most compatible technologies.
FULL STORY: ‘Smart’ traffic signals soon will change themselves in Maryland
Boston AI Pilot Optimizes Traffic Light Timing
The program has led to reductions in stop-and-go traffic of as much as 50 percent.
Chattanooga Expands ‘Smart Intersection’ Network
The city is building on a smaller test project that uses sensors to gather data about traffic movement to help transportation planners make more informed traffic management decisions.
China's Largest Online Retailer Using Artificial Intelligence to Tackle Congestion
A subsidiary of Alibaba, the massive online retailer, will deploy cloud computing and artificial intelligence to help relieve congestion in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont