Smart Traffic Management

As cities continue to become more densely populated, smart traffic management solutions are helping to reduce traffic congestion, minimize commute times and improve safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Smart traffic management uses a variety of cameras, sensors and IoT-enabled devices to provide up-to-the-second information about traffic volume and traffic patterns throughout the city. By analyzing data in real-time, smart city traffic management systems can use smart traffic lights and signage to make continual adjustments, optimizing traffic patterns and increasing the flow of traffic through intersections and city streets. 

Smart traffic management may also involve technology to detect the smart phones of pedestrians as they near an intersection, helping to safely coordinate foot traffic at congested crossings. Additionally, smart carpool lanes can expand or contract as needed, or give priority to public transportation and ride shares to decrease commute times. And smart traffic management technology can provide commuters and commercial operators in connected vehicles with real-time information on traffic conditions and parking availability so they can reach their destination more efficiently.

Advantages of smart traffic management solutions

By implementing smart traffic management technology, cities can:

• Enhance the quality of life for citizens by reducing congestion, speeding commute times and alleviating stress, and by contributing to a cleaner environment with less air pollution from congested city streets
• Increase the safety of public streets for motorists, pedestrians and bicycles through more effective signage, better enforcement and a clear understanding of the conditions that may compromise traffic safety.
• Provide drivers with helpful information about traffic conditions through on-board navigation systems and smart phone apps.
• Enforce traffic regulations more effectively with greater visibility into real-time conditions.
• Improve response times for first responders and emergency vehicles by reducing congestion and intelligently re-routing traffic.
• Plan for future traffic management needs more effectively.

Spectrum Enterprise provides the infrastructure for smart traffic management

Like all smart city solutions, smart city traffic management involves the implementation of several layers of technology.

• Data collection. Smart traffic management relies on IoT-enabled devices like sensors and cameras and on GPS devices inn cars and smart phones to monitor the flow of vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the city.
• Data transmission. Reliable, secure, robust and geographically expansive network protocols are needed to connect thousands of devices to the city’s IoT computing platform.
• Data analysis. Powerful analytics software is needed to aggregate and transform vast amounts of data points into actionable intelligence that cities can use for real-time smart traffic management.
• Data interfaces. The insight gleaned from smart traffic management technology is ultimately translated into signage, traffic lights, and navigational apps and other interfaces that drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists interact with, as well as dashboards and reports that city managers use to monitor traffic in real time and to plan for future demand.

Spectrum Enterprise is a trusted provider of one piece of this smart traffic technology mix: high-speed connectivity solutions that connect and transmit data from connected devices and smart technology throughout the city. Spectrum currently partners with many municipalities to implement smart solutions throughout the country, and is investing an additional $25 billion in expanded capacity to enable more communities to reap the benefits of smart technology.

Spectrum Enterprise’s offerings include:

• A two-way, fully interactive digital network that spans more than 840,000 miles of network infrastructure throughout the U.S.
• High-speed connections for governments, large institutions and enterprise clients with symmetrical speeds up to 100 Gbps.
• Gigabit connections for 50 million homes and businesses, with plans to expand to even more locations.
• One of the nation’s largest LTE cellular networks, providing more connectivity options for smart traffic management technologies.
• More than 350,000 Spectrum WiFi hotspots throughout the country, with plans to add 5G and 802.11ax technology that will enable wireless connection speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

Learn more about Spectrum Smart Cities at www.spectrumsmartcities.com.