UK town to use traffic lights to tackle speeding

Swindon in the UK is set to trial smart traffic lights which turn to red if approaching drivers are breaking the speed limit. Sensors will detect speeding vehicles and if they are above a preset limit then the signals ahead will turn to red. If congestion builds up then the traffic light phasing will change automatically to allow more traffic through the junction. ANPR systems will detect emergency vehicles and ensure they are not inhibited by the system.
April 25, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSSwindon in the UK is set to trial smart traffic lights which turn to red if approaching drivers are breaking the speed limit. Sensors will detect speeding vehicles and if they are above a preset limit then the signals ahead will turn to red. If congestion builds up then the traffic light phasing will change automatically to allow more traffic through the junction. ANPR systems will detect emergency vehicles and ensure they are not inhibited by the system.

In 2009, Swindon became the first local authority in the UK to switch off all of its speed cameras in response to budget cuts from central government, a move that has been copied by several other authorities. Interestingly, it is reported that since then, accidents both at the camera sites, and in the town as a whole, have dropped.

“We welcome trials of technologies other than cameras to deter speeding drivers and this sort of system is already extensively used in Spain and Portugal,” commented Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the 4961 RAC Foundation. “But will the odd red light be enough of a deterrent to change the behaviour of persistent offenders?
Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • QuicNet software identifies illegal use of red light preemptive technology
    April 26, 2012
    McCain has announced the successful use of its QuicNet advanced traffic management system (ATMS) central control technology by the city of Carlsbad, in California, to identify the illicit use of red light preemptive technology. Using QuicNet, the city was able to identify how, when and where the illegal use was taking place.
    Read More
  • Tecsidel’s Pan-American Highway tunnel eases Lima’s traffic woes
    December 4, 2018
    The Pan-American Highway connects the US and Canada with Latin America, running for thousands of miles from Alaska in the north to Argentina in the south. Mauro Nogarin finds that one tunnel built underneath it is now providing relief for thousands of travellers each day On the Pan-American Highway, the lengthy series of roads which spans both American continents - from the US state of Alaska to the Latin American country of Argentina - ITS solutions are many and varied. One of these, in Peru’s capital
    Read More
  • Machine vision makes red light enforcement easier
    December 1, 2015
    Teledyne Dalsa’s Manny Romero looks at how the combination of camera manufacturer and software provider can make enforcement easier. Californian video analytics solution provider Eutecus develops real-time images capture and high speeds processing technology for applications including intelligent lighting and advanced driver assistance systems.
    Read More
  • Fotech Solutions performs acoustic track
    July 14, 2020
    Harnessing distributed acoustic sensing technology across urbanised city transport networks can deliver real advantages for traffic flow, says Stuart Large of Fotech Solutions
    Read More

Highlighted Content