Skip to main content

Benefits of SMART Signal system

Developed by researchers led by civil engineering associate professor Henry Liu at the University of Minnesota, the SMART Signal (Systematic Monitoring of Arterial Road Traffic Signals) system is said to be reducing congestion on roads controlled by traffic lights. The system automatically collects and processes data from traffic signal controllers at multiple intersections. It then creates performance measures, including information on the times and locations congestion occurs on a given road. Traffic eng
October 17, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Developed by researchers led by civil engineering associate professor Henry Liu at the University of Minnesota, the SMART Signal (Systematic Monitoring of Arterial Road Traffic Signals) system is said to be reducing congestion on roads controlled by traffic lights.

The system automatically collects and processes data from traffic signal controllers at multiple intersections. It then creates performance measures, including information on the times and locations congestion occurs on a given road.  Traffic engineers can use these measures to determine whether signals are properly timed and to monitor the overall performance of the system.

SMART Signal has been deployed at more than thirty intersections in Minnesota and six intersections in Pasadena, California.

According to Steven Misgen, metro traffic engineer at the 2103 Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the system also has benefits for the travelling public, including reduced congestion and improved travel time throughout a given corridor.

“As a result, they’ll have a better quality of life, [spending] less time sitting in congested intersections,” Misgen says.

A new video from the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute highlights the benefits of the system: %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.its.umn.edu/Research/FeaturedStudies/smartsignals/index.html#SMARTSignal Smart signals false http://www.its.umn.edu/Research/FeaturedStudies/smartsignals/index.html#SMARTSignal false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • SmartCity US example from Schneider Electric
    April 22, 2013
    In less than 40 years, 70 per cent of the world’s populations will live and breathe in our cities, pushing the world’s cities to their breaking point due to the rapid growth. The question is, can this growth be constructed in a sustainable way? Can the carbon footprint and overall environmental impact be reduced along the way
  • TRL announces new student award initiative
    September 22, 2016
    The UK Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has launched the TRL Student Award, which aims to tap into the creative skills of today’s younger generation in the UAE in order to help solve practical, real life problems while also helping the region in its move towards more growth and development. The initiative will award some of the region’s top student minds for their proposals of innovative and sustainable transport solutions in a special awards ceremony on the sidelines of Gulf Traffic 2016, which will
  • Signal Group launches C5000 intersection control system
    March 20, 2018
    Signal Group is launching a new traffic control product, called the C5000 intersection control system, here at Intertraffic. The company says it has taken its proven US technology from the ATC line of traffic controllers and SG line of safety monitors and created an all-in-one unit. The new unit, along with its paired power distribution assembly, can deliver world-class traffic control in an integrated card-rack based form factor. This initial launch configuration will drive up to 32 individual signal sets
  • Tampa Hillsborough Expressway seeks drivers for connected vehicle pilot
    November 15, 2017
    The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) is recruiting volunteer drivers and pedestrians for the Tampa Connected Vehicle Pilot. The $21 million (£16 million) project aims to demonstrate the safety, mobility and environmental benefits of connected vehicle technology (CVP). THEA plans to equip 1,600 privately owned automobiles with this technology by mid-2018.