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

  • Used EV batteries to transform stationary storage
    August 26, 2016
    According to a report (link http://about.bnef.com/landing-pages/new-life-used-ev-batteries-stationary-storage/.) by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the electric vehicle market is set to grow quickly, but so far there has been no consensus on a ‘second-life’ for the many used EV batteries. In this report, senior analyst Claire Curry has compiled the first data and shows that low-cost energy storage could be here sooner than previously thought. She projects that there will be 29 GWh of used EV batter
  • Webinar: integrating a new transport ticketing system with a smart city
    April 24, 2015
    A live webinar and Q&A session on 28 April at 1500 BST will discuss transport ticketing smart cards, smart city smart cards, mobile NFC devices and software development kits. It will look at how these elements can be used to contribute towards creating a smart city by integrating information with security and connectivity and take a look at how open data and easy to use software development kits make a smart city eco system accessible to a broad developer base. Speakers include Louis-Alban Batard-Dupré,
  • ITS International 2013 Readership Survey
    March 13, 2013
    The ITS International 2013 Readership Survey is now out! You may have received an invitation earlier in the week to complete the 2013 Readership Survey. The Readership Survey was sent exclusively to our registered subscribers asking them to comment on all aspects of ITS International; print, eNewsletter and website. This is a great opportunity for you to give input directly to the editorial team and help shape the future of the magazine.
  • Waymo trials commercial driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona
    December 10, 2018
    Waymo has launched a driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, where riders will be charged for the journeys they take. In a blog post, CEO John Krafcik says the commercial self-driving service – called Waymo One - is available to early riders who have already been using Waymo’s technology. The company hopes to make the service available to more members of the public as it adds more vehicles and drives in more places, he writes. “Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully wi