CONNECTED SIGNALS |
Get the green light
Intertraffic World 070 | Annual Showcase 2020
A new pilot is simplifying
connected-vehicle signal control
by using a simple smartphone
app, with dramatic results
Words | Prof. Vittorio Astarita, UNICAL, Italy
In July 2019 the first experiment of
a traffic signal regulated by 100%
connected vehicles was carried out at the
University of Calabria (UNICAL), Italy.
The experiment took place with the help of
common commercial smartphones by a team
of researchers working for UNICAL and the
innovative start-up Somos. A complete new
system has been developed that can use
a simple mobile application to broadcast
vehicle location and speed to the
infrastructure management system. This
innovation allows for a real-time change to
signal phase and timings.
The system works by combining a GPS
fix with cellular data networks. Traffic lights
can therefore be controlled without expensive
infrastructure, according to a vehicle’s
position and speed, in a way that is cheaper
than most traditional systems, which detect