As Acres Homes celebrates ’44 Day’, residents confront their rapidly changing community<\/a><\/p>\nCan AI improve traffic?<\/p>\n
Traffic signals are more complex than simple timers.<\/p>\n
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They are typically controlled by a central system that follows timing plans based on expected traffic patterns at different times of day and uses cameras, radar or devices embedded in the pavement to detect when vehicles or pedestrians are present. That allows signals to extend or shorten lights based on demand, though they still operate within pre-programmed rules.<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence aims to build on that approach by using more detailed data and adjusting signals continuously in real time. The systems can also be programmed to meet specific goals based on recurring traffic patterns.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, if there\u2019s a church on Sunday and traffic lets out at a certain intersection, then we might see more people turning left at that time,\u201d said Yolci Ramirez, traffic engineer for the City of\u00a0Pearland, which began using AI signals in 2023.<\/p>\n
Ramirez said the system could be configured to prioritize that movement during those periods, helping traffic move more efficiently.<\/p>\n
While artificial intelligence can help make traffic signals more responsive, experts said\u00a0its impact is often incremental rather than transformative.<\/p>\n
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Kailai Wang, an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Houston, said AI-driven systems can improve how intersections respond to real-time conditions and reduce unnecessary delays. However, Wang cautioned that the technology does not address the root causes of congestion, such as population growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI cannot fully solve congestion itself,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n
Instead, he described it as an added layer that helps cities manage traffic more efficiently, particularly during peak periods or large events.<\/p>\n
Wang also noted potential challenges, including cybersecurity risks \u2014 as systems rely on more data and connectivity \u2014 as well as the cost and complexity of implementation.<\/p>\n
In Pearland, traffic engineers have installed AI-enabled detection systems at about 30 intersections, with plans to expand further. But officials there say the most advanced features, including fully automated signal optimization, are not yet widely in use.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be the fix-all,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to make things run more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramirez said the system can eventually allow signals to adjust timing dynamically throughout the day based on changing traffic conditions, rather than relying on preset schedules. But implementing those features requires additional funding that experts say underscores that challenges of AI traffic systems and how they are ongoing investments instead of one-time upgrades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A traffic light is seen behind Robert Brydia, right, a senior research scientist and head of the Texas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":{"0":"post-238795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-houston-headlines","10":"tag-houston-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}