Siemens Mobility and Transport for London (TfL) have announced the launch of an adaptive traffic management solution that aims to improve the current 30 year-old system.
Sitraffic Fusion will be part of London’s real time optimiser, which currently relies on information gathered from inductive loops buried in the road that detect approaching vehicles.
The new solution will use data from a range of transport modes such as connected vehicles and buses. According to Siemens, this allows signalised junctions and pedestrian crossing to be managed in a way that minimises vehicle delays and stops.
Supported by the University of Southampton, Fusion models all modes of transport. TfL said this will optimise traffic management in a way that confronts the capital’s transport challenges.
Glynn Barton, TfL’s director of network management, said: “We’re working to overhaul the way we manage London’s road network as we tackle some of the biggest issues London faces, such as poor air quality and congestion, ensuring that the capital has a green, healthy and sustainable future.”
The functionality of the system will be tested at so-called ‘living laboratory’ trail sites across London in the coming weeks.
Wilke Reints, managing director of Siemens Mobility’s intelligent traffic systems business in the UK, said: “This trial marks a major milestone in the development of this ground-breaking traffic management solution, and I know its progress will be followed closely by industry colleagues around the world.
“Whilst London is using our hosted UTC solution for the first time to provide Fusion with connectivity to the street, the system is designed to work with a range of UTC systems. Although this is just the first manifestation of the new system, we are enormously excited by its potential and the degree of control that it will give transport authorities.”
