Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People

Smarter Traffic Signals Prioritize Transit and People
By Robert Lim

Have you ever wondered how traffic signals could better balance the needs of all road users, whether driving, bicycling, walking or taking Muni? The SFMTA is rolling out its Connected Corridor Pilot this month to use transit platform and traffic signal sensor data to inform signal timing adjustments. The pilot also aims to collect information to support transit efficiency and street safety improvements. Traffic engineers use signal timing adjustments as a tool to prioritize the flow of travel in specific directions or for different travel modes – Muni, people walking or driving – to meet the changing demands of the road network across different timepoints in a day.

The Connected Corridors Pilot seeks to push the envelope of innovation by investing in advanced technologies, funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant. These tools will better position the city to serve the potential future needs and differing priorities of various roadway users. At the same time, the project will implement near-term improvements to our street network to make it safer and smarter. Our goal is to provide greater mobility for all users of San Francisco streets.

The sensors are mounted on traffic signal poles and transit platforms and can classify objects by size, speed and direction at a frequency of multiple times per second. The data collected from these sensors will serve two main purposes – prioritize transit, emergency vehicle and pedestrian flows and build dashboards to improve our data-driven decision-making processes.

Sensor mounted on a traffic signal pole

Sensor mounted on a traffic signal pole

The pilot will take place along 3rd Street at 10 intersections in the Mission Bay neighborhood. This corridor was selected based on the presence of upgraded traffic signal infrastructure and the opportunity to explore several operational challenges:

Accommodating the time needed for people walking in crosswalks on wide streets while also prioritizing an extended green light for transit
Reduced ability to prioritize signal timing in both directions of travel because of frequent transit operating in both north and south directions of 3rd Street
High volumes of people walking and bicycling due to the presence of a hospital, research hub, waterfront and two sports facilities in the area
Variable waiting times for passengers to exit and enter at Muni Metro platforms impact the predicted arrivals of Muni vehicles on green lights further down the line

Muni Metro traveling on 3rd Street

Muni Metro traveling on 3rd Street

These challenges provide opportunities for innovation. The project team seeks to build and test an integrated technical solution using real-time data and advanced traffic flow algorithms. These tools can dynamically adjust the signal phasing based on actual traffic flow conditions and the presence of people using various transportation modes. Real-time data availability and analysis will enable more precise predictions of when the train will reach the downstream intersections so that a green light is more likely to be provided, thus reducing the amount of time people on the transit are stopped at red lights.

Sensor installation is completed with the overall project scheduled to be completed by the fall. Check the project webpage to see future updates on project status, data analysis and reports.

Published May 27, 2021 at 05:27PM
https://ift.tt/3wDtp72

Comments

'Happy birthday, Jason!' Kylie Minogue shares throwback Neighbours pics Kylie Minogue has shared a series of nostalgic photos of her and her old Neighbours flame Jason Donovan to mark his birthday.

via Entertainment News - Latest Celebrity & Showbiz News | Sky News https://ift.tt/2TZ14a2

Jason Roy chooses one between Rohit Sharma, David Warner as his opening partner https://ift.tt/3fkBiWu

Rohit Sharma and David Warner are two of the most destructive openers in the limited-overs format. The duo had been reigning the opening spot for their respective sides for years. Both the players continue to be the mainstays for their countries in all the three formats of the game. from IndiaTV: Google News Feed https://ift.tt/2ZjgDNe

New top story from Time: My Family Is Still Being Careful About COVID-19. Why Does It Feel Like We’re the Only Ones?

https://ift.tt/2ZSA1jv Welcome to COVID Questions, TIME’s advice column. We’re trying to make living through the pandemic a little easier, with expert-backed answers to your toughest coronavirus-related dilemmas. While we can’t and don’t offer medical advice—those questions should go to your doctor—we hope this column will help you sort through this stressful and confusing time. Got a question? Write to us at covidquestions@time.com . Today, K.K. in California asks: My son is almost two, and he was born prematurely at 33 weeks. We don’t ever want to see him in the hospital again, and especially not because we were careless. Once lockdowns began last year, we took the virus seriously right away, and felt like most of our community and friends were doing the same. However, lately, we have felt like we are the only ones still taking COVID seriously. We follow everything that the health experts say but increasingly come across people who approach too closely, do not wear masks...

FOX NEWS: Olympic gymnasts sound off on the evolving leotard: 'Power and prestige goes with those leos' The world may have grown accustomed to seeing Olympic gymnasts wearing leotards as they compete for the highest honor in the sport, but these garments haven’t always been the first pick for women.

Olympic gymnasts sound off on the evolving leotard: 'Power and prestige goes with those leos' The world may have grown accustomed to seeing Olympic gymnasts wearing leotards as they compete for the highest honor in the sport, but these garments haven’t always been the first pick for women. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3BQEKE3

FOX NEWS: Couple gets married at 'most beautiful' Taco Bell: 'It was the best of both worlds' Analicia Garcia, 24, and Kyle Howser, 25, from Sacramento, California, got married on Tuesday, Oct. 26 and had their reception at the famous Pacifica, California, Taco Bell.

Couple gets married at 'most beautiful' Taco Bell: 'It was the best of both worlds' Analicia Garcia, 24, and Kyle Howser, 25, from Sacramento, California, got married on Tuesday, Oct. 26 and had their reception at the famous Pacifica, California, Taco Bell. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3ES5g0B

New top story from Time: Top U.S. General Foresees Afghan Civil War as Security Worsens

https://ift.tt/3ycQZbv KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S.’s top general in Afghanistan on Tuesday gave a sobering assessment of the country’s deteriorating security situation as America winds down its so-called “forever war.” Gen. Austin S. Miller said the rapid loss of districts around the country to the Taliban — several with significant strategic value — is worrisome. He also cautioned that the militias deployed to help the beleaguered national security forces could lead the country into civil war. “A civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if this continues on the trajectory it’s on right now, that should be of concern to the world,” he said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Miller also told a small group of reporters in the Afghan capital that for now he has the weapons and the capability to aid Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces. “What I don’t want to do is speculate what that (support) looks like in the future,” he said. In meetings at the...

Innovation to Icon: 150 Years of Cable Cars Exhibit Opens

Innovation to Icon: 150 Years of Cable Cars Exhibit Opens By Jeremy Menzies We are happy to announce the opening of a special history exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library, as part of the ongoing celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the cable cars . The “Innovation to Icon: 150 Years of Cable Cars” exhibit runs from July 1 to September 30 on the 6th floor of the public library’s main branch library at 100 Larkin Street. 150 years strong, San Francisco’s cable car system is a symbol of the city. "Innovation to Icon: 150 Years of Cable Cars" takes a visual journey through time that brings the incredible history of San Francisco’s beloved cable cars to life. Combining photographs, original documents, and unique memorabilia from the San Francisco History Center and the SFMTA Photo Archive, this exhibit showcases the spirit, ingenuity and timeless allure of a city icon.  Cable cars once dominated the transit scene in San Francisco. This 1890s shot was taken at M...

New top story from Time: A Black Sheriff’s Deputy Was Denied Burial at a Louisiana Cemetery Because It Was ‘Whites Only’

https://ift.tt/3sZZIMe The board of a small Louisiana cemetery that denied burial to a Black sheriff’s deputy held an emergency meeting Thursday and removed a whites-only provision from its sales contracts. “When that meeting was over it was like a weight lifted off of me,” H. Creig Vizena, board president for Oaklin Springs Cemetery in southwest Louisiana, said Thursday night. He said he was stunned and ashamed to learn two days earlier that the family of Allen Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Semien, who died Sunday, had been told that he could not be buried at the cemetery near Oberlin because he was African American. “It’s horrible,” Vizena told The Associated Press on Thursday morning. He said the board members removed the word “white” from a contract stipulation conveying “the right of burial of the remains of white human beings.” “It took more time to keep up with the Roberts Rules of Order” than it did to make the change, he said. Karla Semien of Oberlin wrote T...

FOX NEWS: Bride threatens to send a wedding guest away if she wears ‘off-white’ outfit A bride-to-be posted on Reddit’s “Am I the A--h---” about how her father’s girlfriend is planning to wear a cream silk dress to her wedding.

Bride threatens to send a wedding guest away if she wears ‘off-white’ outfit A bride-to-be posted on Reddit’s “Am I the A--h---” about how her father’s girlfriend is planning to wear a cream silk dress to her wedding. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3kYvWTf

New top story from Time: ‘I Can Be Someone I Didn’t Have.’ Actor Simu Liu on Asian Representation and His Marvel Future

https://ift.tt/3ad9HoX A Chinese-Canadian actor as the face of a Marvel superhero franchise? That’s not the world Simu Liu grew up in. But that’s the world Liu is making this year. “ I can be someone I didn’t have as a kid ,” the actor tells TIME100 Talks He’s talking about the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie starring a hero of Asian descent, due out in July. The Kim’s Convenience actor will play the titular character, Shang-Chi. And—as his comment suggests—it’s been a long time coming. “ I loved comics as a kid, I loved superheroes, but I really didn’t see myself represented in that space,” he says. “I really hope with this movie, kids who are like me, who grew up similarly, can have that. That’s really the power of representation: seeing yourself on screen and feeling like you’re a part of this world, which for Asian children who have grown up in the West hasn’t always been the case.” Liu’s leading-man s...

My precise view

Search This Blog