By Dr. Robert Gordon
Program Director, Reverse Logistics Management
Traffic congestion seems to be a common occurrence in major cities. Over time, this congestion can increase pollution rates, heighten noise levels, threaten economic growth and slow commuting times.
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In fact, some studies have shown that traffic congestion can lead to health risks due to increased pollution levels. Stockholm and Oslo are already moving to eliminate all automobile traffic in downtown areas.
Several techniques have been implemented to reduce traffic congestion, including implementing telework policies for employees, widening roads, creating high-occupancy vehicle lanes, offering subsidies for employees to take mass transit to/from work, installing bike lanes, and carpooling. However, there’s another technology — smart technology—that can help lower traffic congestion as well.
How Would Technology Be Used to Create Smarter Cities?
Using smart technology, simple, everyday outdoor items such as a traffic light or a trash can could reduce congestion and pollution. Trash cans equipped with smart technology let a city know when the cans need to be emptied, and garbage trucks can be deployed on an as-needed basis.
Smart technology has many advantages. For example, motion detectors installed on street lights can save money over time by only turning on when people or vehicles are present. Also, street lights can notify the dispatch location when they need to be replaced. All of this technology would use data that could be entered into a master system to optimize routes.
Also, motion detectors on street lights can notify drivers when a parking spot is available in their nearby area. On a larger scale, cameras on roads can monitor and predict traffic patterns.
In addition, Waydo and Cavnue are partnering to make city infrastructure smarter to communicate directly with self-driving vehicles. Smarter roads coupled with self-driving vehicles would allow vehicles to communicate with the city infrastructure and other self-driving vehicles to alter speed and course to avoid accidents at blind turns. Real-time data at key infrastructure locations can notify self-driving vehicles to avoid collisions and other hazards.
European Cities Like Barcelona Are Already Using Smart Technology
New smart technology is being developed by companies like SmartUp Cities in Europe to implement and deploy in urban centers. In fact, Barcelona has already implemented many of these technologies and is currently one of the smartest cities in Europe. The advantages of urban smart technology are clear, so we should expect more metropolitan areas will move to becoming smarter cities sooner than we think.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Gordon is the Program Director of the Reverse Logistics Management, Government Contracting and Acquisition, and Military Management programs at American Public University (APU). APU has an accredited academic program for a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Reverse Logistics.
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