City of Moreton Bay to pilot AI‍-‍powered traffic signalling

The City of Moreton Bay has announced it will soon embark on what it says is an Australia-first pilot of an AI-powered traffic signal control system. The system will work by analysing vehicle movements to substantially reduce unnecessary wait times and improve traffic flow.

The new method of managing traffic signals is a major shift from Australia’s long-standing signal control methodology of phase-based control, dating back to the 1980s. This old method operates on a pre-determined sequence and grouping of traffic lights, prioritised on a ‘first come, first served basis’.

The next generation traffic signal hardware instead runs on a ‘movement-based’ control system and manages individual movements without being tied to a pre-determined sequence or fixed grouping of traffic lights. The system is designed to reduce delays and wait times at signalised intersections.

Mayor Peter Flannery said the council was proud to be pioneering what promised to be a gamechanger for motorists and pedestrians.

“We’re excited to be the first in Australia to trial technology that has the very real potential to improve the flow of traffic around our road network,” he said. “The technology effectively uses both AI and advanced algorithms to inform optimised traffic operations under a new traffic management approach.

“This means that higher traffic flows of vehicles including public transport can be prioritised dynamically throughout the day.”

“There is the potential to substantially reduce the time motorists spend unnecessarily sitting at red lights, which is often constrained by legacy traffic control methods, and this can be extremely frustrating especially when there are no cars in sight,” he added.

The new traffic technology is being tested at the intersection of Moreton Parade and Paper Avenue in Petrie and will be implemented at the intersection later this year.

Installation of the technology involves replacing existing traffic signal controllers at intersections with next-gen traffic signal hardware. This hardware instantly makes decisions about the most optimal way to control traffic even with in-ground loop detectors which is the existing method of vehicle detection.

To support the system, the council will also install advanced vehicle detection sensor technology to collect high-quality traffic data that will support traffic optimisation by classifying road user types (cars, trucks, pedestrians, cyclists) and predict traffic flow.

Image caption: The intersection where the AI-powered traffic light system will be tested. Image: Supplied.