Light Traffic | MIT Senseable City Lab

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETHZ), and the Italian National Research Council (CNR) have developed slot-based intersections that could replace traditional traffic lights, significantly reducing queues and delays. This idea is based on a scenario where sensor-laden vehicles pass through intersections by communicating and remaining at a safe distance from each other, rather than grinding to a halt at traffic lights.

This approach based on slot-based intersections is flexible and can be designed to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle crossing with vehicular traffic.

The model provides a performance breakthrough: all safety requirements being equal, traffic efficiency is doubled with respect to current state-of-the-art traffic lights. With today's traffic volumes, queues would vanish and travel delays would be cut to almost zero.

[docblue]

A public automated transportation infrastructure will solve everything: no more need for parking lots, traffic lights, stop signs or even freeways... just three lanes each way for major roads (fast lane, standard, and drop-off lane). The majority of the road will be for pedestrians, and foliage growth. Overpasses and/or Underpasses allow bikes to pass. Traffic will never happen: Our vehicles will be in a continuous flow... like the cells in our veins and arteries.

[bucketslash]

you know what else is keeping a constant flow of traffic?

a roundabout, too bad americans can't seem to get the efficency of it despite mythbusters proving how efficent they were

[idiocracy]

I want to see this with twice the amount of cars and let's see how the system handles that.

[DanFrederiksen]

When all cars are under coordinated computer control you can run them at 200km/h through an intersection and miss other cars by a few centimeters.

[JaysonDavidspace]

People that keep saying "what about by pedestrians/and or cyclist" You gotta keep up with the ever evolving world around you, ...Even now, in a lot of places sidewalks or bike lanes go above or under the traffic, ...Vehicle traffic congestion and mainly emissions are some of the biggest problems with the environment..And things are getting BAD, even with a lot of changes in "green" solutions...There needs to be a major shift in the way we love/live/and think a lot faster then our current progression, ..And thats every person around the world..We need to clean our air, feed our hungry, house the homeless, take care of our elderly, and educate our kids(outside the current teachings of our state and gov)And Take our lives(and mother Earth) supporting a failing gov, stop blind faith in preachers that seduce our young and only accept Cash as payment, , .if you choose to live by the bible then only meet with a few friends to discuss where money isn't traded for scripture..And others(like me)who's evolved beyond the worship of words that were decoded by men with greed in their heart and don't live with god but just live being GOOD to everyone we share this soil with, and get our energy from the sun, water from the Earth, and love from our NEED A MAJOR CHANGE, AND NOW IS THE TIME, (maybe our last chance)
"love, to all who feel, Who feel the need to LOVE"
SpaCeJaysOn

[alanlocke]

Anybody know the name of the song in the video?

[howwhat]

it’s a good idea but now it will be impossible for a pedestrian to cross the road. Can there be an animation made showing bike and pedestrian traffic? Also I wonder with self driving cars could our roads be smaller? If that was the case our cities could become much nicer for people.

[MrCelroy]

Whats the point? People can't cross the road if this happen.

[nicogalindo]

Five seconds of Summers chopped up at the end (Earthbound).

[Matt-qpvg]

oversimplified to the point of uselessness, thanks MIT

[Milkmans_Son]

Wow, look at the traffic flow effortlessly through the intersection of Unicorn Street and Cotton Candy Lane. Amazing. Ok, now do it with 500, no, 5000 intersections.... 4, 5, & 6 way intersections, on ramps & off ramps, emergency vehicles, bridges, tunnels, school zones, mechanical breakdowns, one way streets, four lane streets, six lane streets, pedestrians, bad weather, construction, carpool lanes, railroad crossings, and calico cats. And about 200 other things I can't think of right now.

Look up. See that 747? It retails for $360 million and it doesn't fly itself. A $36, 000 Honda Accord? Good luck with that.

[ciclocidade]

I couldn´t realize in the autonomous model pedestrain time? Am I wrong?

[nathancook]

I bet the cities they create in space will have all of this. ..reminds me of Arnold Swarneggars old movies...

[maanvis]

Why not have them optimize for roundabouts, which naturally have better throughput and are safer?

[Sasha-zhtp]

I hate this because it would mandate that all cars are self driving. Fuck that.

[Pandamasque]

Will you trust a GPS/proximity based device the life of your children?

[DimitriGaldava-yirz]

maybe 15+ years from now, when everything is going to be autonomous. or pedestrians will be separated from crossing the major roads. quick transition is scary little bit

[singlelightproductions]

What will the families of victims killed in crosswalks in every intersection think about this video?

[LTNER]

ага, это надо новую машину и новый перекресток. и знаем мы вашу супер автоматизацию...

[griffinmackenzie]

Try crossing the road on the autonomous one
It's a deathtrap