The City of Seattle has partnered with Google’s Project Green Light with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by reducing the amount of time people spend at red lights.
SEATTLE — Drivers in Seattle may soon be free from long waits at traffic lights thanks to new AI technology.
Seattle is the first city in North America to use Google’s new AI technology to improve traffic flow. The Seattle Department of Transportation announced that it will begin working with Google on this partnership starting in late 2022.
Google said the technology could reduce time spent at red lights in Seattle and reduce carbon emissions. These intersection improvements are what the people of South Lake Union say are needed.
“It’s really bad,” said Nayana Sharma, who works in South Lake Union and witnessed the traffic jams on Mercer Street. “Even the lights are very slow and not even synchronized.”
Some traffic light patterns in Seattle could soon be improved, as the city is now the first city in North America to use a new Google technology called Project Green Light. Project Green Light uses Google Maps and AI to figure out how cities can improve flow at intersections.
There are approximately 1,200 signalized intersections in the city, and the following intersections have implemented Project Green Light recommendations:
- 15th Ave NW at NW Market St in Ballard
- 15th Ave NW and NW 53rd St in Ballard
- Greenwood Ave N and N 80th St in Greenwood
Green Light is a Google Research effort that leverages AI and Google Maps to drive trends, model traffic patterns, and improve existing The project is said to be making proposals for optimizing traffic light plans.
“Our AI-based recommendations work with existing infrastructure and transportation systems, allowing city engineers to implement recommendations within minutes, monitor impact, and see results within weeks. ,” said Rothenberg. “These optimizations will create a wave of green lights, improve traffic flow in cities, further reduce stop-and-go emissions, and allow people to experience cleaner, greener cities in places like Seattle. It will be like this.”
Google said that 50% of emissions at intersections come from acceleration after stopping, and that intersections can be 29 times more polluted than regular roads.
Joshua Doty, who works in South Lake Union and frequently sees traffic jams, says, “Cars get more fuel when they’re idling and maintaining their speed, so it’s important to keep traffic flowing evenly.” “If we can, we can definitely reduce emissions.” backup.
Since this is a new research initiative, it will be provided free of charge to the city.
