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March 10, 2005
Chicago's plan for intersections
From the Sun-Times:
With an eye toward "moving Chicago faster," Mayor Daley today will take the wraps off his "Star Wars" plan to use a computerized network of cameras and sensors to reduce traffic congestion. Although the high-tech overhaul will take years to implement, Daley plans to use a $13 million federal air-quality grant to get the ball rolling. The goal is to get the first "pilot intersection" fully equipped within six months.
Ultimately, 2,818 of the 2,900 Chicago intersections with traffic signals will be linked to the new system, automatically adjusting traffic signal times when congestion demands it.
"What we're looking at is a cutting-edge solution that will result in a significant decrease in congestion time. We'll be the first city to have this kind of intelligent traffic system in place," said Ron Huberman, executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which includes the Traffic Management Authority.
"A lot of the technology today is focused on using cameras and sensors to identify a backlog at one intersection and turning the light green when there's heavy traffic. Our solution is much more holistic. It'll simultaneously feed data back from all of the intersections to a sophisticated computer system and make corrections on a global scale. Rather than turning one light and moving a driver a few blocks up, we're looking to install a system that's self-adjusting throughout the whole city."
Last fall, a study by the Texas Transportation Institute concluded the average Chicago area driver frittered away 56 hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic in 2002 at a cost of $520 each in time and fuel for all motorists and a whopping $985 for those who travel during rush hour. That's the longest per-drive delay Chicago and northwest Indiana commuters have ever faced and the sixth-worst average delay in the country, the study stated.
Posted by rshah at March 10, 2005 11:03 PM
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