Smarter, greener traffic management

An EU-funded project is laying the foundations for next-generation urban traffic management systems that are capable of intelligently anticipating congestion, rather than simply reacting to it. Using innovative modelling techniques and smart city technologies, the research promises to make trips faster while reducing urban transport’s environmental impact. The twin issues of congestion and climate change mean it is essential to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. In theory, encouraging more people to use buses rather than their own cars to commute to work should ease congestion by reducing the number of vehicles on the road. But as roads become less clogged, the incentive to switch diminishes, so more people use their cars and traffic congestion continues.