Traffic Hurts the Environment

Dear U.S. Department of Transportation,

We’re assuming that U.S. D.O.T. has the influence over staterun transportation departments like NYSDOT and TxDOT… because who really knows who’s in control of these things…

ANYWAY, this message is for all Departments of Transportations in the states:

The U/X Idea

Make traffic lights smart. Implement better technology and communication between lights to allow for better traffic flow.

The User Experience Problem

The problem is that traffic lights are poorly timed. Yes, there is rationale behind how lights are timed. No, they do not work all that well outside of peak commuting hours.

How many times have you had to brake for a red light (along with other cars headed in the same direction) with little to no cars coming the other way?! Then you have to come to a complete stop just to start back up again.

Poor Traffic Planning Hurts the Following:

1. Time

   1. Slowing down and starting up

   2. Waiting at the light for however long it is

2. Money

   1. Wear and tear on brake pads, rotors, tires

   2. Gas to go from a stop to cruising speed

   3. Additional time spent instead of going through the light

3. The Environment

   1. Extra gas needed as a result of having to get the car moving

   2. Extra materials needed for brakes, rotors, tires

   3. Even with the adoption of electric vehicles, the electricity has to be produced somehow and is wasted on accelerating for a green light instead of being stored or used elsewhere

Potential Solution

This may mean less tax dollars for the government, but it’s a government for the people by the people, right? (Just imagine if we could see at the pump how much we’re paying in taxes per gallon…)

While this is fundamentally an important problem to solve, it is a complex problem. Though similar issues will need to be addressed eventually. Should there ever be a ban on people manual driving cars, autonomous vehicles will need a better way to communicate for increased travel efficiency.

As a potential solution, work with top tier technology companies currently focused on autonomous vehicles. An investment of this magnitude should be forward thinking with the future of technology at hand. As these companies continue to work on autonomous vehicles (Google, Uber, Volvo, Lexus, Tesla, etc.), they can provide great insight for solutions as well as a starting point for contract bids.

If you can install red light cameras that ticket us, you can install smart traffic lights that will help people save time, money, and the environment.

Sharing is Caring!