Image: istockphoto.com/TIM MCCAIG
German ingenuity
Operative Regional Integrated and Optimized Corridor Control (ORINOKO) is a test project being conducted in Germany. It recently received a three million euro grant from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI in Dresden was among the project partners.
Video computers
First installed and tested in the Nuremberg area, ORINOKO employs complex software to first monitor an array of factors and then respond to real-time traffic flows. Video sensors mounted on traffic lights send back a constant stream of real-time traffic information and the computers respond by altering traffic signals accordingly. The video detector can determine the number of vehicles, their speed, the length of a backup, the timing of vehicle movements and other factors for up to six traffic lanes simultaneously.
Saving time and money
It’s proving to be more efficient and cheaper than the current system used by providing a continuous stream of reliable data.
“This combination of advanced computer technology and the image processing software developed by us delivers data of a similar quality to those of conventional induction loops, but is much cheaper and more flexible to use,” says IVI head of department Ulf Jung.
Formulas to stop jams
Recently a team of mathematicians from the Universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest, developed a mathematical code to explain why traffic jams occur. Their model showed how one car slowing down to react to events on the road creates a domino effect. This 'backward travelling wave', results in traffic many miles upstream, several minutes after it was triggered.
No more idling
ORINOKO has the potential to respond to the wave before it adversely affects traffic. What could be better than shortening daily commutes or not getting stuck in a traffic jam? Reducing traffic jams will also improve air quality since idling in stop-and-go traffic is main cause of smog and emissions. It’s also one of the least efficient uses of gas in cars.
Liam McCann is a regular contributor to Green Living Online.
Green Living Blogs
