For example, 28% of motorists spend more than a week in traffic jams a year, another 25% of motorists are stuck in traffic jams for less than a week a year. The results of the survey also showed that every fourth Russian motorist is stuck in traffic jams for up to half an hour every day. And one in five is stuck in traffic jams for up to an hour and a half every day. Record holders for spending time on traffic jams are Moscow and the Moscow region, but this problem does not pass by other major cities.
As told “Behind the wheel”, the oldest and most popular automotive publication in Russia, in GC “Urbantech”, active digitization using intelligent transport systems (ITS), shows that with the help of current technology it is possible to effectively optimize traffic flows, reduce the risk of accidents, and so on. Is it possible to permanently solve the problem of traffic congestion with the help of new technologies?
Understanding with the experts GC “Urbantech”why files are created, what problems ITS solves and why it is still not possible to completely end the files.
Why congestion occurs?
Every movement in the city is concentrated around the centers of gravity, and this, as a rule, is the cause of problems in the organization of traffic on the roads. For example, one of the main transport problems in Moscow is that a large number of residents move through the city at the same time in one direction – in the morning from the suburbs to the center, and in the evening – back from the center.
There are also other reasons. Among them are insufficient road capacity and a disproportionate number of vehicles. There are temporary or seasonal factors, such as temporary road narrowing (due to snowfall, traffic accidents, repairs). There are also subjective factors, such as a lack of understanding among drivers of the causes of traffic jams and congestion, or simply a low driving culture and refusal to obey the traffic rules.
What is it
The introduction of intelligent transport systems will take place in two main phases: — building a digital infrastructure and collecting and processing information about the traffic situation.
First, high-precision cameras, radars and lidars are installed on the roads, after which information is collected on the speed on individual road sections, the distance between vehicles, routes, traffic at intersections, delays and distribution over the individual lanes.
After the information has been collected, processed and systematized, specialists have the opportunity to see the bigger picture about the state of the traffic situation in the city. Based on this information, optimization decisions are made: somewhere you need to change the operation of the traffic light, somewhere you need to add a speed limiter, etc.
Such a task is beyond the power of man. Only with ITS you can accurately calculate the result of various changes in the regulation of traffic flows.
How ITS helps unload cities
Until recently, ITS was mainly implemented in the central part of Russia. In Moscow, for example, such systems make it possible to reduce the length of traffic congestion, optimize public transport routes and quickly inform drivers and passengers about the situation on the road. And the metropolitan experience is being successfully adopted in other cities.
One of the illustrative examples is Makhachkala. The process of integral implementation of ITS started in 2021 and the Data Processing Center (DPC) and the Traffic Control Center (TRCC) were opened as early as 2022. Thanks to them, it became possible to monitor traffic in real time, adapt the traffic light operating modes to traffic congestion and receive data about the situation on the roads around the clock.
On the main streets – Peter I, Rasul Gamzatov and Yaragsky Street – a project of the “green wave” regime was implemented. Permissive traffic lights were now turned on in accordance with the direction of movement from the edge to the center and back: in the morning, thanks to the “green wave”, motorists can drive faster to the center, and in the evening – in the opposite direction .
The results were already noticeable in the first months for both pedestrians and motorists: the capacity of the central streets was increased by 15%, the time for reducing traffic jams after reconfiguring the traffic light mode was reduced to 15 minutes and the downtime in traffic jams and the number of traffic jams in the central part of the capital of Dagestan decreased by fourteen percent.
Another example is the Moscow region, where the implementation of ITS has reached the second level of ‘digital maturity’. MVS GROUP, part of the Urbantech Group of Companies, carried out preparatory work in Krasnogorsk, Sergiev Posad, Schelkovo and Fryazino. Now, motorists from these cities near Moscow save about 20% of their travel time, the duration of traffic jams on highways has been reduced by two hours, and the time spent in traffic jams has been reduced by 63%. The capacity of the entire street and road network has been increased by 25%.
Why ITS is not a panacea, but the best tool
It is necessary to understand the technical limitations of ITS and the possible technical limitations of optimization problems, experts explain. ITS does not eliminate the source of problems. Even if we are talking about advanced ITS with artificial intelligence that can predict and recommend. ITS will not change the lifestyle of the city, when people go to work in the morning and leave in the evening. It will also not be possible to completely rebuild cities to make them more suitable for transportation. Won’t change ITS and driving culture.
Expert opinion
Daniil Khazov, commercial break director of GC “Urbantech”:
— To qualitatively solve transport problems, it is necessary to take an integral look at these and the available tools. We collect information about the traffic situation, analyse, consult and design and only then proceed to the implementation phase. Based on the results of the implementation of ITS elements, an analysis is necessarily made of the effectiveness of the applied solutions. Only this way of working is the only one that works.
All the above tasks can only be performed by humans, somewhere through the tension of creative forces, somewhere through awareness and responsibility. Otherwise, the ITS is an excellent technological tool that helps to qualitatively solve the problems of safety and comfort on the road. Currently the best available. The future of transport is therefore inextricably linked to digital solutions.
Source: Z R
