A new take on an old idea for traffic control
According to a new decision by the EU Commission on improving traffic flow, all traffic lights in the EU will soon disappear. The decision states that all new cars from today (1.4.2015) and all vehicles already on the road, including vintage and classic cars, must be fitted with a permanently installed, integrated traffic light within one year (by 1.4.2016). Switzerland, as a non-EU country, is following suit at the same time.
With the help of onboard traffic lights, specific right-of-way regulations can be made for any location and traffic situation at any time via the Internet and NFC technology.
If, for example, an accident occurs that would quickly lead to a major traffic jam, which could also block exits onto other roads, the traffic can be switched to red at an early stage, traffic can be stopped and the traffic jam forms where it can be handled much better. Exits thus remain free and can be staggered through red-green circuits.
The problem of parking sideways is also simplified. If a car pulls into a free parking space, the driver himself can request a red light change, which stops the traffic behind him so that he can park his car in peace without hindering the person behind him, who might otherwise have driven up much too close in ignorance.
Thanks to the new system, traffic circles can also be driven through smoothly in that direction, and the distributed traffic light systems take away the effect of traffic jams. In this way, deadlocks, as we see them today, can no longer occur.
Of course, rear-end collisions on the highway can also be elegantly prevented, as the individual vehicles can be slowed down at an early stage in the event of obstacles.
As our picture shows, similar attempts were already made in the 1950s, but were soon forgotten due to the lack of communication technology (internet, NFC, etc.). Today, things are different: thanks to modern transmission options, car-to-car and hub-spoke communication are part of everyday life and individual traffic light control is possible without any problems. The vision of constantly moving traffic is becoming a reality. But today!
You can read more about this in the comprehensive EU documentationon the new approach and the installation regulations for new and old cars.
