‘Travolution’ project gets the green light

29 Sep 2008

A new traffic management system developed with Audi by traffic management experts in Ingolstadt, Germany, support enables communication between cars and traffic lights to reduce stop-start inefficiency.

The experimental ‘Travolution' system will not only improve synchronisation and phasing of traffic light networks to reduce stopping times, but could also dramatically reduce the number of actual stops needed by creating a communications link between cars and the traffic light network.

Into each traffic light integrated, the communications modules are able to send messages to cars alerting them to the time remaining until their next green phase. A in-vehicle sytem can calculate the speed the driver must maintain in order to reach the light during this green phase, and displays this via the multimedia interface display.

In the centre of Ingolstadt, a network of 46 ‘intelligent' traffic lights has been installed in the centre of Ingolstadt, each linked to the software that optimises their phasing to bring stopping times down to a minimum.