For the bus in Calgary, the rush hour is meaningless.
Even if the wide roads of Canadian cities are packed with traffic, the Calgary bus company's buses run almost as fast as when the roads are empty.
This is because the city is already equipped with wireless technology for three bus lines, which allows every commuter to dream of one trick: switching the red light to the green light under the command.
When these Calgary buses are close to the intersection, the lights change from red to green, or stay green a little longer.
As a result, passengers travel faster, air pollution is less, and urban fuel is saved more.
Jodie Marcyniuk, Calgary bus priority engineer, pointed out that each of its transmitters-
Compared to buses on regular routes, equipped buses save 2,000 gallons of fuel and nearly 50,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year. (
These calculations do not deduct the extra gallons left idle by the driver on the cross street. )
"It works well," Marcyniuk said . ".
The technology comes under the grand name of "signal grab. " Ninety-
At more than 30,000 intersections, it has been installed in eight metropolitan areas, or one-
The fifth of all traffic lights in the United States. S.
Bellingham, Wosh is our guide. , Eugene, Ore.
BOISE, Idaho and Syracuse, New YorkY.
, All of which installed the system at least 90% of the intersections.
Houston found that its preemptive system reduced the travel time of emergency vehicles equipped with transmitters by 23%--
Huge differences in patients with cardiac arrest.
Faster response times also allow cities to expand their valuable capital budgets. Plano, Tex.
Can be 7.
Each fire station with a signal grab is 5 square miles and 5 square miles.
6 square miles without it.
Plano did not need to build three more stations, saving $9 million in construction costs and $7.
Annual operating costs of 5 million.
The idea of signal capture was born in early 1970, when 3m Company designed a system to change the traffic signal with flash pulses for emergency vehicles (
Later, infrared)
Transfer to the receiver installed on the road.
The technology started slowly because some cities found it difficult to combine seize with outdated traffic --
Lighting controller. But it worked. When St. Paul, Minn.
Early signal capture systems have been installed, and despite the large population, it has reduced emergency vehicle accidents by more than 50%.
Congestion was exacerbated in the years after the system was installed.
Transformed its technology at 1979 3 m. -
Sold under the Opticom brand-
Allows it to identify two different priority levels: the high level of emergency vehicles, which may force traffic lights to change immediately, the low level of transit vehicles, which can hinder traffic if the lights are changed to green, this may completely stop changing the lights.
The hacker finally entered the game by mail.
Order the IR transmitter to switch the red light to green.
Added the encryption code to block monkeyshines in 1992.
3m last year sold its Opticom division to Canadian private equity firm Torquest for $80 million.
Torquest integrated the technology into a private holding company called Global transportation technology, which has a large share of the signal grab market.
Richard saxse, the company's chief executive, has expanded the company to new transportation.
Middle Eastern cities such as Dubai were strangled.
First, the system there will be used to allow time-
The Chiefs tied to the town.
Eventually, EMS vehicles will be able to do the same.
The latest generation of Opticom gear uses infrared technology to combine cellular radio with global positioning system links to accurately locate the location and speed of the vehicle. When a GPS-
The equipped bus is close to an intersection and it can take over the traffic lights at the intersection as before, but the computer can also calculate its expected arrival time and decide to extend the green light or shorten the red light.
It also notes whether the bus's steering signal is on, and if the bus needs to travel left or right, it can prepare a green steering arrow.
The traffic lights seized resumed normal operation in one or two cycles. GPS-
The equipped bus can also tell whether the traffic computer is behind or ahead of schedule, and whether there are passengers on the bus (
Automatically calculated by the passenger counter of the bus).
Like everyone else, empty buses and people running ahead of time have to wait before a red light.
"Fuel economy was not helped when cross traffic was idling because it was waiting for an empty bus to pass by," said Steven Arlington, director of resource development for Jacksonville City, Florida.
Transportation Agency, which has tested the new technology.
On the other hand, royal treatment for bus passengers can save the atmosphere by getting people off the bus.
Cities are also starting to use their bus location data to answer long-standing questions from quirky commuters: where is my smelly bus?
Auckland, New Zealand has 730 buses using signals to seize calls to 174 intersections, with their calls listed at 180 on-
Street information showing the estimated arrival time of the bus is displayed.
A system in Portland, Oregon.
Features are displayed at nine bus stops, as well as an automated bus status line with millions of calls per month.
The Opticom GPS system is $5,300 per intersection and $3,000 per vehicle.
Cities and states can pay for equipment by using the federal government's $40 billion annual highway trust fund or the $193 billion pork allocated in the Transportation Act passed in 2005. Fast-
Growing cities, such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver, "are completely fascinated by the density brought about by smart buses," said Robert Puentes, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Developers have noticed big projects in Dallas and Portland, Oregon. (see box).
What the green light can do is amazing.
Forbes magazine and savings magazine subscribe. Click Here.