SMARTER ROADWAYS
GET THE
GREEN LIGHT.

Traffic congestion is a fact of life in urban areas, from the gridlocked freeways of Los Angeles to the honk-filled avenues of midtown Manhattan—and many roads and highways in between.

Traffic jams don’t just slow down our daily commute and the pace of business; they increase the risk of collisions and wreak havoc on neighborhoods when drivers take “shortcuts” around the slowdowns. Of even greater concern is the human toll. An estimated 42,795 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022—one of the highest death rates in nearly a century.¹ 

Motorists traveled 267 billion miles on American roadways in just one month in 2023.² The congestion and gridlock associated with all of those miles—and untold hours stuck in traffic—impact commuters, business customers, and visitors to an area.

To ease this challenge, local government and private sector leaders are exploring coordinated efforts to improve traffic management. The goal: more streamlined traffic patterns and safer roadways.

The Department of Transportation estimates that vehicles will travel more than 3 trillion miles across the U.S. in 2023.⁶ And with 275 million cars and trucks on the roads,⁷ innovative traffic management solutions are needed to ease congestion, avoid accidents, and improve urban planning.

Many towns and cities lack real-time data and analytics to support effective traffic management. Yet, there’s growing evidence that positive changes can be achieved when the right tools and technologies are in place.

A city in Georgia, for example, implemented a 5G-enabled traffic management system that provides real-time adjustments to traffic signals.⁹ The immediate result was shorter travel times, and city officials expressed optimism that other benefits will follow. The assistant city manager, who is also the city’s chief technology officer, said the 5G traffic management solution could potentially help improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety as well, especially where the city’s multi-use trails intersect with streets. 

Another promising proof point: A major university tested smart traffic lights in Pittsburgh’s busy East Liberty neighborhood. The traffic signals could communicate with one another and adapt to traffic conditions in near-real time. The result was a 40% reduction in vehicle wait time, 26% faster commute, and 21% decrease in emissions.¹⁰

Going forward, such insights can help city planners determine where to build or expand roads, highways, and transit systems. They can focus on transformations that promise significant improvements everywhere a car, truck, train, or bus goes.