In a pilot simulation based on Dresden city centre in Germany, the concept reduced time stuck waiting in traffic by 56 percent for trams and buses, 9 percent for cars and trucks, and 36 percent for pedestrians crossing intersections.
The idea measures vehicle inflow and outflow through each intersection as it occurs and coordinates lights with only their nearest neighbors. In a working paper published by the Santa Fe Institute, the researchers say a systemwide smoothness emerges through the overall traffic region.
The scientists came up with the concept after watching how human traffic reacts in a narrow space, such as moving through a door connecting two hallways. A natural oscillation develops, with a mass of people from one side moving through the door while the other people wait, then suddenly the flow switches direction, as numbers waiting build up to a 'switchover' level.
As well as cutting down on frustration, any method of improving traffic jams can save a lot of money. In the US it is estimated that motorists waiting in traffic clock up 500,000 years a year, at a cost of $100bn.
Authorities in Dresden are low looking at implementing the idea through their city centre.
