Brady PieperState transportation agencies around the country are pursuing creative solutions to combat traffic fatalities and improve public safety in major cities. For some, the next innovative step to mitigate transit problems is artificial intelligence (AI).
Cities and states around the nation are funding projects that explore the real-world applications of advanced AI technologies in transportation systems. These new, innovative technologies will target vehicles parked in bus lanes and remove obstacles that hinder disabled passengers’ access to public services and operators’ ability to efficiently navigate city roads.
Serving parts of Seattle, King County Metro (Metro) is among dozens of transportation organizations in other cities addressing these systematic transit problems with the help of automated resources. Fighting to prevent inefficiencies and hazards in transportation, Metro is launching a pilot program that would mount AI-integrated cameras on buses to observe vehicles in public transit-only lanes.
The pilot program is limited, ending on Jan. 4, and will focus on two long-distance bus lines that connect riders to Aurora Avenue North between downtown Seattle and Shoreline and locations between Rainier Beach and downtown – the RapidRide E Line and Route 7. Metro will not issue tickets during this pilot period, but the program could result in future initiatives that utilize automated ticketing technologies.
Along with many other AI-led transportation safety initiatives, Metro believes this program will serve to inform local decision makers on when, where and to what extent parking violations occur along these hazardous corridors.
The city of Seattle and other jurisdictions that house Metro’s operations will evaluate the program’s results prior to adopting and enacting these policies. However, as the pilot program does not issue tickets, jurisdictions would be required to create a separate program to cite drivers for parking violations.
Future parking enforcement programs would be guided by House Bill 2384, which authorized systematic change to governance regarding when and where cameras can be used to enforce traffic violations. Along with requirements for ticket evaluating agencies and revenue spending, the law limits the amount for traffic citations to $145 per infraction.
King County’s pilot camera program shares similarities to other AI initiatives around the country to address vehicular safety and traffic congestion. Programs in Chicago, Los Angeles and Maryland will roll out AI technologies and insights to enforce parking violations, improve safety along bus-only lanes and optimize public transit operations.
Chicago’s pilot program, led by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), will install cameras on eight Chicago Transit Authority-owned vehicles over the next two years. Much like its counterpart in the Pacific Northwest, the pilot program will focus on the mobile applications of AI, using new imaging technologies to enforce parking violations.
“By keeping bus and bike lanes clear of illegal parking, we can ensure that Chicago’s growing network of dedicated bus and bike lanes are operating at their full potential, improving safety while also reducing delays for commuters and improving orderly traffic flow,” CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney said in a press release about city’s camera program. “This pilot program is a critical step in making our streets more efficient, accessible and safe for everyone.”
The cameras utilize AI image recognition technology and will capture vehicles illegally parked in bus or bike lanes and submit them to evaluators from city agencies for review. While CDOT’s non-ticketing grace period ended in early December, parking violators will receive one warning prior to tickets being dispersed.
Designed with roadside safety as a main priority, Chicago’s transit modernization program looks to speed up public transportation operations, improve traffic safety and enhance protections for pedestrians and bicyclists. The results of the program will guide the City Council’s future decisions regarding the use of AI in parking enforcement and provide recommendations for a permanent automated parking enforcement program.
As early as next year, the department will integrate cameras in up to six more buses and plan to enforce additional parking violations through the city’s camera program in the future, including tickets for vehicles that have not paid parking meters.
Los Angeles’ AI program, much like the aforementioned pilots, will utilize AI resources with the goal of creating a safer, more sustainable and smart solution to traffic violations and congestion.
In April, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) approved nearly $11 million to implement 100 camera systems inside city buses’ windshields that frequently scan for illegally parked vehicles.
The enforcement initiative, titled the Bus Lane Enforcement Program, will issue citations to drivers who block critical zones where public transit operates, primarily bus lanes and bus stops. The program will operate along Metro routes 212 and 720 and will submit violations to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation for human review starting the new year.
The numbers show that government investments in bus-mounted, AI-powered camera systems can improve city transportation operations’ speed, safety and accessibility. In New York, these technologies have resulted in a 40% increase in transit speed for buses and a 34% decrease in collisions on streets utilizing this innovative tech, according to officials.
While illegal parking and bus lane enforcement represents a major step towards improving roadway and roadside safety, Maryland is taking a unique AI-led approach to improve traffic congestion and vehicular fatalities.
Modelled after successful launches in Kansas and Israel, Maryland is retrofitting traffic lights with automated technologies to create a network of AI-integrated signalized intersections.
The automated network will identify private vehicles, public transportation services, emergency service vehicles and pedestrians in real-time, optimizing traffic signal operations to best reduce travel time, vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions for drivers and passengers.
Through this initiative, Maryland will join over 30 states around the country in implementing unique and powerful AI solutions for transportation inequities.
It’s difficult to ignore the impacts AI will have on transportation systems around the nation. Federal, state and local governments are pursuing ambitious AI providers to enhance the safety and accessibility of public transit services, hoping to shape the future of American travel.
Photo by Josh Hild
