Israeli technology speeds traffic flow while decreasing carbon emissions.
By United With Israel Staff
The Israeli company Axilion Smart Mobility is bringing its “street-smart” technology to America.
Axilion uses artificial intelligence, along with a city’s current infrastructure, to ease traffic-congestion in a cost-efficient way. The company claims that the use of its technology reduces commute time by 40 percent and substantially reduces carbon monoxide emissions through automating traffic lights based on cars on the road.
New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is presently in Israel to show solidarity with the country following a rash of anti-Semitic incidences in America, is also using his time to host a round-table meeting with Israeli businesses during his visit.
Included at the meeting is Axilion. “[T]he New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has long been seeking solutions to improve subway, bus, and train service,” reported City and State NY media.
Israel is the testing grounds for the advanced technology, which was developed in partnership with the Technion’s Department of Civil Engineering.
The Jerusalem Post reports that implementation of systems that better coordinate lights with vehicles has decreased the travel time, from start to finish, on the Jerusalem Light Rail, from 80 minutes to 42 minutes. This is because the Light Rail no longer stops at red lights through the use of the Israeli developed advanced algorithms.
Additionally, Light Rail use has increased by 400 percent between 2014 and 2017, reported the Post.
According to Axilion, similar success has been found in Haifa. Buses in Israel’s northern city now receive 100 percent priority on the roads. This has led to an 11 percent increase of bus riders.
New York City is now piloting use of the same technology on its 5th Avenue M1 bus route, with future plans to expand the program to additional New York bus service lines.
The technology is also planned to operate in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland, noted the Post.
Bringing this technology to New York will not only save commuters time and improve air quality; it will also help to fulfill a program implemented by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Blasio’s goal is to have city buses run 25 percent faster by 2021.
The Israeli technology has already succeeded in easing traffic in France, Morocco, and Switzerland.