If
you're like me, I bet you hate moments when you're in a hurry and all
the traffic lights seem to intentionally switch to red just in front of
your car. Now, according to Nature, a Belgian traffic researcher thinks that traffic lights that respond to local conditions could ease congestion and reduce your frustration.
His method would not give you the individual power to switch the
light to green. But if you were part of a group of cars approaching a
red light, inexpensive traffic-flow sensors would detect your group in
advance and turn the light to green. His simulations show that such
adaptive traffic control is 30% more efficient than traditional ways of
regulating traffic.
However, his system has not been adopted by any large city. So
you'll continue to be frustrated by these ?%&$!§ traffic lights
for a while. You'll find more details and references in this overview. [Smart Mobs]