Traffic congestion wastes time, gas and money. According to the most recent Urban Mobility Report by the Texas Transportation Institute, it cost US commuters 5.5 billion hours and 2.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2011 (all $121 billion worth), as well as an additional 56 billion pounds of carbon emissions. In Europe, congestion costs 1% of the GDP every year. Consequently, it’s no small relief no know that researchers at MIT have been developing a sophisticated algorithm to create traffic light patterns that keep traffic moving. The technology takes into account the complex interactions among all streets in a city, and calculates the impact on fuel efficiency and pollution. The model was tested in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is now focusing on Manhattan.
MIT develops an algorithm to solve traffic jams, saving time and carbon
More of Today's Solutions
Europe removed a record 602 river barriers last year
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A dam fell in Iceland last December, the first the country has ever deliberately dismantled. The structure on ...
Read MoreThis ultrasonic espresso method uses 75 percent less energy and tastes just a...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM So many of us participate in the same morning coffee ritual: the machine warming up, the pressure building, ...
Read MoreMexico’s tequila fish brought back from the brink of extinction
Mexico’s tiny tequila splitfin fish was once a common inhabitant in the country’s Teuchitlán river in the western part of the country. But due ...
Read MoreHow Bogotá is tackling air pollution by greening its poorest neighborhoods
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In Bogotá, Colombia’s bustling capital, the battle against air pollution isn’t just about cleaner skies. It’s about equity. ...
Read More
