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.