Big-data empowered traffic signal control could reduce urban carbon emission.

ABSTRACT: Urban congestion is a pressing challenge, driving up emissions and compromising transport efficiency. Advances in big-data collection and processing now enable adaptive traffic signals, offering a promising strategy for congestion mitigation. In our study of China's 100 most congested cities, big-data empowered adaptive traffic signals reduced peak-hour trip times by 11% and off-peak by 8%, yielding an estimated annual CO₂ reduction of 31.73 million tonnes. Despite an annual implementation cost of US$1.48 billion, societal benefits-including CO₂ reduction, time savings, and fuel efficiency-amount to US$31.82 billion. Widespread adoption will require enhanced data collection and processing systems, underscoring the need for policy and technological development. Our findings highlight the tr

SUBMITTER: Wu K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11868367 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature