Can technology reduce traffic jams?

Misha Dohler, Professor of Wireless Communications and Head of the Centre for Telecommunications Research group in the Department of Informatics at King's College London, was interviewed for a BBC story about how technology has contributed to reducing road traffic in cities such as London, New York or Sao Paulo. This story discussed the fact that traffic congestion is caused by human behaviour such as aggression (drivers reacting too quick to the actions of the vehicle ahead of them) and timidity (drivers leaving too big a gap between their vehicle and the one in front of them.) That is why some cities have developed the installation of wireless sensors on board cars in order to either help drivers find a parking space, enable cars to communicate with one another or change drivers' behaviour.

Professor Dohler explained that wireless sensors appeared to be a viable solution to traffic congestion in big cities as it would be an efficient way to resolve the problem of congestion in cities such as London. That is why many large telecommunications corporations have invested very heavily in the development of wireless technology on board cars and the driverless car has become a real possibility.

For more information on smart cities, see this article in The Institute (the monthly newspaper produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), where Professor Dohler answers readers' questions on the topic.

The BBC story is available at: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140611-can-we-ever-end-traffic-jams