UCSD Is Approved to Upgrade Intersections with ‘Smart Lights’
The University of San Diego is readying the roads and the campus to welcome students back to classes.
In a meeting on Thursday, March 11, 2021, UCSD officials presented a plan to the La Jolla Town Council to add smart lights to 26-intersections. This plan aims to help the traffic flow for students and overall community betterment improvements.
This three-phase plan, which has gotten a green light of its own to move forward, anticipates completing the project by the summer of 2022.
Although UCSD just presented the plan to the council, it has been in the works for many months.
The assistant director of communications and community planning Anu Delouri said UCSD “has been collaborating closely with the city of San Diego to implement these adaptive traffic control systems.”
None of the community factions involved took the extensive changes these traffic lights and crosswalks will implement on La Jolla’s infrastructure lightly. The council, UC representatives, and the community planning board all agree that this benefits the community extensively.
The main purpose of smart traffic lights is to help control the flow of traffic throughout the day. Instead of being stuck on an immovable timer, the traffic lights change to accommodate the current commute’s safety and productivity. If traffic is light, these lights will turn green more frequently, while if traffic demands, the lights could also remain red for a longer period.
Ultimately, this upgrade will help normalize commuter’s daily routine and make the roads safer for all travelers.
For more details on the Smart traffic light project, check out the original La Jolla Light report here.
