By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

SPECIAL REPORT: 1 2 3 Red Light

Jul 3, 2018 | 5:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Changes are coming to Lethbridge’s system of traffic lights, that should eventually improve how they operate.

One-by-one, each intersection is being equipped with a wireless radio so that the city can monitor all of the lights in real time and troubleshoot and make adjustments.

But Jinsong Qi, traffic signals operations engineer, said there may never be a perfect system.

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“We’re still using the same methodology. We have heard new terminologies, called adaptive traffic signals. They cost a lot, but 95 per cent of the cities in North America haven’t used that,” Qi said in a rare interview with Lethbridge News Now.

Still, Qi said Lethbridge has done a lot of catching up in the decade since he came to the city from Santa Barbara, Calif.

“Compared to the town in California, we were quite a bit behind,” he explained. “However, we started late: everything becomes cheaper.”

Qi can already monitor many of the intersections, with live video and sensor technology. The newer system is based on cameras and radar, replacing loops embedded in the pavement.

He said the goal is really to NOT build traffic lights because they stop traffic. He’s a fan of roundabouts, but they’re not appropriate in all instances.

Lethbridge has roughly 140 traffic light-controlled intersections.

by Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

SPECIAL REPORT: 1 2 3 Red Light

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