Comment by Maursault

By now designing and mass producing the smart traffic light should be possible for not too much extra beyond the cost of the dumb traffic light. A smart traffic light system could effectively eliminate most traffic. A traffic light that is aware of oncoming traffic or the absence of it will remove the annoying instances of being stopped at a traffic light when there is no cross traffic, or of remaining on a timed green waiting for traffic that isn't there. Some cars nearly drive themselves now. Everything has a computer in it, why not traffic lights and intersections? Why hasn't traffic light technology advanced beyond timers and switches in the road? They need to have eyes and decent logic built into them. Imagine the fuel/cost/carbon savings alone if we had these things widely installed 20 years ago.