The challenges of climate change are gradually becoming urgent and far-reaching. The effects on health, nature and the economy are already being felt and will continue to worsen without decisive action. Proactivity is required in order to achieve the energy efficiency and climate protection targets that have been set. Proactivity that the Saxon city of Zwickau is demonstrating in the “Extended Station Suburb” project by using the innovative traffic management system to reduce traffic-related energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the urban area.
Originally, the city administration’s specifications included a renewal of the existing VRS 5000 traffic management system. In recent years, good experience has been gained with this system in terms of benefits and stability, which legitimizes this approach. However, technology continues to develop and there are now solutions which, on the one hand, fulfil the desired purpose but, on the other hand, are capable of much more and are therefore equipped for all future challenges in the transport sector. After intensive consultations, the decision was made to install the cloud-based traffic management system MyCity, the versatile smart city solution for smarter and greener cities.
Over a period of around three years, 14 intelligent traffic light controllers were installed and connected to MyCity in the city’s conurbation. Since the beginning of 2024, these have been operating to the complete satisfaction of the Zwickau city administration. Thanks to the constant exchange of information between the intelligently linked systems on the main traffic arteries, stopping, braking and starting procedures of motorized vehicles can be significantly minimized and the traffic flow thus sustainably optimized. This allows us to travel more smoothly and at a constant speed, which reduces fuel consumption, cuts emissions and makes it much easier to achieve climate targets.
In addition, ten of these intersections have been upgraded with pioneering CCAM (Connected, Cooperative Automated Mobility) technology. Starting at the fire station in Crimmitschauer Straße, along Humboldtstraße to Planitzer Straße, the intersections were equipped with so-called roadside units. This enables emergency vehicles to communicate with the traffic lights. In the event of an emergency, the traffic lights detect a signal from approaching emergency vehicles. This signal ensures that these vehicles of the blue light organizations are given priority over other traffic, allowing them to reach the scene of the emergency quicker and safer.
The basis for this project was created in advance by modernizing the existing physical infrastructure and upgrading the network for the implementation of this future-proof approach. This now enables seamless communication between the traffic light controllers and the public cloud-based traffic control centre.
The course has; therefore, already been set for the digitalisation of the entire city’s transport infrastructure, and even the systems not yet integrated into MyCity are already equipped for a future update – currently, 40 traffic light controllers in the city of Zwickau are still controlled through the legacy traffic management system, waiting to be migrated into the MyCity traffic management system. When all the traffic light controllers are connected to one MyCity system, the city will have a constant and comprehensive overview of the real-time traffic status, traffic lights, parking facilities and variable message signs – at any time and from anywhere.
Source: SWARCO
