Introduction: The rapid development of cutting-edge technologies is bringing about tremendous changes in people's lives.
Cities across the country are betting heavily on public buses. Urban and suburban centers nationwide are investing in new vehicles, routes, and bus lanes to provide safe and reliable public transportation, stimulate new economic growth, and reduce traffic congestion as the pandemic subsides and Americans return to work. Public buses play a vital role in cities' goals to reduce carbon emissions and are a key component of the Vision Zero project to eliminate pedestrian traffic injuries and deaths.
However, a successful public transport system requires proper implementation. Cities must be able to effectively monitor illegal parking to ensure bus lanes remain clear for timely transport and to ensure safer streets. Traditionally, this has been done manually, with parking enforcement officers on the streets—an inefficient process that is difficult to scale. Some cities have begun using fixed cameras to assist enforcement, but their scope and effectiveness are limited.
In order to adopt more modern law enforcement methods, cities are exploring how smart computer vision technology and automation can help buses get back on track. By installing these vision devices on buses, transportation explorers can immediately create a law enforcement network covering every route on the city's public transportation system.
HaydenAI, a technology company providing smart vision solutions for cities, has CEO and founder Chris Carson who stated, "Smart transportation ecosystems and smart cities are not just about pushing the boundaries of technology, but also about core concepts for addressing social and environmental issues such as accessibility and sustainability." In a recent webinar, Carson discussed how appropriate enforcement can have a broad impact on urban transportation goals.
Carson said that smart vision technology improves the safety, sustainability and equity of public transportation.
As people return to work in cities and suburbs, transportation officials can leverage technological tools to prepare for future infrastructure.
Carson said, "I think the approach that transportation agencies must take is to embrace technology and see it as a growth opportunity, an opportunity for innovation. As we clear more bus lanes, buses will go faster. As buses go faster, more people will ride buses."
To strengthen and expand law enforcement, cities can install AI-powered vision devices not only on public transportation but also on school buses, street cleaners, garbage trucks, police cars, and other vehicles. This allows for data aggregation and insight sharing across multiple agencies, creating a more comprehensive enforcement system.
Carson said the White House has made infrastructure investment a key priority, and technology will play a vital role in improving transportation systems.
President Biden is pushing for a comprehensive overhaul and upgrade of the nation’s infrastructure, calling it a transformative effort that could create the world’s most resilient and innovative economy. “It’s time to embrace technology and create a safer, smarter, and more sustainable transportation ecosystem.”
Vaibhav Ghadiok, co-founder and VP of Engineering at HaydenAI, stated that machine learning and computer vision are among the most important emerging innovations that will drive transformative efforts. He also participated in the webinar.
"Machine learning, especially learning applied to computer vision, has made a significant leap forward in the last decade," Ghadiok said. With in-vehicle devices, "we are building rich (3D) environmental maps, distinguishing pedestrian walkways, bus lanes, parking meters, fire hydrants, and other components."
An AI-powered camera system identifies vehicles parked in bus lanes using their license plates. The system integrates enforcement dates and times, automatically sending vehicle information to the transportation agency's violation processor for further action. This technology can be updated to accommodate temporary events such as marches, and parameters can be easily changed as needed.
Strengthening parking enforcement can significantly improve bus efficiency. Ghadiok said that in a pilot project in New York City, HaydenAI found that bus speeds increased by 50% or more.
“We are improving the punctuality of these buses and reducing passenger wait times, thereby increasing passenger numbers.”
Law enforcement is just one use case for artificial intelligence and computer vision technology. It can also be used to identify parking meters, allowing cities to improve parking management. Furthermore, it can be used to alert drivers to nearby available parking spaces, alleviating the problem of searching for parking. The technology can even perform traffic pattern analysis to determine how many pedestrians cross intersections at specific times of day.
In the future, these systems could be used to allocate roadside space, for example, to allow delivery trucks to park for 15 minutes in normally restricted areas to drop off packages.
All of these applications will contribute to creating a smarter, more unified law enforcement network. As cities invest in new infrastructure technologies, in-vehicle computer vision devices powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a key role in ensuring safe, efficient, and effective transportation systems in the years to come.
