The smart red light enforcement system by LMT has been launched as an official traffic control tool, integrated into the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) and municipal police ticketing system in Latvia. This comes as the solution passes from Proof of Concept in the City of Liepāja, to commercially available and integrated into traffic control authority systems.
The solution has been active in an observation capacity since 2019. In the past 8 months alone, the system has identified over 600 run red lights. Now that the system is integrated into traffic control systems, it’s possible to make use of the data for issuing traffic tickets – a decision that only traffic authorities are authorized to make.
“After a thorough testing period, the red lights solution has proven successful and valuable, and both municipality and Road Traffic Safety Directorate have recognized the importance of implementing smart traffic management systems in cities. We believe that the mobile network will continue to play a key role in smart city solutions, and LMT will continue to develop systems to leverage mobile networks, improve safety, and increase the wellbeing of individuals.”
Juris Binde, President of the Board at LMTThe commercial launch of the smart traffic solution in the City of Liepāja coincides with a targeted initiative in Liepāja to reduce the amount of traffic accidents. LMT’s smart machine vision solution is one tool among many others used to reduce accidents – such as speed bumps, raised intersections, improved cycling lanes, and prioritized lighting at crosswalks. These measures have already led to a 20% decrease in traffic accidents.
The smart traffic monitoring tool has several functions. It can identify and classify objects, identify their location and trajectory, identify licence plate numbers, and identify the traffic light signal. This is done using a combination of high-resolution cameras, machine vision, and edge computing. Traffic infringements are evaluated on the edge, and if an infraction is detected, it is sent to servers through the mobile network. The effective use of edge computing makes it possible to use existing mobile network coverage, as well as to reduce the installation requirements – the system can be installed in a matter of hours, requires no construction, and only requires an electrical connection.
“The Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) welcomes this smart, connected traffic technology, and is thrilled to offer its expertise in data processing. The smart red light solution is an excellent example of how technologies can serve society – saving lives, improving safety, and improving road traffic culture.”
Aivars Aksenoks, Director of the Board at CSDDThe innovation of the smart red light solution is that it is able to make any existing intersection smart, without the need for costly and time-consuming construction. By retrofitting existing intersections with the LMT traffic management system, municipalities do not require major investments in order to benefit from smart city technologies. The automated infringement identification also increases the rate of identified traffic violations, thus increasing traffic control while reducing the workload burden on the police force. The platform is fully 4G compatible, and is 5G ready – it can be installed in any city with mobile network coverage. The system is fully GDPR-compliant.
The system is also able to identify additional traffic violations at intersections, such as driving in public transport lanes, stopping in the intersection, illegal turns, driving the wrong way in a one-way lane, driving without a valid roadworthiness certificate, and more. The system is currently available for implementation in any Latvian municipality. For those interested in integrating the smart traffic management system in other countries, please get in touch through the https://trafficmonitoringtech.lmt.lv/ website.