Forget red lights, Google’s innovation could put an end to traffic jams and pollution

Traffic is a daily problem for many Italians, especially in cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples, where traffic jams seem inevitable despite the use of navigation applications such as Google Maps. Let’s take a random example: the stretch between Fiumicino and Ciampino, 35 km which, if you’re lucky, you can cover in 40 minutes, but on the worst days it seems like a divine punishment.

Every day, hundreds of kilometers of traffic jams poison our roads, but Google has decided to roll up its sleeves. Since 2020, his research team has been trying to revolutionize city traffic usingartificial intelligence to optimize the functioning of traffic lights. A little big revolution called Green Lightwhich could not only reduce traffic, but also help the environment and, let’s face it, even our nervous system!

Great ideas don’t always originate in the high-tech labs of Silicon Valley. Sometimes all it takes is a simple chat at the table, like the one that inspired Dotan Emanuel, a Google engineer. His wife, exasperated by the traffic lights that persist in stopping us even when there isn’t a soul around, gave rise to an idea: what if the flow of traffic could be better regulated? This is how the “Green Light” project was born, which thanks to artificial intelligence could optimize the management of traffic lights in large cities, reducing unnecessary stops and, above all, polluting emissions.

How does Green Light work?

Google Maps and artificial intelligence are the allies of this revolution. Traffic lights, thanks to real-time data, could synchronize intelligently, remaining green for longer when there is no oncoming traffic, thus avoiding those stops and starts that contribute to pollution and, let’s face it, to our growing nervousness. In short, less waiting at traffic lights and more fluidity on the streets.

A revolution for Italian cities?

This project has the potential to also change Italian cities, where traffic seems to be an integral part of the urban landscape. If it were to come to us, Green Light could improve the quality of life of millions of citizens, reducing not only the time spent in queues, but also air pollution, which remains one of our country’s great environmental problems.