Drivers who pass through Moreton Bay in Queensland will soon be taking orders from artificial intelligence at intersections after the local council gave the green light (pun intended) to Australia’s first AI-powered traffic signals.

The City of Moreton Bay Council recently announced the trial of the next-gen lights, which it says should reduce the amount of time drivers spend waiting on reds. The system from Austrian company SWARCO already operates in Denmark and the firm says other Australian councils have expressed interest.

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Current Australian traffic lights run on a phase-based system that uses predetermined timings for light changes and detects the presence of cars with loops installed under the surface of the bitumen.

SWARCO’s system relies on camera and algorithms to identify how much car traffic is coming to the intersection and can adjust the timing of the changes according to demand in order to improve vehicle flow. It also picks up on bicycles and pedestrians.

Moreton Bay’s trial is believed to cost $170,000 and is due to run until 2029. It is kicking off at a road junction that has been chosen for its relatively low traffic flow. 

“The technology effectively uses both AI and advanced algorithms to inform optimised traffic operations under a new traffic management approach,” Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said in a statement.

“This means that higher traffic flows of vehicles including public transport can be prioritised dynamically throughout the day. 

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“There is the potential to substantially reduce the time motorists spend unnecessarily sitting at red lights, which is often constrained by legacy traffic control methods, and this can be extremely frustrating especially when there are no cars in sight. 

“This presents the opportunity to reduce emissions as vehicles will idle less at traffic lights.”

The council has promised to extend the trial to a busier intersection if the first pilot, at the corner of Moreton Parade and Paper Avenue, is a success.