New technology could see you catch every green light

Melbourne drivers will be able to escape the dreaded red-light-run home thanks to a new traffic-signalling technology which connects to your smartphone or GPS.

The technology communicates with drivers’ smartphones or GPS to alert them to the speed they should be travelling to pass through a wave of green lights.

As part of the Intelligent Transport System Transport Technology Grant Program under the Victorian Government, VicRoads gave tech company Intelematics $765,000 to develop the app which will be trialled on Hoddle St, Punt Rd, Nepean Highway, Dandenong Rd and Warrigal Rd for 18 months.

“This is about taking a smart approach to managing traffic – looking at new practical ways to make our road network safer and more efficient,” said Luke Donnellan, Minister for Roads and Roads Safety.

The green light app aims to ease congestion, cut down travel time and put an end to stop-start traffic.

A similar system is already in use in other parts of the world, including Copenhagen, Amsterdam, San Francisco and Vienna, to aid cyclists dodge the reds.

More to come.