New traffic pilot aims to ease Whitemud congestion
The city is testing a system on Whitemud Drive that adjusts the recommended speed limit to traffic conditions.
The "advisory driving speed system" will tell drivers the best speed for avoiding traffic jams and sudden stops. The system also takes construction, collision and weather conditions into account.
"It works very well, in fact," said traffic technical specialist Wei Cheung.
"That's why in other jurisdictions such as London and Seattle, it works so well and it's so important to them that they actually enforce it very strictly."
The system calculates the speed by using data gathered by sensors under the road and on ramps and putting it through an algorithm from the University of Alberta's Centre for Smart Transportation.
The speed is then posted on digital signs along the roadway
Whitemud Drive was chosen for the pilot project because of ongoing issues with congestion.
The system will operate for four weeks between 111 and 159 Streets on Whitemud Drive starting Aug. 11.
