Traffic lights changing after 50 years

Australia will begin testing Artificial Intelligence intersections with traffic lights that can see you coming and change to green. The AI traffic light test will be the first of its kind and will be trialled on a small insertion in Queensland's Moreton Bay. The system by Austrian traffic technology company SWARCO is currently in use in Denmark, and while the first Australian test is small, a larger version will start testing in Brisbane later this year. The intersection chosen for the AI traffic light test will be the junction of Paper Avenue and Moreton Parade in the suburb of Petrie in Moreton Bay. While not a tiny intersection the junction isn't on main transport routes and will allow a fairly safe environment to see how the technology handles regular, but light traffic. The first testing in Moreton bay will start in September, 2026. In Australia currently, traffic lights work on sensors embedded in the road that detect waiting traffic and work on timers. It's the same automated system that's been in place since the 1970s and while it's extremely reliable and safe, it's also not flexible enough to respond to traffic needs. The system being tested in Moreton Bay will use camera sensors to provide live data to intelligent software that can manage traffic flow at intersections. The AI will not only be able to see traffic, but will be able to identify all types of road users from buses, trucks and cars to motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians. The system learns how the traffic flows over the day and is important specifically for that intersection and it will react autonomously depending on the situation. This means you won't be left waiting for a green light at an empty intersection late at night. Instead the traffic lights know it's empty and can see you approaching and flick to green to let you through so you won't even have to stop. The same goes for pedestrians, with the system seeing you approach and ensuring a safe time for you to cross. AI traffic lights can also recognise emergency vehicles and help clear the way for them. The test in Moreton Bay will run from September 2026 and finish in 2029, but later this year a larger $15m trial will begin in Brisbane. The Brisbane trial will encompass road corridors, not just an individual intersection. This is where AI systems become even more useful in managing traffic flow with intersections effectively all being able to communicate with each other. Other states are also currently trialling AI but not on the same scale, with NSW testing thermal imaging and camera systems for cyclists, while LIDAR systems are also being developed to help better manage road use. Some European countries have already adopted the AI traffic systems including Denmark, while specific locations in the United States have recently started using intelligent intersections too.