New research, Smart Management: Use Cases, Regional Analysis & Forecast 2022-2027, by Juniper research, has identified new benefits from smart traffic management systems. Global savings from smart traffic management systems are forecast to reach 205 million metric tons (MMT) by 2027, which represents growth of 41 per cent, up from just 145.7 MMT in 2022.
Reducing congestion through optimised traffic control is said to be the main influencing factor of change. Smart traffic management uses digital technologies to manage traffic, based on real-time data to reduce congestion, and minimise emissions.
Environmental benefits from smart traffic management systems are identified by the report to be “highly compelling.” The report identified smart intersections as a solution to the amount of time spent in traffic, reducing it by 36 hours on average per annum per motorist globally by 2027.
Therefore, this suggests a 250 per cent increase in the adoption of smart traffic management systems over the next five-year period, and 4.7 billion hours congestion saved by then.
Juniper’s research expects smart intersection investment will reach $10.2bn by 2027; rising from $5.2bn in 2022. It strives for smart intersection vendors to improve connectivity between road vehicles and the local road network ecosystem, mirroring government smart city initiatives.
The report suggests that vendors leverage the low-latency capabilities of 5G combined with machine learning algorithms, to allow network adjustments to be made in real-time and improve the flow of traffic.
Additionally, the research highlights cybersecurity must be considered when implementing smart traffic systems to ensure public support. This is to ease the public’s minds about data collection and storage.
Cybersecurity must be prioritised when implementing smart traffic management systems, as user data is transmitted at every stage of the process. Cyberattacks have a given potential and therefore, strong cybersecurity strategies need to be in place to avoid any disruption to infrastructure.
Juniper Research is a key player in providing research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector providing valuable insights into the industry.