The 120 cameras installed at 30 intersections in downtown Florianópolis are part of the intelligent traffic lights system.
The Florianópolis City Hall has begun installing 120 video surveillance cameras near traffic lights at 30 of the busiest intersections in downtown Florianópolis. This is the second phase of the implementation of intelligent traffic light technology, which monitors the flow of vehicles and determines traffic opening and closing times. For the director of Diope (Florianópolis Road System Exploitation Council), Fabricio Justino, the expectation is to conclude this phase by the end of May. The traffic lights that currently operate with the “fixed time” system should begin to operate with “real time” in the second half of the year.
The first phase, which has already been completed, consisted of the installation of 30 new controllers. “The capital’s traffic lights follow the fixed time model, that is, they close and open following an already stipulated time period. With the change, 30 of these devices, which will be in the busiest areas, will follow real time, which checks the traffic situation 24 hours a day, through sensors, and can improve fluidity, varying the period of open and closed signals,” Justino said.
Florianópolis has 643 traffic lights divided into 131 intersections. According to Justino, intelligent traffic lights will be installed on Avenida Beira-Mar Norte, Paulo Fontes and Rio Branco, and on Rua Padre Roma.
The Diope director reported that the driver will notice the efficiency of the new system during off-peak hours. “During rush hours, when the movement of vehicles is intense in all directions, users will hardly notice the difference, but at night, on holidays and weekends the system will make a difference. This is because it leaves the traffic light open for a longer time where there is a greater flow,” he explained. The technology acquired from the São Paulo company Brascontrol Indústria e Comércio was developed in partnership with UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina).
The system will undergo calibration
The third implementation phase of smart traffic lights will be the sensors’ calibration with the new technology. This stage may require up to 40 days of testing. Even so, with only the installation of 30 controllers, the Florianópolis traffic light system already shows more reliability.
According to Diope’s director, Fabricio Justino, in the places where the new controllers work, the traffic lights are no longer intermittent. “When there is a power outage, the traffic lights automatically switch to flashing and return to normal when the supply is restored. Unlike what happens today,” said Fabricio Justino.
According to technicians from Brascontrol, which supplies the new equipment, a period of system adaptation is needed. “Any real-time adaptive system needs field data and engineering analysis [virtual simulations] to be able to prepare the basis of the algorithm for the site. We need a sufficient time window to generate accurate data with the necessary volume for a good traffic analysis, since rain, accidents, holidays and several other factors interfere a lot in this analysis,” detailed the company’s director, Fábio Nobre.
Where the system will operate
- Beira-Mar Norte Avenue
- Paulo Fontes Avenue
- Rio Branco Avenue
- Rua Padre Roma
Source: Florianópolis City Hall / Dipe
