Can AI fix London's traffic problems? TfL thinks so, but it means more cameras

Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled a five-year plan designed to reduce congestion across the capital, a week after London was found, once again, to be the capital city with the slowest traffic in the world. 

TfL says its new ‘London on the move’ strategy is the first-ever whole-city roadworks plan, which is focused on using technology “to deliver safer, healthier, and more efficient journeys for millions of Londoners”. 

The upgrades will begin this year, with TfL expanding its lane-rental scheme, which requires utility companies and others pay a fee to dig up busy roads at busy times, to help reduce congestion and provide funds for new ideas to reduce it further. TfL says the scheme has been proven to reduce congestion, improve journeys and enhance air quality.

The scheme used to cover major roads, also known as red routes, which make up five per cent of London’s roads. Now, four boroughs – Camden, Enfield, Lambeth and Merton – have received approval for schemes from the Department for Transport and 22 more are already working on applications. 

TfL says the Government is also in the process of devolving authority to the Mayor of London to approve these lane-rental schemes, which should allow for more schemes to be approved with consistency across the city.

London’s AI-powered traffic control system, ‘FUSION’, is also going to be using more data and more computing power to ensure that traffic signals can react more quickly and smartly to help reduce congestion. In addition, TfL is expanding the use of its ‘Vivacity’ cameras, which use AI to try to understand how people get around or through the city and what sort of vehicles they’re using. This will provide more data for other technologies to use. 

TfL says it is working closely with the city’s 32 boroughs on a data-sharing agreement, which will provide access to insights from more than 1,000 cameras, “highlighting the importance of collaboration in shaping London’s future mobility.” It’s also working with them to roll out new infrastructure and technology, such as ‘near miss detection cameras’, to reduce dangers on the road.

This new five-year plan will build on the progress TfL has made in making the roads in the capital safer, with the number of people killed or seriously injured now at the lowest level on record outside the pandemic-affected years. In the coming months TfL is also due to release a new ‘Vision Zero Action Plan 2’ that it promises will strengthen “city-wide efforts to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads”. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Congestion is annoying for everyone, and it costs our economy millions of pounds a year. This innovative new strategy will tackle the causes of congestion head on.

“This bold new approach to managing the capital’s streets will ensure they work for everyone: harnessing cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to reduce congestion, keep Londoners safe, and speed up journey times on London’s bus network.”

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