Manchester - One of the UK’s biggest cities is trialing connected vehicle technology to minimize drivers’ wait times at traffic lights. Using data collected during the trial, the city of Manchester in northwest England will create a demonstration app that could lead to fuel savings and emissions reductions.

The city of Manchester in northwest England is deploying connected vehicle technology to minimize drivers’ wait times at traffic lights. On behalf of the city, KL Systems, an intelligent transport consultancy, is using open data from transport innovation specialist TRL Software’s Scoot 7 traffic management system to generate in-vehicle alerts to inform drivers of the time left until the next change of lights, according to an article from the online platform Smart Cities World. This will be used to create a so-called Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (Glosa) demonstration app that helps minimize traffic light wait times.

Thanks to the Scoot 7 data provided by TRL Software, KL Systems says that live second-by-second traffic light information can be fed to vehicles without the need for additional hardware. The Glosa trial is part of a wider deployment that also examines the provision of in-vehicle hazard messages, writes the article.

KL Systems told Smart Cities World that the potential benefits of Glosa are massive in terms of journey times, fuel savings and emissions reductions – “all of it realized by cutting down on the time spent at red lights”. However, the app will not be available to the general public until a system is in place to minimize distractions caused by the system. 

“We strongly believe that open data drives innovation and liberates legacy-locked industries. There is no better evidence to support this view than KL Systems’ innovative solution, which drives down costs while providing a better end-user experience,” says Subu Kamal, head of product at TRL Software, in the article.