Technology Improves Boston Traffic Management

"We are working hard to ensure that all city of Boston departments are aware of, and in a position to take advantage of, the new technology that is at their disposal." -- Boston CIO Bill Oates (pictured)

The city of Boston today announced traffic management advances that include 16 new signalized intersections in the neighborhood connected remotely to the Traffic Management Center (TMC) bringing the total number to 40. In addition, six new traffic cameras have been installed at Allston/Brighton intersections. The cameras provide a live feed of local traffic conditions to the TMC so traffic engineers can make immediate remote adjustments to traffic signal timing. This traffic signal work was accomplished using the city's recently deployed fiber-optic network, originally built for the purpose of better connecting city facilities. Working with MIS to tap into this existing resource allowed the city to save the funds and neighborhood disruption that would have otherwise been necessary.

William Oates, Boston's CIO and director of the city's MIS Department said, in a release, "We are working hard to ensure that all city of Boston departments are aware of, and in a position to take advantage of, the new technology that is at their disposal. It is our goal to assist city departments to accomplish their own goals by working smarter and more efficiently."