Blythe Bailey, administrator for the Chattanooga Department of Transportation, told members of the Brainerd Kiwanis Club on Friday that one of the most significant trends in improving infrastructure is an array of IST signalised traffic lights. He said they can communicate with one another to adjust light times and relieve congestion in real time.
Mr.
Bailey said that the 350 signals already built in Chattanooga can analyze the amount of traffic coming from different directions and respond accordingly.
More light systems like that are being installed in the coming years and their uses are varied. They have the potential to “talk” with emergency vehicles rushing to a scene and even some Carta buses will be able to communicate with them to cut travel times.
Mr. Bailey also spoke about how the department works to address traffic issues and limit collisions by repaving or repainting.
One particular change he mentioned was the recent modification to North Market Street which trimmed the road down from four to three lanes.
He said that in the course of a year there were 42 collisions at that location, but restructuring roadways can lead to almost 50 percent fewer collisions.
The change also allowed the department to add a turning lane, bike lane, and about seven feet between the road and the sidewalk.
Overall, the changes may lead to more congestion since that section services more than 10,000 cars a day, but he believes that the safety rewards outweigh those issues.