San Francisco deploys lidar solution in proof-of-concept rail and traffic pilot

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFTMA) has announced it has deployed Quanergy’s 3D lidar Flow Management solution to help reduce traffic delays.

Integrated with TNL’s traffic flow management platform, the aim was to improve the travel time of San Francisco’s light rail vehicles as part of a proof-of-concept pilot project.

Signal timing programme

The SFMTA, a department of the City and County of San Francisco responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the city, deployed a signal timing programme from July to August 2021 using Quanergy’s Flow Management solution consisting of its M-Series sensors and Qortex DTC 3D perception software.

SFMTA reports the goal was to reduce transit vehicle travel times so riders could avoid waiting at red lights and get to their destination faster while not delaying other road users. It compared travel times for trains both prior and post installing the new technology.

“We’ve seen a dramatic improvement as travel time per light rail vehicle was reduced by 66 seconds resulting in a travel time reduction of 16 per cent across the project corridor”

Working with TNL, Quanergy provided SFMTA with a smart 3D solution to help it measure and optimise traffic in real time.

“This project highlights the first time we’ve used lidar to detect people and automobiles,” said Robert Lim, project manager at SFMTA. “We’ve seen a dramatic improvement as travel time per light rail vehicle was reduced by 66 seconds resulting in a travel time reduction of 16 per cent across the project corridor.”