Charlottetown gridlock addressed by traffic pilot project

Charlottetown city council hopes a pilot project using traffic cameras and computer software will ease rush hour traffic in the city.

Council has approved a three-month test trial on four intersections along North River Road. The cameras and computers will identify traffic backups, figure out what's causing them, and adjust the timing of traffic lights.

Commuters on North River Road can regularly find themselves stuck in a two-kilometre traffic queue that stretches from the bypass to Kirkwood Road.

Coun. Mike Duffy, chair of Charlottetown's public works committee, said changing the pattern of the traffic lights will change the flow of traffic.

"[It] will benefit those folks that find themselves stuck in that gridlock on North River Road coming in at quarter to eight in the morning and going out at ten after four in the afternoon," said Duffy.

If the results are good, the public works committee will ask city council to roll out the traffic cameras at all 33 traffic-light intersections in the city.

The three-month pilot project, with technology provided by Miovision, would be free for the city.

Installing the system at all the city's traffic lights would cost $900,000 over three years.

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