The road to smarter traffic management

Imagine a city where public transport runs like clockwork. Every train, bus and tram adjusts in real time to the flow of passengers, while traffic moves fluidly thanks to intelligent systems that predict and prevent congestion before it even starts. This is the promise of smart cities: a vision where video analytics and data-driven insights revolutionise public transportation, making urban life more efficient, sustainable and safer for everyone. Traffic is more than just a logistics issue — it directly impacts the wellbeing of city residents by influencing pollution levels, commute times and overall urban quality of life.

Aligning with sustainability goals

For government agencies responsible for managing public transport, video analytics offers a dual benefit: enhancing security while driving operational improvements. In situations where crowd control or public safety concerns are high — whether during a major event or the everyday rush of urban commutes — these systems provide vital intelligence that improves decision making.

Across Australia, transportation authorities are leveraging edge-based video analytics to gain real-time insights into how people move. Take a busy Sydney train station during peak hour: thousands of commuters rush to catch trains, creating potential bottlenecks at entrances, platforms and escalators. Traditional monitoring methods, such as manual counting or static cameras, make it nearly impossible to adapt to changes in passenger volume. But by integrating intelligent video analytics into the station’s infrastructure, transport authorities can automatically detect overcrowded areas and deploy resources where they’re needed most. This leads to better crowd control and more efficient flow of people, ultimately enhancing the overall commuter experience.

Beyond train stations, video analytics combined with GPS data can identify inefficiencies along bus routes, enabling transport planners to adjust schedules in real time, reducing both fuel consumption and emissions. For instance, if a sensor detects deteriorating air quality in a particular area, it could use MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport), a lightweight messaging protocol, to connect with live traffic data. By identifying congestion as the source of increased pollution, traffic could then be automatically redirected through less busy streets, reducing emissions and bringing pollution levels back to normal. This smarter approach to public transport not only benefits residents but also aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging greener transit options.

Ultimately, by understanding how passengers interact with the public transport system, cities can make more sustainable, data-driven decisions, creating a future where efficiency and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

Improving public safety

Safety is another critical advantage of video analytics in public transport. Acting as a real-world ‘traffic MRI’, smart cameras help to mitigate the risk of accidents at busy intersections. They work by tracking vehicle and pedestrian movement, which allows them to detect near-misses or risky behaviour, such as illegal pedestrian crossing or running red lights, and alerting authorities before an incident occurs. Such a proactive approach has the potential to significantly reduce accidents and keep people safe, whether they’re on foot, in a car or using public transport.

A great example of how video analytics is transforming transport comes from the City of Hobart, which boosted its public safety and traffic management capabilities by deploying a city-wide network of over 200 connected smart cameras. Previously, Hobart relied on isolated CCTV systems, making it difficult to manage traffic flow and provide timely information for law enforcement. With the support from the Commonwealth Government’s Safer Communities Fund, the city installed advanced cameras, many with 360° coverage, delivering over 300 live video feeds. This integrated system has allowed officials to monitor real-time traffic and safety conditions. By some estimates, the time taken for law enforcement to access footage has drastically reduced from days to approximately 15 minutes, allowing for quicker investigations and potentially faster resolutions to crimes.

The future of smart cities is AI

Modern surveillance cameras have evolved into powerful computing devices, combining edge computing and deep learning to provide enhanced scene data, analytics and traffic statistics. As Australian cities continue to grow, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) systems is expected to yield even more sophisticated analyses of traffic patterns and public safety incidents.

AI enables cameras to understand and categorise key details in real time and with high accuracy, reducing the burden on human input for data analysis and decision making. This speeds up response times, enhances public transport efficiency and improves the overall quality of urban life.

With AI-powered video analytics at the forefront, the future of urban transportation is poised to be smarter, greener and more resilient, with every city system working in harmony for the benefit of all who live and move within it.

*Johnny Lee is Business Development Manager of Transportation & Smart Cities/Infrastructure ANZ at Axis Communications, and has extensive experience collaborating across the government, enterprise, and infrastructure sectors, working closely with end users and technology partners. His focus is on creating tailored surveillance solutions for smart cities, transportation and critical infrastructure.

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