[LINK] New trial of AI-powered traffic lights will be a test for who gets priority on public roads

[Philip N Argy]

The pedestrian button almost always triggers a timer giving them priority at the first available opportunity.  The proposed AI is apparently intended for those situations - usually off-peak - when you are sitting at a red light or a red arrow and can see nothing that should stop you proceeding except for the light.  I don't think that needs much AI to deal with - some sensors perhaps 100 metres or so before the lights might be sufficient, and changing the lights to flashing instead of green would give the driver the option and responsibility for proceeding - like many lights in Sydney currently do.  So the AI in this context looks a lot like a solution looking for a problem unless it can provide traffic congestion analysis in very busy periods and optimise light changes in real time for the prevailing conditions.
Philip 

-----Original Message-----
From: Link <link-bounces at anu.edu.au> On Behalf Of Marghanita da Cruz
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2026 12:12 PM
To: link at anu.edu.au
Subject: Re: [LINK] New trial of AI-powered traffic lights will be a test for who gets priority on public roads

Hi Roger,

Good point about poor article.

This is not the first time Queensland has tried not to leave huge numbers of pedestrians making way for one car.

It is not time but convenience of standing in the rain or sun (with no
shelter) vs sitting in a car of bus.

Traffic Lights are designed to smoothe the flow of vehicles (unless you wish to build a motorway - then you program vehicle congestion. Perhaps the flaw is in assumptions AI is fed.

Marghanita

On 7/20/26 11:08, Roger Clarke wrote:
> On 20/7/2026 10:33, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> > as a pedestrian advocate: ...
>
> The Conversation article says:
> > The hard part is not only using data and AI technology. It is
> deciding whose time matters most.
>
> It seems to overlook the fact that 'AI' is unnecessary (except as an 
> excitement hook to hitch new investment to).  The programming can be 
> done with any generation of language, and with or without any form of 
> Artifical Intelligence as practitioners nunderstand that term.
>
> Agreed:  Consideration's needed of what values are appropriate to 
> embed in the decision-processes;  but that leads to questions of what 
> data is needed to support decisions, and how that data will be collected.
>
> But, as per my post on Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:51:27 +1000, the critical, 
> long-delayed change is additional sensors, primarily LIDAR-based.
>
> From the viewpoint of pedestrians:
>
> Will sensors be used to detect both the existence of a pedestrian 
> request (and a time-stamp to enable time-based prioritisation), and 
> the number of pedestrians in the waiting-zones?
>
> Those zones will quite possibly not be within the field of view of the 
> LIDAR that's monitoring what vehicles are where.
>
> __________
>
>
> On 20/7/2026 10:33, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
>> as a pedestrian advocate:
>>
>>> Later this year, a Queensland council will trial Australia’s first 
>>> traffic light system powered by artificial intelligence 
>>> <https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/News/Media/AI-powered-traffic-sig
>>> nalling>
>>> (AI).
>>>
>>> The new traffic technology will be trialled by the City of Moreton 
>>> Bay at the intersection of two suburban roads in Petrie, just north 
>>> of Brisbane.
>>>
>>> At first, this might sound like a small transport story. But it 
>>> raises hard questions about fairness, safety and who gets priority 
>>> on public roads.
>>>
>>> And if this trial works, similar systems may be used in other 
>>> Australian towns.
>>>
>> more at
>> https://theconversation.com/new-trial-of-ai-powered-traffic-lights-wi
>> ll-be-a-test-for-who-gets-priority-on-public-roads-287193
> ___________________
>
> Roger Clarke mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
> T: +61 2 6288 6916  http://www.xamax.com.au http://www.rogerclarke.com
>
> Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd     78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 
> AUSTRALIA Visiting Professorial Fellow                         UNSW 
> Law & Justice Visiting Professor in Computer Science   Australian 
> National University
>
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--
Marghanita da Cruz
Telephone: 0414-869202
Email:  marghanita at ramin.com.au
Website: http://ramin.com.au

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