Vilnius deploys artificial intelligence to fight traffic congestion
Vilnius is testing an AI-based traffic system that has cut driver waiting times by about 19 minutes on one of the city's busiest roads. The city plans to expand such technology to other high-traffic intersections.
JUDU, the Vilnius municipal company that manages the capital's public transport and parking, is piloting artificial intelligence solutions to reduce traffic congestion. According to madeinvilnius.lt, a system introduced on Nemenčinės Road, one of the city's busiest streets, has already produced noticeable results.
Evaldas Morkūnas, head of JUDU's Traffic Management and Organization Department, says congestion cannot be solved with a single measure and requires a comprehensive approach. Current efforts focus on making existing street infrastructure and traffic lights work more efficiently, improving public transport flow, and making alternatives to cars more attractive to residents.
Smart traffic lights and results
This year Vilnius made 60 changes to traffic light control programs, mainly aimed at improving intersection coordination and reducing queues. At the intersections where results were analyzed, the average number of vehicle stops fell by roughly 10 percent.
The smart system on Nemenčinės Road coordinates seven intersections and pedestrian crossings, analyzing real-time traffic data and adjusting signals based on predicted conditions. During the morning rush hour, it reduced total driver waiting time by about 19 minutes, while waiting times at some pedestrian crossings dropped to as little as 30 seconds. Public transport priority has also been tested, allowing buses to receive an earlier or extended green signal, reducing idle time.
Future plans
Morkūnas explains that artificial intelligence helps authorities better understand traffic conditions, forecast flows, and respond more quickly to changing situations. In the future, Vilnius plans to expand such technologies to coordinated traffic streets with the heaviest loads, relying more on real-time data combined with traffic forecasting, and to extend public transport priority further.
He adds that completely avoiding congestion in a metropolis is practically impossible, particularly during morning and evening rush hours, since street infrastructure has a physically limited capacity. For that reason, the city will continue strengthening public transport and expanding cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to give residents more convenient alternatives to private cars.
