by BOSTON (WHDH) — Boston city officials this week announced a new partnership with Google to use AI to combat traffic congestion on local streets.
Called Project Green Light, the program uses AI to model traffic patterns and recommend adjustments to traffic light timing.
In a statement Thursday, officials said they began working with Google on the Green Light project in February and have so far made changes to four intersections in the Fenway-Kenmore, Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain areas.
“We know that even small adjustments can have a big impact on traffic,” Mayor Michelle Wu told 7NEWS.
In 2023, traffic analytics firm INRIX ranked Boston as the eighth worst city in the world for traffic delays.
“One of the most frustrating aspects of living in a big city is traffic, which is why Boston is taking every step necessary to combat congestion and get people where they need to go,” Wu said.
Matheus Vervloet, a product manager at Google, said Project Green Light combines AI with Google Maps technology to analyze intersections and create recommendations for city traffic engineers.
In Boston, officials said they examined hundreds of intersections and found a 50 percent drop in stop-and-go traffic after implementing the Green Light Project’s recommendations at the intersections of Huntington Avenue and Opera Place, and Amory Street and Green Street.
The Green Light Project is currently running in 14 cities around the world. Boston and Seattle are the only U.S. cities invited to participate for free.
Boston officials said city engineers plan to implement additional recommendations from the Green Light project later this year.
“It’s one piece of something that we know could be a bigger part of the solution,” Wu said.
“We saw great potential to reduce unnecessary stops and reduce emissions and pollution,” Vervloet said.
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