Data First, Not Diets: A Smarter Way to Manage Traffic

Published: April 21, 2025

This Newsmax article on road diets shows how we’re solving the wrong problem with the wrong tools. Traffic management isn't about removing lanes and slowing things down—it’s about understanding how, when, and where traffic actually flows.

And that means we need *real data*. Data that tells the truth, not theories based on outdated assumptions or political agendas. Here’s how we start doing it right.

Step 1: Connect GPS and Road Data

First, we partner with companies like Google, Apple, and Waze to get anonymized GPS data across road networks. This gives us a dynamic, real-time map of where traffic is building, where it’s backing up, and how fast it’s flowing.

Step 2: Unify Intersections with AI Monitoring

Second, we link together every intersection and roadway in a city through a centralized, AI-monitored system. The AI tracks signal efficiency, lane saturation, pedestrian interference, and live congestion.

With enough data points, the AI learns and predicts traffic conditions—enabling dynamic route adjustments, preemptive congestion warnings, and smarter signal coordination.

Step 3: Add Sensors, Speed Trackers, and Cameras

We use existing intersection cameras and install low-cost sensors that log vehicle speed, spacing, and density. These sensors offer insight into bottlenecks between intersections—not just at them. It’s what you don’t see on the camera that often causes the jam.

Step 4: Use License Plate Readers to Identify Commercial Congestion Sources

Add license plate readers and metadata tracking to anonymously determine which commercial operations are generating the most vehicle traffic in high-volume areas. This helps open up conversations with delivery firms, taxi fleets, food couriers, or construction crews about how they can reduce impact or operate smarter.

If a company’s vehicle presence is disproportionately clogging up intersections during peak hours, they should be brought to the table—not penalized, but included in a proactive solution.

Step 5: Enable Live City Coordination for Critical Freight and Emergency Traffic

With a central office—like the Department of Transportation in big cities, or the mayor’s office in small towns—live staff can monitor the traffic control system in real-time. This becomes especially useful for time-sensitive or emergency traffic.

Let’s say a Red Cross driver is delivering blood across town, or a FedEx driver is hauling life-saving medical equipment. Their supervisor could contact the local monitoring office, reference the vehicle, and get routing assistance in real time.

This isn’t open public access—it’s a human-in-the-loop model with strict auditing and oversight. Every call is logged, and usage is traceable. This prevents misuse, helps prevent terrorism, and keeps the system clean and purposeful.

Step 6: Use Data to Inform Dynamic Infrastructure—Like in Hawaii

In Hawaii, during morning rush hours, the H-1 and H-2 highways use a flexible lane model: more lanes flow into Honolulu in the morning, and then shift back toward the west in the evening as people return home. The lanes literally move, and the city breathes with them.

That kind of dynamic solution doesn’t come from politics—it comes from data. Once we’ve got solid traffic data, we can apply models like that, or ones unique to our cities, and finally start solving real congestion problems.

In short: we need data, not diets.