Traffic LightTraffic lights on city streets can be maddening. One direction may have a green light and not a single car in sight. Meanwhile, a red light can stop a whole line of cars in another direction.
However, at one intersection in Leningrad, a new type of traffic light has emerged—a traffic light with a “brain.” Connected to special sensors, this intelligent device detects which direction vehicles are approaching from and how many there are, then instantly decides the quickest way to let them pass.
But what happens if a fire truck or an ambulance approaches? Will the light notice? Unless the driver presses a special button, it won’t. Fortunately, all emergency vehicles carry devices that alert this “thinking” traffic light.
Pedestrians aren’t forgotten, either. Periodically the traffic flow is stopped in one direction or the other so pedestrians can cross safely.
