Why Adelaide roads are about to glow up

Published 1 month ago• 2 minute read

AI cameras are now being used across SA in a bid to combat collisions and fix congestion

Adelaide’s new fleet of smart cameras have just been switched on, with some of the busiest roads in the South Australian capital set to benefit from fewer collisions and traffic jams.

At least that’s what the South Australian government plans to achieve with its latest $350K investment.

The new cameras employ artificial intelligence (AI) to track traffic flow, targeting key hotspots such as Penfield, Paradise, and Old Noarlunga, from where they’ll send real-time data back to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s Traffic Management Centre (TMC).

Staff at TMC can then adjust traffic signals to reduce congestion.

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And not only is the technology set to make the daily commute a lot smoother and safer for drivers, it’s set to put money back into the South Australian economy too.

For every 5000 motorists who are forced to wait 20 minutes in the morning peak hour, it costs the state’s economy more than $33,000, according to data collected by the TMC.

Similar cameras were installed in Adelaide’s northern suburbs last year after a string of rear-end collisions, as motorists were forced to queue on the Northern Expressway as traffic banked up on the busy Heaslip Road off-ramp.

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Since then, the South Australian government says the cameras have been a ‘game changer’, as it was able to stop northbound traffic and generate gaps for the off-ramp traffic to flow.

The government is now planning to add two more camera locations along the Northern Expressway as more housing developments pop up, including some 3000 new homes earmarked for the northern suburbs of Smithfield and Playford.

Tom Koutsantonis, the state’s MP for Infrastructure and Transport, says the new technology will deliver a safer and more reliable road network.

“There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in long traffic jams where cars are bumper to bumper,” said Mr Koutsantonis. “By investing in trials of this new technology, we are taking a productive approach in enhancing our road network as we continue to invest and expand in Adelaide’s north.”