Parsons hopes that Transforming Intersections – the first of a planned series of Smart Cities Challenges - will significantly increase mobility around cities. The goal of Parsons’ Smart Cities Challenge is to change the way cities move by collaborating with governments to solve some of the most complex mobility issues they face today, including frustrated motorists sitting at intersections in traffic backups.
“Starting today, cities and counties in the United States, Canada, and beyond can apply to collaborate with us to use new mobility technologies to address the challenges their transportation networks face every day,” said said Andrew Liu, Parsons senior vice president of smart cities. “The winner of the smart cities challenge will receive a free one-year trial of the Parsons Intelligent Intersections solution for their transportation corridor.”
The company wants to see its Intelligent Intersections system used to leverage existing data to provide automated traffic re-timing based on changing traffic patterns. In addition, ‘connected’ vehicles can communicate with traffic signals, which Parsons said will lead to more efficient and environmentally friendly driving with a smaller carbon footprint and, ultimately, safer intersections. Traffic signal owners can also provide priority to transit and emergency vehicles or automatically extend green cycles for pedestrians needing extra time to cross the street.
“Every year people spend more than a week and a half of their life sitting at red traffic lights,” said Chuck Harrington, Parsons chairman and CEO. “By changing intersections through our Transforming Intersections challenge, we will not only revolutionize how cities move, but we’ll provide people with some of their valuable time back to do things other than sit at a traffic light. Our goal is to give cities the opportunity to increase their mobility, reduce their carbon footprint through reduced idling of vehicles, and keep their city moving.”
“Starting today, cities and counties in the United States, Canada, and beyond can apply to collaborate with us to use new mobility technologies to address the challenges their transportation networks face every day. The winner of the smart cities challenge will receive a free 1-year trial of the Parsons Intelligent Intersections solution for their transportation corridor,” said Andrew Liu, Parsons Senior Vice President of Smart Cities.
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