A new year invites us to look forward, to consider how the world might be different in the future, and to change our lives for the better.
We do the same thing in the transportation infrastructure industry — except we’re always looking forward. We have to be. Decisions we’re making now shape how traffic flows in the future.
Creating a Better Tomorrow for Highway Travelers
In the future, we see a world with smoother traffic flow. Today’s newest innovations and technologies are part of the reason why. They include:
Innovative Intersections
We’ve written before about new types of intersections that optimize traffic flow and eliminate turns across oncoming traffic. Their goal is smoother and safer traffic patterns.
While these elegant solutions often cost more and require more land, they pay off in safer and more efficient traffic flow for decades to come.
Autonomous Vehicles
For decades, self-driving cars seemed like science fiction — much like flying cars and traveling through space at light speed. But the computer processing power required to drive a car is no longer fictional. It’s here. This segment of the transportation industry is moving forward quickly.
Computer drivers have to make constant decisions — just like human drivers. And like human drivers, computers rely on clear signage and quality road striping to guide them.
The Science of Traffic Flow
Nothing says “the future” like using science to solve complex problems. But the science of traffic flow is not new. In fact, the first traffic flow theories date to the 1920s, and the science really took off in the 1950s when Congress launched the Interstate Highway System.
Traffic flow science views traffic as a living, ever-changing entity. It collects evidence to learn how road features affect traffic flow for miles ahead. Formulas postulated by scientists help us design traffic plans that better keep vehicles moving smoothly and efficiently.
Highway Stripes Tie it All Together
Science-fueled innovations are building a better tomorrow for road travelers. But it’s a long road: Projects like these can take decades to move from the drawing board to reality.
At InfraStripe, we’re proud that our family of companies has a key role in building a better future for highway travel.
In the present and in the future, our highway markings have an essential role: To provide easy-to-understand, real-time instructions so drivers — whether they’re humans or computers — can navigate tomorrow’s innovative traffic patterns.