The mayor of the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, has announced the signature of contracts that will continue to make the city’s traffic light system smarter. The contracts are being financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and will take forward the modernisation and expansion of the city’s intelligent traffic light (ITL) system, as part of the Bucharest Traffic Management System (BTMS). The project has a total cost of approximately €25 million, of which €12.5 million are from non-refundable sources.
ITL systems are vehicle traffic control systems that combine traditional traffic lights with an array of sensors and artificial intelligence to intelligently route vehicle and pedestrian traffic. They help to improve traffic flow, increase road safety and reduce air pollution. According to the mayor’s announcement, the modernisation and extension of Bucharest’s ITL system will be carried out in four steps; the signed contracts cover the first three.
The first step involves the modernisation and reconfiguration of 85 intersections, relating to five radial routes into the capital to improve the operation of these important exits from the city centre, i.e.: Colentina Road, Alexandriai Road, Iuliu Maniu Boulevard, the Bucharest – Târgovişte Road and Berceni. This initial stage also includes the implementation of 220 electric vehicle charging stations in the capital.
The aim of the second step is to increase the capacity of the current traffic centre, while the third involves the modernisation in various stages of approximately 185 existing intersections, as well as the overall BTMS system. In addition, new vehicle detection solutions are being considered, such as the installation of video cameras, magnetic sensors, etc.
The fourth and final stage of the project will include the renewal of 194 existing intersections and the integration of these into the current BTMS. As part of this stage, 80 intersections or pedestrian crossings that currently do not have traffic lights will be added, so traffic lights will be installed on these and integrated into the BTMS. In order to realise these final investments and improvements, the City of Bucharest is planning to apply to other non-reimbursable financing programmes.