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The Requirement for an Additional Traffic Signal in the Age of Robotaxis and Autonomous Vehicles

Waymo is already employing self-driving vehicles, and you can now experience a ride in a robotaxi in various cities across the U.S. The roadway infrastructure may require modifications to accommodate the increasing number of autonomous vehicles (AVs) anticipated in the coming years. A group of transportation engineers at North Carolina State University has been focused on one component of this infrastructure since 2020: incorporating a fourth traffic signal, which they propose could be white (although it could actually be any new hue).

When the white traffic signal activates, human drivers will understand that they need to perform a single action: Follow the vehicle in front and mimic its movements until the signal changes. This concept arises from the capability of AVs to interact with one another as well as with traffic signals. The white signal would illuminate only if a sufficient number of AVs are present at a busy intersection. When a human-operated vehicle reaches the intersection, it would adhere to the actions of the AVs. Drivers would continue to obey conventional traffic light regulations until the fourth signal activates, but if a certain threshold of human-operated vehicles is present at the intersection, they would revert to the traditional traffic light system.

The underlying idea is that AVs linked to a smart traffic light could enhance traffic flow and diminish fuel consumption. The initial proposal suggested a single computing system to gather data regarding the quantity of AVs nearby, in conjunction with managing traffic at the intersection. In 2023, the researchers introduced a new distributed computing system.