The city of Los Angeles, California plans to install intelligent traffic signal controllers at 1,500 intersections this year. The new control cabinets will include new technology to control features such as the guide-lighting in crosswalks, or signals directing bicycle traffic.
Traffic control cabinets house the computers and sensors which control traffic signal timing to facilitate the efficient and safe movement of vehicles, people and goods. Their advantages include up to 32-channel operation (double the previous capacity), increased safety enhancements for installers, and real-time benefits for traffic engineers. These operational improvements use “lamp out detection” to send immediate notifications when signal lights fail. They also have fail-safe flashing red alerts when the intersection backup system needs to be repaired.
“The novelty of the ATC [advanced transportation controller] cabinets is in an increase of the limit of input and output devices,” said Oliver Hou, a transportation planner with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. “This translates to more features for more types of users than the previous cabinet, which has proven useful as our transportation system becomes more complex.”
The control cabinets are being developed by McCain, Inc. – a wholly-owned subsidiary of the SWARCO Group – and are designed to support smart city technologies and LED control signals. McCain will deliver the smart traffic cabinets to Los Angeles beginning at the end of the summer of 2018.
“Generally speaking, one cabinet runs one intersection,” said Nathan Welch, McCain’s director of sales. “Though, with advanced transportation controller cabinet technology, you can do more. Moving to the ATC platform enables L.A. to accommodate [signals for] bike lanes, which they were unable to do with their existing infrastructure.”
