Does anyone else find it a bit odd that we can run a company from our smartphones yet are still forced to sit at red lights because the technology is still from the mid 20th century? I’ve found a lot of proposed solutions around the web but haven’t seen any that take this approach.
So here’s a relatively simple concept (please forgive my lack of technical background): Attach inexpensive networkable bluetooth sensors like http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/453951341/sensordrone-the-6th-sense-of-your-smartphoneand-be?ref=search or http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/52038469/knut-stay-connected?ref=search) to traffic light armatures pointed at oncoming lanes to detect oncoming cars containing Waze equipped smartphones. When a stopped lane racks up enough “votes” after a set period of inactivity from any intersecting traffic lanes, a message is relayed to the control box to switch to green. Imagine the reduction in emissions and accidents such a system could achieve (the sensordrone can actually take periodic air samples to provide hard data that it works). Plus it could inform drivers of any approaching emergency vehicles and allow time to clear a path.
The beauty of the concept is in its non-invasiveness - it only transmits data to the signal box, which still makes the actual choices using the existing hardware, 2) any malfunctions in the system that compromise safety can simply revert to operating on the existing traffic hardware.
Many lights are set so that all traffic flowing in a particular direction can continue at speed through numerous subsequent lights. What you suggest could disrupt that.
And purely timed lights are becoming less and less common, most have one or more sensors that do just what you propose, but without needing any signal from the cars, their very presence is noted by the traffic sensors mounted on the signal poles or embedded in the roads or both.
And while Waze use is growing why base said signal on such a small portion of the driving population?