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New traffic technology gets green light in Amherst

The town will install technology to allow traffic signals to communicate with each other to control traffic volumes.

AMHERST, N.Y. — Have you ever driven through the Town of Amherst and hit every light on the way to your destination?

If so, you're not alone, Town of Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa told 2 On Your Side it's a problem.

"Everybody who comes to Amherst talks about Amherst traffic. We don't want to be known as a town with a traffic problem," he said.

Kulpa said most of the traffic headaches happen on main roads such as Maple.

"What you see especially during rush hour is roads like Maple can move fairly freely," Kulpa said. "However, you get pile-ups at these lights, and after one light releases vehicle volume, then the next light catches that vehicle volume, and you get another pile up."

The town is making an investment to fix it. Around a million dollars was approved in the Capital Improvement Plan adopted Monday to upgrade all town-owned traffic signals.

Another $750,000 is expected to be allocated next year.

"The way that we've built signals and built signal timing over the years. It's not conducive to moving the traffic volumes that we see currently," Kulpa said.  

The town will install a product known as Miovison, which will use adaptive artificial intelligence to allow traffic signals to communicate with each other to control traffic volumes.

The technology will be added to 65 intersections within town limits.

"It uses pole mounted cameras, they use a 360-degree, fish-eye lens," Kulpa said.

Similar technology is being used in parts of the Town of Tonawanda and City of Lackawanna.

The project is expected to take two years to complete.

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