Lienz to upgrade B100 traffic lights next spring

Lienz will upgrade outdated traffic lights on the Drautalstraße (B100) next spring in an effort to ease congestion, ORF reports. The signals have frustrated drivers, pedestrians and cyclists in the East Tyrolean district capital.

The five lights along the route were synchronised several years ago, but drivers have seen little improvement, said Johannes Nemmert of the Lienz district construction office. Coordinating them requires compromises that account for heavy traffic on the B100 as well as cross traffic and pedestrians.

A central traffic computer and cameras are intended to improve traffic flow and reduce waiting times for vehicles crossing the main road. The updated lights will use fewer sensors embedded in the road and rely more on cameras, which could allow certain traffic directions to receive longer green phases at particular times.

The signals will be connected to a central traffic computer in Innsbruck, allowing staff to respond more quickly to faults, Nemmert said. Up to 28,000 vehicles travel through Lienz each day. Artificial intelligence may also be used later to help resolve the city’s traffic bottleneck.