Transport Malta to roll out AI-powered traffic management system within months
National control centre will use live road data, adaptive traffic lights and intelligent systems to manage traffic
Transport Malta’s new national traffic control centre will begin using AI and live road data “within months” to help guide decisions on traffic management and infrastructure.
The centre, which is currently undergoing upgrades before it becomes fully operational, will serve as the technological hub for monitoring and managing transport across Malta and Gozo.
Through a network of radars, cameras and intelligent systems, spread across the country, the centre collects and analyses data related to vehicle flow and road movements,
During a visit to the centre on Thursday, Transport Minister Chris Bonett said that in the coming months, this information will start being used to guide decision on traffic management and infrastructure interventions in different areas.
Several systems are currently being upgraded so they can all be integrated together. This will allow, among other things, the use of artificial intelligence to enable different systems to work together in real time to improve traffic flow according to changing needs.
The technological upgrades will also be linked to other projects such as C-SAM, through which new technologies aimed at improving road safety for cyclists and pedestrians will be introduced for the first time.
Bonett said that “the implementation of technology in transport management forms part of the Malta in Motion plan, where work has already started so that we begin seeing greater integration between different modes of transport and more modern, efficient and sustainable mobility systems for our country.”
He said that within a few months, the centre would assist in strategic decisions such as traffic diversions and infrastructure interventions through the data collected from across the country.
“The importance of artificial intelligence through technology is one of the biggest investments we needed. We are currently in the testing phase so that, within a few months, this system will be fully operational,” Bonett said.
Transport Malta CEO Kurt Farrugia said the authority is continuing to invest both in technology and in people so that traffic flow can be managed more intelligently.
“Through software systems, we will be able to see what is happening on our roads and take decisions in real time,” Farrugia said.
Kenneth Spiteri, senior manager at the National Traffic Control and Data Centre explained they will be installing more sensors and radars in the coming weeks so that traffic lights will become fully adaptive and operate intelligently and automatically.
He added that all systems will be integrated under one platform so operators at the centre can make decisions based on all available information.
He said that through artificial intelligence, the system will continue to be updated to make the transport network more efficient.