Bus travelers in Memphis will see more green lights and enjoy faster commute times after the
Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) unveiled its new onboard Transit Signal Priority (TSP) technology late last week. The signal emitter system works in tandem with traffic lights to greatly reduce bus trip times for passengers, and the city will save money on fuel costs and brake repairs.
“We’ve been able to demonstrate about a 20 percent travel time savings as a direct result of this technology,” says Tom Fox, MATA interim president and general manager.
The TSP emitter system, designed by Minn.-based
Global Traffic Technologies, sends a signal between the bus’s GPS system and the upcoming traffic signal, beginning approximately 30 seconds or 400 feet away as the bus approaches the intersection. The TSP system can hold the light on green until the bus makes it through the intersection.
Installation of the system is complete through the Poplar Avenue corridor, including 140 busses and 40 stop light intersections, and a similar system is being installed now on Elvis Presley Boulevard. The third corridor through Brooks Road and State Line Road will be implemented next.
“Our future plans are to expand this to other major routes in the MATA system – Lamar Avenue, for example, Park Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Third Street – all what we consider the key corridor routes,” explains Fox.
Federal grants are covering 80 percent of the project cost, and state grants are making up the remaining 20 percent. The city’s contribution to the program is only $100,000.
“This project is going to be key in our efforts to be more multi-modal in the city of Memphis, and it gives travelers additional options when traveling on heavily traveled corridors,” says Randall Tatum, City of Memphis traffic engineer. “It will also greatly reduce some of the air quality issues we have here in the city.”
Memphis joins roughly 75 other cities using the technology across the country, including New York, Baltimore and Nashville.
By Michael Waddell
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