Dubai: A student-led project proposes installing red and green lights between lanes on the road surface to alert drivers if they will be able or not to make it through the green signal at intersections in Dubai.
Some drivers speed up on the approach to a green traffic light in a hurry to make it through, which sometimes results in accidents because of their miscalculation and speeding. Others brake harshly when they realise they won’t be able to make it through as the light changes to red, which also causes accidents occasionally.
Students at Dubai’s Al Maaref Private School, Al Nahda, are showcasing a proposal for lane markings lit by red and green lights instead of the regular white markings painted on the roads.
Their model of the system is on display at the Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibition till Wednesday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The lights would be inserted at level with the road surface inside a submerged see-through Plexiglas slit that would illuminate the markings in red or green light.
If the approaching car is in the zone lit red, and travelling at or below the speed limit, it will not be able to make it past the green traffic signal in time. This will warn the drive not to speed up to the signal.
The lights would be configured to the particular speed limit of the specific road and synched with the timings of the traffic light signal at the intersection.
If the approaching car is in the green zone, it will safely be able to make it past the green signal at the intersection in time at the legal speed limit.
“We want to promote safe driving because many people speed up when they see the traffic light is green, which causes accidents,” said Adham Barakat, a grade 12 student who worked on the project.
“Moreover, the lights will use power by solar panels to save energy, which is also good for the environment,” added Feras Thaer, another student who also contributed to the project.
The model attracted visits and compliments by government officials at the Smart Lab section of the exhibition, which was specifically set up for student projects during the event.
