By KHT Staff. AI image based on a reference picture.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung will shorten red-light waiting times at selected intersections this summer to reduce the amount of time drivers and scooter riders spend stopped under direct sunlight, the city’s Transportation Bureau said.
The bureau said the “summer signal timing” plan is a response to rising temperatures and the growing challenge of extreme heat. From late May through August, smart traffic controls will adjust signal timing between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., when road users are most exposed to high temperatures.
The first phase will cover more than 40 intersections in urban Kaohsiung, including areas around Rehe Road (熱河路), Chongqing Road (重慶路), Tianjin Street (天津街), Haerbin Street (哈爾濱街), Nenjiang Street (嫩江街), and Hankou Street (漢口街).
The city says the plan includes not only shortening the duration of red lights at individual intersections, but also utilizing smart traffic control systems that will adjust entire road corridors to reduce waiting times while maintaining coordinated traffic flow on major roads.
Officials said the adjustments will focus first on corridors where signal cycles exceed 200 seconds and where traffic lights are already coordinated. Depending on the intersection, red-light waiting times could be reduced by about 15 to 60 seconds.
The bureau said some major-road red lights that previously required waits of about 150 seconds will be shortened, while waits on secondary roads could be cut to as little as just over 30 seconds in some cases.
The city said the goal is to reduce discomfort and heat exposure for road users, especially scooter riders, without causing new congestion. The traffic control center will monitor conditions throughout the day and make rolling adjustments based on real-time traffic flow, officials said.
