A suburban city in the East Bay Area will allow commuters to use a new app that links their smartphones to traffic lights.
"Drivers on the city's crowded commute routes can join in the race to the digital future with a new app that will link their smartphones to traffic lights, giving them an alert when the green light is about to shine," reports Andrew McGall. "The free [EnLighten] app announced Thursday morning will work with all 100 of the city's traffic lights, which are linked to a city traffic control center."
McCall describes how the app works in more detail: "A few seconds before a red traffic light changes, EnLighten will chime to refocus drivers on driving, perhaps drawing them back from sipping coffee, doing their makeup or surreptitiously checking their cell phones. The EnLighten app is available for Android and iPhone users."
McCall goes on to describe the public-private partnership that enabled the program as well as a little information on the testing of the app. It will be interesting to see if real world tests prove the technology a safety improvement or just another way for cars to move quickly around the city's expansive residential and commercial arterials.
FULL STORY: Walnut Creek has green-light alert for drivers
Let’s End Traffic Stops
The technology to make traffic enforcement obsolete is becoming available. But in the U.S. willing to use it?
Crunching the Safety Data Reveals the Need to Improve Traffic Lights
After completing an eight-year study of traffic collisions, the Seattle Department of Transportation realized that one way to immediately improve traffic safety would be to improve signalization an key intersections.
The App That Puts Street Design Powers Into the Hands of Children
For the first time ever, Norway is crowdsourcing public safety information from kids—made possible through the powers of smart phones and gamification.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood
Among this year’s Oscar-nominated films, only The Wild Robot passed the Climate Reality Check, a test measuring climate change representation in storytelling, highlighting the ongoing lack of climate awareness in mainstream Hollywood films.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research