AdvertisementArtificial intelligence will be rolled out on two Brisbane roads to change traffic light sequences in real time and speed up traffic as part of a six-month trial, according to Brisbane council.The AI system will be used on Logan Road and Kelvin Grove Road, located in the inner suburbs on either side of the river.RACQ Executive Manager of Public Policy Dr Michael Kane, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, and Infrastructure Chair Ryan Murphy announcing a trial of AI-powered traffic cameras, to be run in early 2027.Dominique TassellBrisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner described the pilot, which begins early next year, as “cutting edge” and “the biggest step we’ve had in traffic management in decades”.The corridors comprise 37 different intersections, making it the biggest trial of its kind in Australia, Schrinner said. The technology will be installed on top of existing traffic signal boxes.Advertisement“We’re talking about tens of thousands of vehicles each day using these corridors,” Schrinner said.“We expect to have the technology up and running early next year. We will take around six months to assess the effectiveness of the technology, and by around mid next year we’ll be in a position to report on how that has gone.”Schrinner said similar trials resulted in a 15 per cent improvement in traffic flow and a 22 per cent reduction in queueing at intersections.“If you upgraded all 37 of these intersections in a traditional manner, using concrete and road expansions, you would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to do that. This pilot is a $15 million pilot.”AdvertisementInfrastructure chair Ryan Murphy said approximately 20 staff at the Brisbane Metropolitan Traffic Management Centre currently perform manual interventions in the network as necessary, and this will give them the ability to operate more efficiently.“We still need humans in the loop, we still need humans to operate this, but right now they’re very limited in what they can do,” Murphy said.Kelvin Grove Road at Kelvin Grove in Brisbane’s inner north, where a trial of AI-powered traffic cameras will be held in 2027.Dominique TassellThe system will react in real time and provide different scenario planning depending on weather, historical data and events.“So if there’s a game at Suncorp Stadium, it will be operating in a different way than if there is a match at the Gabba. It will behave differently if it’s a rainy day,” he said.Advertisement“It will give us the ability to truly manage our transport network, rather than just observe it.”Murphy said action has been taken to protect people’s privacy and safety.“Faces are blurred, number plates are blurred, and no data will be sent offshore,” he said.“All data will be retained here in Brisbane, in Brisbane City Council owned and controlled data centres.Advertisement“[If] law enforcement authorities request that information, that can then be undone for them based on that individual request.”Murphy said he hoped to see the technology rolled out on other major transport corridors such as Old Cleveland Road, Ipswich Road and Gympie Road.The Labor opposition said AI could be a useful tool, but the LNP needed to answer question about data security and argued public transport was a more effective way to combat congestion.“The LNP state government capped bus growth funding for two years and our lord mayor said nothing,” leader Jared Cassidy said in a statement.Advertisement“Average speeds along major council road corridors such as the ICB, Wynnum Road and Kingsford Smith Drive have gone backwards.“The LNP have been in power for over 20 years, and this can’t be the best they’ve got.”Earlier this year Brisbane City Council announced it was trialling an AI system at two pools to watch for signs of distress among swimmers, and alert lifeguards to danger.Artificial intelligence is already in widespread use to ping illegal parking in Brisbane, with data obtained by this masthead showing drivers fell foul of the system almost a quarter-of-a-million times in just over three years.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.ShareLicense this articleMore:City councilBrisbaneAdrian SchrinnerAIHolland Park WestMount GravattUpper Mount GravattMount Gravatt EastGreenslopesUnderwoodTrafficRoadsRoad safetyDominique Tassell is a reporter at Brisbane Times.William Davis is a reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via email.AdvertisementAdvertisement