Slot-Based Intersections Could Kill Traffic And Reduce Pollution

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETHZ), and the Italian National Research Council (CNR) have devised a slot-based intersection that could mean the death of traffic and a massive reduction in pollution levels because traffic lights would no longer be needed to control the flow of vehicles.

The solution would mean that future autonomous vehicles would slot their way through gaps by modulating their speed on approach, maintaining a safe distance between other cars while they do so. A little bit like this…

Of course, a system like this would need some getting used to by its users (imagine how many times you’d clench before and during an intersection approach), but if the autonomous future we’re geared up for will in fact be as clever as we’re told to believe, then there’s no reason why slot-based intersections couldn’t revolutionise travel times, pollution, stress levels and anxiety behind the wheel.

For the rest of us, it’ll be interesting to see how these autonomous cars and slot-based intersections cope when we take our petrol-powered turbo V8 Earth killers for a spot of intersection chicken…