How Vilnius drivers can avoid another hour in traffic jams

Vilnius is turning to traffic-light coordination and artificial intelligence to tackle the traffic jams that frustrate drivers, particularly as the city enters its autumn routine.

Evaldas Morkūnas, head of the traffic management and organization division at JUDU, says congestion cannot be solved with one measure. The city is focusing on making existing streets and traffic lights work more efficiently, improving public transport movement and offering residents alternatives to driving.

This year, Vilnius changed 60 traffic-light programs. The changes mainly targeted better coordination at intersections, greater traffic capacity and shorter queues. At intersections where the results were analyzed, the average number of vehicle stops fell by about 10 percent.

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The traffic congestion problem cannot be solved with one measure. Traffic needs to be managed comprehensively.

The city is also introducing smart traffic-light systems that respond to current conditions and predict changes in traffic flows. One such system already operates on Nemenčinės Highway, coordinating seven intersections and pedestrian crossings. It analyzes traffic data, forecasts near-term conditions and automatically adjusts signal timing. During one morning rush hour, the system reduced total driver waiting time by about 19 minutes. At some pedestrian crossings, waiting times fell by as much as 30 seconds.

Vilnius has also tested priority for public transport, allowing a bus to receive a green signal earlier or keep it longer according to traffic conditions. Morkūnas says the city plans to expand the use of real-time data, traffic forecasts and public-transport priority, especially on roads carrying the heaviest flows.

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An important part of this work is managing the capacity of the city's street network and traffic flows.