NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Who makes up the Nashville we call home on a typical day?
Drivers on the morning commute pass Tony Laster on Clarksville Pike.
"I just live right down here. That’s why I always walk to the store just to get my exercise," said Laster.
It's Reginald Jones on a bus from Gallatin Pike to East Nashville.
"I would have to go to the other side of town just to get on another bus and go," said Jones. "I wouldn't have walked across the street if it wasn't red."
It's Elaine who rides the bus to run errands.
"It'll get you there and get you back, that's for sure," said Elaine.
When you looker closer, Elaine walks through grass to get to the bus. So does Reginald, who rides for an hour to go east, and Tony went to the hospital when a driver hit him as he walked across the road.
Nashville voted to adopt the Choose How You Move initiative last year, which increased sales tax to fund infrastructure projects. Derek Hagerty is the Chief Traffic Engineer and showed the traffic management center. In its early stages, employees watch the first smart light on Clarksville Pike.
"In purple, we see a little pedestrian crossing the street," said Hagerty. "The signals will be able to see the pedestrians, the vehicles, and choose how it operates."
The LiDAR system tracks cars, buses, and people in real time, even helping to avoid accidents without tracking license plates.
It's not exactly a camera but uses light and AI to create these icons of what's around each intersection.
"Green is traveling at the speed limit; yellows and oranges are slowing down; reds are stop," said Hagerty.
This center will play a major role for almost 600 of these lights as they're installed over seven years.
City leaders say they plan to roll out smart lights within the next year and install about 80 of them each year.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Kim.Rafferty@newschannel5.com.
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