Smart Transportation Solution for GA Parents

Traffic congestion, specifically stop-and-go traffic, is one of the main reasons for the increased density of particulate matter (ex: PM 2.5 and PM 10, a key contributor to respiratory problems in adults and kids). Pick-up and drop-off events in K-12 schools, specifically elementary and middle schools, increase stop-and-go traffic, which eventually increases pollution significantly. This research aims to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution during school drop-off and pick-up times. The first phase of the project focuses on modeling existing traffic conditions in an elementary school. We will be using video analytics software to process video data collected from the school site. We will also utilize the GDOT website to collect additional data, such as the average speed of the roadways. Using this data, Synchro software will be used to develop existing traffic conditions. In addition, we will also do a survey on parents to understand their perspective on various issues such as wait times and transportation modes. Based on this, we will proceed to the second phase, in which we will identify potential solutions to optimize traffic and queues during the pick-up and drop-off processes. We would like to create an application for parents and guardians to optimize school pickup and drop-off processes with this data. Through this research, we hope to gain an understanding about traffic and pollution issues around schools and how we can utilize technology to optimize health and efficiency.