City launches green light pilot project – Winnipeg Free Press

The City of Winnipeg has launched a pilot project to evaluate the benefits of a system where emergency vehicles can automatically turn on their green lights.

The pilot project begins this week and ends on March 25.

Bids for the project contract closed on June 28. The request for proposals said the project would involve 10 intersections and 130 emergency vehicles. The City of Winnipeg said Friday that the technology has been installed at intersection 17 along Osborne Street and several other intersections in the area.

Ambulance and fire trucks that routinely respond to emergencies along the corridor are now equipped with transponders that automatically turn on green lights in the direction of traffic, the city said. This gives drivers a better chance to get out of the way. The traffic light will return to normal operation after two light cycles, the city said in a press release.

A 2022 feasibility study found that emergency vehicle preemption technology could reduce response times by up to 20 percent and reduce the number of emergency vehicle collisions by 25 percent. The study also suggests that the technology will benefit patients and reduce healthcare costs.