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Signals, Sensors, and Safety: Technology in Smart Cities

by Melissa "Mel" Bernstein and Mike Odell | at Minnebar 19

Ever wonder...

  • Why you sometimes cruise through green lights—and other times hit red at every block?
  • How emergency vehicle preemption (that flashy-light thing) actually works?
  • What’s inside those big metal traffic cabinets? And why are they so big?
  • How traffic signal timing is determined?
  • I could just program the intersection with a Raspberry Pi. What’s the big deal?

In this presentation and Q+A, you’ll hear from

We’ll cover:

  • A tour of the traffic signal cabinet
  • Safety features built into intersections
  • The hardware and networks behind it all (well, not all)
  • Multi-modal (bike, bus, pedestrian, cars, trucks, etc) signal coordination
  • Sensors, sensors, and more sensors
  • Pilot projects, startups, and innovation in urban traffic technology

You’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation for how traffic technology keeps cities moving—and probably at least 10 new acronyms in your vocabulary.

If you've got topics/questions to ask ahead of time, feel free to dm me (Melissa) on LinkedIn

All levels

Melissa "Mel" Bernstein

Hello! I'm a Minneapolis-based full-stack developer and cloud engineer who loves UX and design. I love biking, jazz, and sharing good food with friends!

I grew up in the Twin Cities and attended university in Vancouver, Canada, where I completed my BSc in Computer Science, took many electives, and joined numerous climate activism and athletics clubs (ultimate frisbee, cycling, outdoor recreation). In the fall of 2023, I returned to Minneapolis. That winter and spring, I involved myself in numerous bike groups around the city and in the fall, started making lots of nerdy urbanism friends, including Joel and Mike who both work for the City of Minneapolis in the Traffic Engineer department. I loved learning about the connection between digital UX and physical infrastructure design. Also, in the summer of 2024, I visited Montreal for the annual jazz festival and loved exploring the city and admiring its bike and transit infrastructure.

Scooting ahead to this winter, I asked Joel and Mike lots of questions about how things work and why they are the way they are. With every acronym I learned, I gained a deeper appreciation for their work and the incredible complexity of traffic signal management. I also started researching more technologies like bus and bike lane detection (see Hayden AI) and curb management (see SMART grant). These topics and more will be discussed in our presentation!

I am excited to join the Minnestar community! This will be my first big event!

I have a personal website that needs to updating, and here is my LinkedIn. I'm sometimes wary of connecting with people I don't know, so please add a connection message and/or wait until after the presentation to connect.

Mike Odell

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