Columbus suburb aims to streamline traffic

COLUMBUS (AP) -- A Columbus suburb has been chosen as the first city to test developing federal technology aimed at streamlining traffic flow.
Gahanna officials said the city will put $33,000 into studying the technology and trying to reduce gridlock on some of its busiest streets.
Pickerington -- another Columbus suburb accustomed to rush-hour slowdowns -- is determining how much the software would cost to implement there.
Adaptive Control Software Lite builds on Federal Highway Administration technology that monitors how heavy and fast traffic is and adjusts signals accordingly.
Older versions operate on a 15-minute delay and have been used on a limited basis.
Most timer-based traffic lights in the United States are set to change patterns according to the time of day, said Joel Hunt, a Department of Transportation spokesman.
The real-time version that Gahanna will use will go into effect Sept. 12.