NBA Superstars Are Forced to Ride Electric Bikes. Why Is the Traffic in Shanghai so Frustrating?

"Bearded" Harden was riding an electric bike around Shanghai when he heard a whistle outside the stadium: he was stopped by the traffic police for violating the rules. As a popular NBA superstar, why did he choose an electric bike to travel? Was it to avoid the rush hour in Shanghai? Today, as intelligence gradually penetrates into all aspects, can technologies such as AI solve the problem of traffic jams?

On June 29, Beijing time, NBA superstar and Rockets star player "Bearded" Harden chose to ride an electric bike from Jing'an Shangri-La Hotel to Caoyang Road when attending an event. On the way, he was stopped by the traffic police and issued a ticket for violating traffic regulations.

As soon as this news came out, the Internet went viral. Although Deng quickly apologized, it still triggered a nationwide craze.

In Harden's Weibo apology, he said that he rode the electric bike to experience the beautiful streets of Shanghai, but no matter what the truth is, it probably won't change the fact that his signature was printed on the ticket. Behind this, in addition to the bearded man's obsession with electric bikes, the difficult transportation in Shanghai may be one of the reasons why he "abandoned the car" and switched to "electric bikes".

What makes this man who is so invincible on the basketball court feel helpless is probably the complicated and ever-changing road conditions.

If you have ever experienced the despair of "people are faster than cars" on your way to work, then you will understand the seriousness of the traffic jam problem in the city. So, now that intelligence has gradually penetrated into all aspects, what will be the trend in solving traffic problems?

AI-based traffic data platform: Inrix

Inrix, a real-time traffic data and transportation analysis company, recently announced an AI solution that can provide instant updates on traffic conditions. The key point is that it can use a large amount of information to achieve dynamic prediction and global control.

Inrix is a transportation intelligence platform that provides smart data and advanced analytical methods, a product incubated by Microsoft Research, whose founder is a former Microsoft employee.

Inrix uses hundreds of thousands of receivers installed on the road to collect a variety of information. After intelligent analysis, it then feeds back traffic information such as the best traffic route, travel time prediction, and road condition reminders to the user's mobile terminal.

Inrix's clients and partners are mostly well-known companies, includingBMW, Audi, Ford, Volvo, Nissan, Toyota and other automobile companies, BBC, Microsoft, Intel, theI-95 Coalition, NAVIGON, MapQuest, Telmap and VodafoneDuring the 2012 London Olympics, the UK also used Inrix's software and online services to ensure transportation.

AI Traffic is their latest weapon and the evolution of traffic information for connected cars and smart cities, attempting to fundamentally improve accuracy, timeliness, travel details and coverage.

Through the introduction of AI technology, they have the following characteristics:

• More accurate ETA: ensuring drivers arrive at their destination on time;
• Real-time updates: Instant updates on road conditions, from road construction to emergencies to daily congestion;
• Ensure accuracy: Use AI technology to ensure sufficiently accurate analysis, such as accurately locating the traffic speed in different lanes to help make better decisions;
• Covering all roads: AI Traffic can calculate the conditions of every road in the area, whether in urban or rural areas.

AI Traffic isDeep learning based engineInrix also said that the engine has been trained with tens of thousands of data collected over more than a decade, and can provide effective suggestions at the level of connected cars, mobile phones, weather, historical traffic and accidents.

The ultimate effect of this method is expected to be to identify traffic conditions with high accuracy in the face of various complex situations. At the same time, it also ignores the delay problem, and the system can ingest, process and output data analysis faster than before.

Intelligent transportation tools for everyone to participate

Located in Malaysia Plus Malaysia Bhd , is another company that is preparing to make great plans in intelligent transportation. They plan to useArtificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics and the Cloud, to predict traffic congestion and monitor the normal operation of highways. 

The company is working with Microsoft to use Azure PlatformAnalyze and process data. They use closed-circuit television traffic data to deal with complex road problems.

The final analysis results are forwarded to users through the Plus mobile application, allowing them to make timely itinerary plans.

The images presented by the APP are based on real-time information, and users will be informed of the actual situation, which will be refreshed and data every 10 seconds.

The data provided by the app will help users make informed decisions, such as taking a different suggested route or pulling into a rest stop.

In addition, Shamsul Izhan Abdul Majid, chief technology and innovation officer at Plus, said the company is also using machine learning to analyze video footage for various situations such as parking and accidents.

“The traditional approach is when users see congestion or an incident, they contact the Plus call center for help or information. But with machine learning, we will be able to detect certain events in advance and take action quickly, saving a lot of time.”

Plus will also reportedly install more traffic sensors along highways to help improve its traffic prediction system.

Can intelligent transportation completely solve congestion?

There are also products that are already popular in our lives. For example, map navigation is no longer a new thing, and the provision of real-time traffic conditions can also help some users to reasonably choose route planning. Moreover, with the change of technology, more personalized and practical functions are also emerging.

However, intelligent maps also have some shortcomings. For example, for real-time traffic conditions, user feedback accounts for a large proportion, so there will be uncertainties and even inaccuracies.

In addition, map reality cannot fundamentally improve traffic congestion. The traffic condition warnings it displays are after the traffic jam occurs. In other words, it does not solve the problem of traffic jam, but only prevents later drivers from arriving there.

To improve the overall traffic conditions, more intelligent, advance and holistic planning is needed.

Of course, intelligent traffic planning can never be achieved overnight. Take the traffic jam problem as an example. The widely used technologies also have their own limitations. But it is undeniable thatThe introduction of new technologies will trigger new thinking and methods, and will ultimately promote the improvement and solution of this problem..

Just like garbage classification, even if it is difficult, only when it is promoted can it be realized one day. Back to the bearded Harden, his trip in Shanghai ended completely at the end of June. It should be a pity that he did not witness the implementation of garbage classification.