Smart traffic lights to improve traffic flow and reallocate our police officers
MONTREAL, September 25, 2025 — As Canada's largest artificial intelligence event gets underway in the city, Projet Montréal leader and mayoral candidate Luc Rabouin pledges to use AI to optimize traffic light management in order to improve road safety and enhance travel for all users.
Montreal has already equipped the vast majority of its traffic lights with devices capable of measuring wait times and analyzing the travel patterns of different road users. Until now, this data has been used primarily to make ad hoc adjustments and often still required a police presence in the event of heavy traffic or obstructions. With the help of artificial intelligence, we can now go further: using this data in real time to adapt traffic signals in real time.
Improved travel coordination
With AI, traffic light cycles adjust automatically, without local human intervention:
- Crossing times are extended for vulnerable users;
- Conflicts are reduced, particularly near schools;
- Safety is prioritized, with improved detection of pedestrians and cyclists;
- Waiting times are continuously adjusted to actual demand at intersections.
- The result: smoother traffic flow that does not compromise safety, and data for better planning of infrastructure improvements.
Police officers reassigned to real priorities
By automating traffic light management, police officers are freed from ad hoc traffic control tasks. They will thus be able to focus on emergencies and prevention in neighborhoods—improving both response times and proximity to the population.
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"Montreal has a great reputation for artificial intelligence and I want to put this expertise to work for Montrealers. Smart traffic lights are a concrete example of what I want to implement. Adapting traffic lights in real time, protecting vulnerable users and redeploying police officers where they are most useful is a simple solution that can be implemented quickly. It will generate real gains in the efficiency of our services and the quality of life in the city," said Luc Rabouin, leader of Projet Montréal.
Montreal and artificial intelligence
The City of Montreal has become a leader in artificial intelligence in recent years under the Projet Montréal administration. It is the world capital of responsible AI thanks to its research centers and renowned researchers such as Yoshua Bengio and MILA.
A year ago, Montreal adopted its first Artificial Intelligence Integration Strategy to improve services to citizens and updated its Digital Data Charter. With its expertise and international recognition, it is currently hosting the largest event dedicated to artificial intelligence in Canada, All In, which brings together approximately 6,000 participants, including the biggest players in the AI ecosystem: renowned researchers, technology companies, investors, startups, technical experts and government decision-makers.
