How smart systems helped the growing city fine-tune circulation patterns to more efficiently conduct traffic.
Mérida on the Move: From Ancient Roots to Modern Boom
The old adage is that you need to walk before you can run. But when a city’s fortunes take off suddenly, it may discover that even a slow crawl is a challenge. That’s what the people of Mérida, Mexico, experienced recently.
Long regarded as the cultural and financial capital of the Yucatan, Mérida has experienced an unprecedented boom in the last 10 years. Its population in 2020 was just under 1 million, a staggering 19.7% increase from 2010. Some of that population growth has emerged from a parallel boom in tourism over this period. The city registered an 82% surge in the impact of tourism from 2018. This economic bump was driven by a 30% year-over-year increase in travelers since 2021.
Mérida is no stranger to growth and adaptation. Today’s city was built on the foundations of the ancient Mayan city of Ti’ho. It was a central hub on the Yucatan, a vibrant city of pyramids, temples and commerce. Baroque and neoclassical touches in the sixteenth century and Mérida’s fortunes were driven by the cultivation of henequen, a fibrous plant used in the manufacture of rope and twine. The sisal barons of Mérida in the 19th century made the city one of the greatest concentrations of wealth in the world.
Fast forward to today, as Mérida and its heady mix of economic opportunity, proximity to the beach, low crime, vibrant culture, and culinary imagination are drawing both Mexicans and expatriates from around the world. Digital nomads who can now work from anywhere are increasingly seeking compelling new home bases. Mérida has been added to a list of potential new venues for this cosmopolitan crowd.
A City Racing to Keep Pace with Its Own Success
As often happens, the economic acceleration in Mérida sparked a notable increase in traffic around town. The grand thoroughfares and charming streets started to clog with cars, buses, people, and bikes all jockeying for an open route to their chosen destinations. Radically increasing road capacity isn’t an option that can take shape quickly. Mérida needed a comprehensive but scalable way to conduct traffic in the existing urban landscape in a more efficient and agile way. They needed a maestro to re-orchestrate the cacophony of horns into a more lively, rhythmic symphony.
The solution would be one that deployed the latest, smartest technology to assess the exact situation and conditions on roads and intersections across the city and adapt in real time to make best use of the existing road infrastructure.
From Congestion to Intelligent Mobility: Mérida Deployed a Future-ready Traffic Management Network
Mérida city officials partnered with Cubic, Cactus Traffic, and Infocomm to design and install a comprehensive traffic management system challenged each day with making sense of the unpredictable chaos of city traffic and strategically guiding all modes of transport to their destinations as quickly as possible.
“The influx of both tourists and new residents over the last decade has been incredible for the Mérida economy but we realized we needed to figure out a way to manage this new population scale,” said Luis Felipe Saidén Ojeda, Commander and Secretary of Public Security in Mérida. “With this system we were able to have virtual eyes in the sky at intersections citywide enabling us to manage traffic and solve problems as they happen, in real time.”
The first phase included software deployment of Cubic’s Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) to 375 intersections with SynchroGreen® adaptive signal technology at 52 critical intersections. This phase considered both mainline arteries and side streets. The new central management system enables real-time monitoring and signal timing adjustments based on current traffic demand. Traffic engineers can monitor dynamic maps that illustrate traffic signal status, congestion levels, and even live camera feeds of trouble spots.
As part of phase two, Gridsmart® video detection was installed at 42 intersections to increase vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist safety with integrated Trafficware® Traffic Signal Cabinets and Controllers to manage complex intersection needs. By prioritizing pedestrians and public transit while keeping traffic flowing smoothly, Mérida’s transportation system has significantly reduced travel time while considering the unique needs of all road users.
An additional capacity that the program put into the hands of Mérida city officials is the analytic power of AI to process incoming data and inform future models of transportation strategy. This system both responds in real time to events taking place and delivers the predictive power of envisioning future scenarios to inform better policy decisions. It gives traffic engineers the chance to preview traffic for major disruptions and trouble-shoot to prepare for scenarios rather than confronting challenges in the heat of the moment.
“Every agency has their own unique challenges that shape the way people navigate through a city. We partnered with Mérida to provide a powerful future-ready system that meets the immediate needs of today—while laying the foundation for a system that can grow with them over time,” said Geoff Scalf, Senior Product Director for Cubic ITS.
Installing and deploying the system required a comprehensive approach, taking into account the specific challenges and goals of all stakeholders in the city. A solution that moved cars more efficiently but 2stranded pedestrians on islands wouldn’t work. The solution also revealed some challenges of the existing mass transit networks, surfacing route and deployment adaptations that could free up space for more car and pedestrian traffic and more efficient rides for commuters. One insight suggested adding some con-centric routes that transport riders from one suburban location to another without requiring a connection at a transport hub in the congested city center.
A Safer, Faster Mérida
The metrics of Mérida traffic movement after the system went live speak volumes. The city recorded a 60% decrease in travel time. An increase in greenlights sparked a boost in public transit and pedestrians are enjoying safer streets overall. Mérida is set to manage growth and drive continued progress. The result? A dynamic, flexible solution that is scalable to evolve with whatever develops in Mérida, while creating a safer, more efficient tomorrow.