Every time you approach an intersection, a traffic light is quietly making decisions about who moves, who waits, and how long everyone has to stop. But modern traffic signals aren't always running on a simple timer. Sensors buried beneath the pavement, cameras watching the road, and computer systems monitoring traffic can all work together to determine what happens next.

In this episode, we explore the fascinating engineering behind traffic lights. We dive into civil engineering, transportation engineering, electrical engineering, computer systems, control theory, and urban infrastructure to understand how traffic signals manage the constant movement of vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency responders.

We examine inductive loop detectors, radar sensors, video detection, pedestrian push buttons, traffic signal controllers, tim ...