Eastern Costa del Sol town uses AI to control traffic

Nerja town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has introduced a 'Smart City' traffic management system with the aim of improving road safety and optimising vehicle and pedestrian traffic in real time. The initiative will allow the town hall to analyse all information from the regulation and control devices installed at different points around the town centre.

Councillor for security, Francisco Arce, explained in a statement that the first devices have been installed in areas with high traffic flow and complexity, including the area around the Local Police station, the junction of Calles San Miguel and La Cruz and the junction of Calles Diputación Provincial and Castilla Pérez. These are points where pedestrians, road traffic and intense commercial and tourist activity coincide.

Arce highlighted that the system incorporates technology based on artificial intelligence and video analytics, which allows it to detect illegal crossings, pedestrians invading the road and abandoned objects, as well as control vehicle access to certain streets through number plate recognition. "These tools represent a qualitative leap for the Local Police in preventing incidents and improving public safety," he said.

The initiative is part of the municipal strategy for sustainable transport and smart cities, with which Nerja town hall hopes to move towards a "more orderly, safer and more accessible" urban model, both for residents and for the many visitors that the coastal town receives throughout the year.

The project has a budget of 83,786 euros (including VAT) and has been financed with European funds under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (NextGenerationEU).