Mayor Matt Mahan Directs $40 Million for San Jose AI Smart Traffic Signals and Pedestrian Vision

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mayor Matt Mahan and the San Jose City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a $40 million municipal smart infrastructure capital contract, authorizing the San Jose Department of Transportation (DOT) to deploy artificial-intelligence-powered adaptive traffic signal controllers and automated computer-vision thermal sensors across 150 intersections along the city's high-injury Vision Zero crash corridors.

The edge-AI traffic management system dynamically adjusts signal timing in real time, automatically extending green pedestrian walk cycles when slow-moving seniors or parents with strollers are detected in crosswalks, while coordinating green light waves along arterial thoroughfares to eliminate vehicle idling and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Eliminating Pedestrian Fatalities with Edge Artificial Intelligence Pedestrian fatalities represent over 60 percent of traffic deaths in San Jose, where wide multi-lane arterial boulevards in East and South San Jose have historically created hazardous crossing conditions for transit riders and schoolchildren.

"As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose should be using the most advanced technology to solve our most urgent civic challenges, and nothing is more urgent than saving lives on our streets," Mayor Matt Mahan said along Monterey Road in South San Jose. "By investing $40 million in AI-enabled smart traffic signals, we are giving our intersections the ability to see pedestrians, automatically extend walk signals for vulnerable residents, and stop red-light collisions before they happen, making San Jose's streets safe for everyone."

Smart Intersection Deployments The $40 million package finances:

• 150 AI-Enabled Edge Traffic Controllers: Installing high-speed neural processing units (NPUs) that process optical and thermal video streams locally without transmitting private facial data.
• Automated Crosswalk Extension Telemetry: Automatically extending walk times by up to 10 seconds when pedestrians remain in crosswalk lanes.
• Emergency Vehicle Preemption Integration: Giving instant green light priority to San Jose Fire Department engines and ambulances within 1,000 feet of intersections.

Pedestrian safety advocates, senior federations, and transit associations commended the municipal council's investment, highlighting that computer-vision intersections provide immediate life-saving protection.