A UK transport delegation has visited Gangneung’s Urban Information Centre to examine how artificial intelligence is being used to link traffic management, public safety, parking and automated vehicle operations.
The Korean host city reported that average travel speeds had increased from 20.9km/h to 25.9km/h. It also said emergency vehicle arrival times had fallen from 13 minutes to five after signals were prioritised along response routes.
Gangneung hosted the 2026 ITS World Congress and has about 200,000 residents. However, it recorded 33 million tourist visits in 2024, creating additional pressure on its roads during peak periods.
Integrated control room
Opened in November 2024, the Urban Information Centre operates around the clock with 44 staff and draws on a network of more than 3,000 CCTV cameras.
AI video analytics measure traffic volumes and vehicle movements continuously, supporting signal optimisation. The city said that coordinating signals across nine linked groups reduced average junction delay from 20.9 seconds to 17.9 seconds, while adaptive junctions adjust green times to demand during each cycle.
Emergency vehicle priority had been used 7,235 times, according to the presentation to delegates. The system tracks dispatched vehicles and changes signals along their routes to help them move through junctions more quickly.
When the system detects an incident, unusual congestion or pressure at a car park, the control room’s video wall automatically displays relevant camera feeds, maps and data for operators.
For motorists, the platform identifies available parking spaces and distributes live information through a website and variable message signs. It also monitors how quickly individual car parks are filling.
Lessons for the UK
The delegation was led by Darren Capes, the Department for Transport’s head of road infrastructure technology and manager of the Transport Technology Forum. He was joined by Beth Mckendrick of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; LCRIG managing director Kerry Winstanley; ITS UK chief executive Max Sugarman; Connected Places Catapult head of highways delivery Marcel Pooke; and Transport Technology Forum communications lead Paul Hutton.
“The individual technologies we have seen here are familiar,” said Capes. “Many of the technologies we have seen today are available in the UK, but not with anything like the levels of integration achieved by the city of Gangneung. What is particularly impressive is the overarching use of AI to integrate the systems, bring the information together and help operators respond to what is happening across the city.
“The results presented to us, particularly around emergency response times and traffic flow, show the value of that approach. There are useful lessons here about how we can connect the capabilities we already have in the UK to deliver better outcomes for the travelling public.”
The city is also using smart bus shelters that combine real-time arrivals, traffic updates and tourist information. Some shelters have heating and air conditioning, while operators can remotely monitor equipment, air quality and emergency call buttons.
Gangneung is developing automated public transport across a 68.5km pilot zone, including six tourism vehicles and a Masil bus. Late-night demand-responsive services and a city bus route are also being trialled, partly in response to driver shortages on remote routes as the population ages.
Safety and future planning
Smart pedestrian crossings can extend crossing times for people who need longer to cross. Gangneung reported a fall from 136 to 47 in the number of pedestrians who failed to finish within the allotted time, a reduction of 65.4%. It also recorded a 90.6% reduction in crossings made against the signal.
Digital twins are being used to test proposed road and junction changes before construction or implementation. A 2024 survey found that 90% of respondents were satisfied with the ITS project, while 89% of passengers using tourism-focused automated vehicles reported satisfaction.
“This visit sums up the value of the ITS World Congress,” Capes said. “We have seen for ourselves best practice from another city that faces similar challenges to ones we face at home, and we can learn from their ideas to better manage our networks. This knowledge sharing is the ITS World Congress in a nutshell.”
The delegation invited Gangneung officials to visit the UK for the next World Congress, which is due to take place at Birmingham’s NEC from 25 to 29 October.