(TNS) — San Anselmo will soon expand its artificial intelligence traffic controls to more intersections in town and one in Fairfax.
The Town Council unanimously approved a five-year contract Monday with Roundabout Technologies, a San Francisco startup that developed the time-saving system, DC Electric, to install the cameras, and Parametrix, a consulting firm to track the system’s effects.
The AI-driven system detects vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic and instructs traffic signals to speed up or slow down. Last summer a pilot was installed at the Hub — Marin’s busiest intersection with 65,000 vehicles daily — and nearby at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Bank Street. Wait times fell by about 25 percent to 30 percent.
“This has been a great windfall for the town,” said Sean Condry, the public works director. “It has really changed how the Hub works.”
Councilmember Eileen Burke said the town is “never going to get $50 million” to replace the Hub with a traffic circle.
“This is the best substitute that we’ve seen in a long time,” she said.
A $250,000 grant from the Transportation Authority of Marin will support the expansion of the system to nine more intersections along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Anselmo as well as at Red Hill Avenue and Sequoia Drive. It also will be installed at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Willow Avenue/Pastori Avenue in Fairfax.
Installation and testing is expected to take four to six months, a staff report said.
Scott Schneider, the assistant public works director, said the cameras track incoming vehicles and “whispers in the ear” of the control system to make signal durations more efficient.
Schneider said the system detects pedestrians in crosswalks “and it will keep everything red until the pedestrian is out of the conflict zone.”
While lauding the innovation, several councilmembers expressed concerns about aspects of the system.
After installation, Roundabout will charge a $46,000 annual licensing fee that will increase 5 percent annually.
“What part of the budget would that come out of?” Burke asked.
Schneider said transportation innovation grants were available. Condry said some general fund revenues would likely be used.
“We need to be thoughtful about where we are going to find the money,” said Councilmember Yoav Schlesinger. “Because nobody is going to want to go back to the olden days, right?”
Other questions include whether the system can detect emergency vehicles. Not yet, said Roundabout Technologies’ Collin Barnwell, although he said it is possible to install signals in emergency vehicles that can be detected by the system.
Barnwell also said the system can be shut down remotely.
Another line of questions concerned the camera’s video files and data privacy.
Barnwell said the video is not detailed enough to capture drivers’ faces or license plates.
Schlesinger asked who owns the data, saying he wants the town to retain ownership. Barnwell said the system uses 100 gigabytes daily at every intersection and only has enough storage to retain two or three days of data before erasing and recording over it.
The council unanimously instructed staff to clarify the data ownership issues and proceed with signing the contracts.
Mayor Tarrell Kullaway recused herself because the nonprofit she heads, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, has a relationship with Parametrix.
© 2025 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
