Adaptive traffic signals that monitor actual pedestrian crossing speed in real-time can dramatically improve safety for vulnerable users without significantly disrupting traffic flow.
This paper presents NPLB, a real-time traffic signal system that detects and tracks vulnerable pedestrians (elderly, disabled, distracted) using YOLOv12 and automatically extends crossing time when needed. Testing shows it reduces pedestrians getting stranded mid-crossing from 9.1% to 2.6%, improving safety by 71.4% with minimal signal disruption.