Four crossroads in Naples will utilize AI to increase safety.

If you live in Naples, AI will soon be “watching” you on some of your own streets!

The city council agreed on Wednesday to give the city money that will help it get state money and pay for tech changes that will make walking and biking safer, according to a recent article by Mahmoud Bennett of Fox4.

Even though it’s dangerous, Nancy Murray rides her bike every day to get around Naples. “Another friend of ours got hit by a bike recently, and so, it is a little scary,” she said.

It’s not the first time that Naples has worried about the safety of people on foot and bikes. For years now, the risk for people walking and riding bikes has been going up as traffic keeps getting worse.

The city bought and set up bike recognition equipment at the corner of Goodlette Rd. and Central Avenue in 2018. This time, though, there’s a change.

“The upgrades will use newer technology, such as AI,” Alison Bickett, a traffic engineer in Naples, told Mahmoud Bennett, a reporter for Fox 4.

A company called DERQ is putting in the new technology. They are experts in AI and prediction analytics.

“The software system has AI technology that can detect pedestrians approaching the intersection, stepping across, and as they’re actually in the intersection – or bikes; they can actually detect them,” Bickett said.

The following intersections are whereAI will be”watching” you drive:

US41 and Central AvenueUS41 and 3rd Avenue South Park Shore Drive and Crayton Road Harbour Drive and Crayton Road

On its site, DERQ says it provides “real-time identification and classification of safety events such as near-misses, collisions, violations, and pedestrian and cyclist compliance issues… to better inform safety issues.”

The city says the new rules might start in June.

This article originally appeared on Fox 4

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