Blog Post
Top 5 Traffic Management Software in 2025
Today’s traffic managers and operators must manage the movement of growing populations amid ecommerce-boosted truck activity, expanding vehicle sizes, and urgent climate resiliency improvements, among other challenges. These challenges are often exacerbated by limited visibility into the complex road networks through which people and goods move.
To respond to present issues — e.g., a crash, an out-of-service traffic signal, or a bottleneck forming at a road work location — and get ahead of future ones, these transportation professionals need eyes on major arterials and local roads alike.
But traditional data collection methods create blind spots. Manual traffic counts and surveys along with incomplete sensor coverage often leave decision-makers guessing instead of acting. The result can be anything from longer commutes to higher emissions, delayed deliveries, dangerous roadways, and frustrated communities.
The good news: modern traffic management software is helping traffic managers and operators harness real-time insights, predictive analytics, and AI-driven insights to optimize traffic flow, reduce congestion, and plan smarter infrastructure. Here are the top five traffic management solutions for 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Traffic management software is essential for reducing congestion and improving mobility across cities, counties, and states.
- StreetLight stands out with its real-time insights, granular datasets, and comprehensive coverage for the U.S. and Canada.
- Alternatives like Iteris, Cubic TrafficWare, and PTV Optima offer complementary capabilities in signal performance analytics and predictive traffic simulations.
What Is Traffic Management Software?
Traffic management software helps transportation professionals monitor, analyze, and optimize the flow of traffic. These platforms leverage technologies like real-time data collection, road network analytics, and predictive modeling, to help agencies reduce congestion, improve safety, and support sustainable mobility initiatives.
What Are the Key Functionalities of Traffic Management Software?
Traffic management software may include:
- Real-time traffic monitoring
- Incident detection and alerts
- Network performance analytics
- Scenario and forecasting tools (e.g., to understand how scenarios like special events or construction may impact traffic)
- Data visualization and reporting tools
Top 5 Traffic Management Software
1. StreetLight
StreetLight is a leading transportation analytics platform, trusted by cities, counties, MPOs, DOTs, and other public agencies across the U.S. and Canada. It offers a full suite of transportation data solutions for agencies and their consulting partners working on everything from Transportation Planning and Operations to Climate Resilience and Transportation Modeling.
When it comes to Traffic Management, StreetLight’s strengths lie in comprehensive, detailed real-time data coverage and easy-to-use, 24/7 dashboards that turn data into actionable insights. Unlike some other softwares explored here, StreetLight doesn’t just display customers’ own existing sensor data, but pulls in information from connected vehicles, GPS devices, probe data, and other sources to provide high-coverage, high-resolution information on what’s happening on the road network in real time and how it compares to historical benchmarks. This helps agency professionals more confidently identify both traffic anomalies and persistent problem areas to enable rapid response when needed and create effective maintenance of traffic plans for special events, construction, and more.
Learn more about StreetLight’s solutions for Transportation Management & Operations (TSMO) here.
Key Features
- On-Demand Data Access: Access to billions of data points from connected vehicles, GPS devices, probe data, and other sources.
- Robust Traffic Monitoring Tools: Detect disruptions, diagnose potential causes, make adjustments, and evaluate their success quickly.
- Real-time Insights & Historical Context: Easily compare current conditions like volumes, queues, speeds, and travel times to historical baselines to understand severity and respond quickly with data-supported strategies.
- Incident Feed and Route Monitoring: See active crashes, road works, and other incidents impacting traffic and monitor key routes from a central dashboard to spot problems and implement solutions fast.
- Scenario Forecasting: Tools like Closure Impacts help map where traffic exits and enters during lane closures to forecast travel impacts and plan detour routes.
- A Complete Traffic Timeline: Travel back in time to track road conditions as they unfolded up to the present moment with the help of historical and real-time data to reveal the whole story.
- Easy-to-share data visualizations: Collaborate and win support from government and private stakeholders as well as the public.
Pros
- Unmatched data granularity and comprehensive roadway coverage
- Ability to detect traffic anomalies quickly by comparing real-time conditions to historical traffic norms
- Network-wide monitoring to assess ripple effects of disruptions, including instant insights before, during, and after disruptions.
- Intuitive, self-service interface for traffic management and operations teams
- Best-in-class customer service and training resources to maximize your effectiveness
- Rigorous data validation and a privacy-first approach that completely anonymizes and aggregates data before it’s transformed into actionable metrics
- Trusted and tested by public agencies, researchers, consultants, and businesses across North America
Pricing
StreetLight offers customized pricing based on project scope and data needs. Contact the team for a personalized quote.
Do you need insights for effective traffic plans, event management, signal timing, and more?
Get Started2. Iteris
Iteris provides traffic management solutions focused on smart infrastructure management, system monitoring, and predictive analytics.
Like some other solutions explored here, Iteris directly assists in the implementation of smart traffic sensor devices, which it then uses to deliver current traffic information to connected vehicles, operators, and analysts via software platforms or custom data feeds.
Features
- Smart traffic sensor system design and implementation
- Traffic signal performance monitoring
- Incident detection and archives to inform operations and planning efforts
- Predictive traffic modeling for congestion reduction
- Integration with CVD and IoT sensors
Pros
- Combines sensor device implementation with self-serve software to understand current conditions, evaluate performance, and execute solutions
- Support for local, regional, and state-wide transportation systems
- Solutions for operators, planners, consultants, and businesses
Pricing
Iteris does not public pricing information online, and costs vary based on the scale and functionality needed.
3. Cubic TrafficWare
Cubic TrafficWare specializes in adaptive traffic signal control and intersection management systems, with an emphasis on efficiency and safety. In addition to real-time intersection performance insights, their other softwares also allows users to simulate different traffic scenarios to assist with operations and planning challenges.
Similar to Iteris, Cubic also offers hardware systems that are compatible with their software platforms for intersection management.
Features
- Live status, analysis, reporting, and control of intersection devices
- A map view that provides users with critical system information and alerts
- Integration with live camera feeds, dynamic message signs, and closure information
- Specialized intersection management technologies for safer, more efficient traffic flow
- Proprietary hardware for smart intersection management
- Integrations with Synchro to work between operations and traffic signal timing tools
Pros
- Specialized technology for evaluating and improving intersection efficiency
- Helps traffic engineers spot potential reliability issues and view current system performance
- Focus on smart cities and urban infrastructure
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools
Pricing
Cubic TrafficWare does not provide its pricing information directly through its website.
4. PTV Optima
PTV Optima offers traffic monitoring and forecasting tools to assist with traffic management. This platform integrates customers’ sensor data into a visualization dashboard and continuously updates to display live traffic conditions and alert users to issues. It can also be set up to trigger automatic actions when issues arise or simulate potential scenarios to assist in planning for operations.
Features
- Real-time traffic performance and incident detection
- Integration with live sensor feeds, including from public transit
- Scenario simulations for operations planning
Pros
- Support for predictive modeling
- Integrates and maps customers’ sensor data
- Ability to automatically trigger actions when issues arise
Pricing
PTV Optima doesn’t publicize their pricing but offers a modular system, so users can purchase only the modules that suit their needs and budget.
5. INRIX
INRIX provides traffic data and analytics that are not reliant on physical sensors, displaying current traffic conditions and helping forecast potential scenarios.
Similar to StreetLight, INRIX uses big data to deliver live insights and offer a larger suite of products that can assist with other transportation operations and planning efforts. Both StreetLight and INRIX help agencies go beyond sensor insights for a more complete analysis of current and historical traffic patterns. To further explore how INRIX and StreetLight compare, check out our guide on INRIX alternatives.
Features
- Traffic flow analysis with historical and real-time insights into factors like speed, volume, and travel times
- Incident detection and alerts
- Traveler information services
Pros
- Global coverage
- Low-latency data
- Provides emergency alert solutions
- API integrations available
Pricing
INRIX’s website does not have explicit pricing information readily available; pricing likely varies based on the metrics and coverage needed.
Why StreetLight Is the Smart Choice for Traffic Management
StreetLight combines unparalleled data coverage, advanced forecasting and monitoring tools, and ease of use. Whether you’re planning infrastructure upgrades, focused on work zone safety, or reducing congestion StreetLight delivers actionable insights that drive results.
Compared to the alternatives explored here, StreetLight stands out for:
- Instant, granular, high-coverage insights across your entire road network, from major arterials to local roads
- Scalable solutions for cities, counties, and states alike
- Ability to assess the ripple effects of disruptions throughout the road network for more complete and informed incident response
- A blend of real-time and historical data to help track changes, spot anomalies and recurring issues, and understand the severity of disruptions
- Specialized scenario forecasting for closures and detour planning
Ready to transform your traffic management strategy? Book a demo today.