This Startup is Turning City Cameras Into Real-Time Traffic Sensors

Across Europe, streets are lined with traffic cameras, but most just sit there, watching. They capture hours of footage but offer little help to the people managing roads and traffic.

That’s the gap Greenroads.ai is closing.

The Maltese startup turns existing traffic cameras, and even drones, into smart sensors. Instead of adding new hardware or doing slow, manual traffic counts, cities can use Greenroads’ AI platform to turn video into real-time traffic data. It shows how cars, bikes, scooters, and people move – and it does it all while staying fully GDPR-compliant.

Helping cities see what’s happening on their streets

Greenroads.ai was built on a simple but bold idea:

Why install new sensors when cities already have cameras everywhere?

Founded in 2019 in Mgarr, Malta, the company began inside the EU’s Climate-KIC incubator, which supports startups focused on climate and transport. CEO Claire Ciancio and her team believed real transport change starts with knowing what’s happening on the ground. And most cities already had the tools, they just weren’t using them well.

So Greenroads found a better way They are on a mission to turn existing traffic cameras, and drones, into AI-powered mobility sensors.

From the start, two values guide their work:

• Privacy first – the platform was GDPR-compliant from day one
• Modal equity – it tracks all road users equally – cars, bikes, pedestrians, and more

That vision has grown into a full analytics platform for cities, planners, and engineers. It helps them understand how roads are used – without new hardware.

Turning camera footage into real-time traffic intelligence

At the heart of Greenroads.ai is GreenFlow, a cloud-based tool that turns any traffic camera into a real-time traffic sensor.

It works with both fixed roadside cameras and aerial drones. Once the video feed comes in, GreenFlow uses advanced AI to spot and track every road user, including cars, buses, trucks, bikes, pedestrians, and even scooters.

From that video, GreenFlow creates a live stream of useful data:

• Counts of vehicles and pedestrians
• Turning movements and speed patterns
• Heatmaps and maps of where people travel
• Conflict points and origin-destination flows

All of this shows up in a simple web dashboard.

GreenFlow also comes with full API access, so cities can link it to traffic control systems, mapping tools, or other apps. They can run it live, or upload recorded video to study past events or test new ideas, like changes to an intersection or a new bike lane.

Also, privacy is built in from the start.

GreenFlow is 100% GDPR-compliant. It doesn’t store license plates, faces, or anything that could identify a person. That makes it one of the few AI traffic tools ready for wide use in Europe’s public sector.

And what they deliver is a plug-and-play system that gives cities something they’ve long needed – a clear, real-time view of how their streets are being used without new equipment and without risking privacy.

AI, drones, and a lighter approach to traffic analysis

At the center of the platform is a cloud-based AI engine. It uses custom deep-learning models to detect and track every kind of road user in every frame of video. The system then turns those movements into useful tools like heatmaps, turning ratios, and conflict zone maps.

With help from Microsoft for Startups, Greenroads needs no on-site servers or extra equipment. Cities don’t have to worry about setup, since the entire process happens remotely and securely.

Another major strength is using drones instead of lots of cameras.

A single drone flight can capture video of a full street, roundabout, or corridor. That video is sent to Greenroads’ AI system, just like footage from a fixed camera. Drones help cities cut costs and get results fast, especially for short-term studies or before-and-after projects.

Greenroads supports two main modes:

• Batch mode for studying recorded video after the fact
• Real-time mode for live traffic data, alerts, and monitoring

The system also can detect cyclists, pedestrians, scooters, buses, and trucks, giving planners a clear picture of how streets are shared.

And as always, it keeps privacy front and center. No faces, no license plates, no personal data.

Built with urban planners, engineers, and policy teams in mind

Greenroads.ai was built for one group – the people responsible for how cities move.

Its users are:

• City traffic teams who need to watch traffic flow, fix slowdowns, or improve signal timing
• Urban planners and consultants designing roads, crosswalks, and bike lanes based on real use
• Transport enforcement agencies monitoring things like speeding, illegal turns, or wrong-way driving
• Public-sector researchers and EU mobility programs tracking new pilot zones or testing policy changes
• Engineering firms measuring before-and-after effects of new road layouts, roundabouts, or bus lanes

Because the platform works with both fixed cameras and drones, it’s useful for long-term monitoring and short-term studies. Cities can use it to count pedestrians, analyze e-scooter use, or study how traffic signals affect vehicle movement during busy hours.

One key strength is that Greenroads tracks all types of road users. That makes it perfect for cities focused on safe streets, bike access, or Vision Zero goals. From spotting risky crossings to measuring how people really use public space, the platform gives fast, privacy-safe insights so planners and policy makers can act with confidence.

How cities are already using the platform to make streets safer

In Ghent, Belgium, the city flew drones over a busy roundabout and ran the video through GreenFlow. From just one hour of footage, the platform found 27 conflict points between cars, bikes, and people on foot, helping officials adjust signal timing to improve safety.

In Malta, Greenroads set up 16 fixed cameras along major roads. Planners used the data to track traffic, watch pedestrian movements, and study how people responded to new crosswalks. One pilot showed that unsafe crossings dropped soon after the new crossings were added.

Other real-world uses include:

• Counting bikes and scooters on new lanes
• Spotting wrong-way driving, illegal turns, or bus-lane misuse
• Watching for crowding at bus stops and in pedestrian areas
• Measuring the impact of new roads or street changes
• Supporting toll checks and highway safety audits in an international project under the Innowwide EUREKA program

Because Greenroads works with existing traffic cameras, or quick drone flights, cities can gather traffic data without major setup costs or long waits.

A software model that fits public sector budgets

Instead of selling hardware, Greenroads offers traffic insights as a subscription software service.

Cities, transport agencies, and consultants pay to access the GreenFlow platform through the cloud. The subscription covers:

• Real-time and recorded video analysis
• An easy-to-use dashboard
• APIs to connect with existing traffic systems
• Optional training and support

New users can try the system through a free trial, testing it with their own cameras or drone footage before making a full commitment.

While prices aren’t listed online, the value is easy to see:

• No need to install new cameras, simply use the ones already in place
• Run fast studies using drone video with no permanent setup required
• Pay only for what you process, which is ideal for short or seasonal projects

Greenroads also earns revenue from city contracts and EU-funded projects, including programs like EIT Urban Mobility and Horizon Europe. These allow smaller cities or pilot projects to use the platform without high upfront costs.

There’s no public price list, but the return on investment is strong.

What sets Greenroads apart in a crowded field

Greenroads.ai works in a busy space. Many companies today offer traffic analytics and video-based tools, but Greenroads takes a different approach.

Big names like Miovision, Genetec (BriefCam), and Iteris focus on large, expensive systems. These often need special hardware and are designed mostly for vehicle traffic in North American cities.

Greenroads is different. It’s lighter, simpler, and designed for Europe, especially its smaller cities.

Here’s what sets it apart:

• Privacy first! This means no license plates, faces, or personal data ever stored. Fully GDPR-compliant from day one.
• Counts all road users – not just cars, but also pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and scooters.
• Flexible video sources – works with both street cameras and drones.
• Easy to connect – the system uses open APIs, so it fits into city tools and dashboards without extra work.
• Public-sector friendly – it’s built for government use, not corporate surveillance!

Many older systems focus on enforcement or lock cities into one vendor. Greenroads, instead, aims to make smart mobility tools more accessible, especially for cities with small teams or limited budgets.

A public-purpose company built without venture capital

Greenroads.ai isn’t mindlessly chasing big venture capital. It’s a civic-focused company, led by people who care deeply about cities, data, and smarter mobility.

The company was founded in 2019 by Claire Ciancio, after she completed the EIT Climate-KIC incubator, a European program that supports climate-focused startups. Claire saw a major problem – cities have cameras everywhere, but no tools to understand what’s happening on their roads.

She teamed up with Johan Zammit, Andre Xuereb, and Adrian Muscat – experts in AI, urban systems, and digital infrastructure. Together, they built Greenroads to help public authorities make better decisions using data they already had.

From the start, Greenroads has focused on public benefit over private profit. That’s why it didn’t raise venture capital. Instead, it’s been funded by:

• EIT Climate-KIC, which backed the company early on
• Horizon 2020 projects, like MARVEL (for video analytics) and PATTERN (for digital twins)
• Malta’s Ministry for Education & Innovation, through the ROADEYE project
• Microsoft for Startups, which provided cloud credits to power Greenroads on Azure

This approach lets Greenroads stay focused on the real needs of cities, rather than pleasing investors.

Scaling up without lock-in

Greenroads.ai has already built the core technology, and now it’s focused on helping more cities use it.

The company’s next steps are all about growth, access, and smarter tools:

• Expanding across Europe is one of the main goals. After successful pilots in Belgium, Malta, Italy, and even South America, Greenroads is now targeting new cities. The goal is to bring its platform to more mid-sized cities that are often overlooked by big traffic tech providers.
• Fast, flexible deployments are a priority. To help cities get started quickly, Greenroads is launching support for short-term studies. With pop-up or temporary cameras, cities can run quick projects (like testing a school-zone redesign or checking traffic near a new roundabout) without needing permanent hardware.
• Better integration with transit is in the works. Greenroads is also working with public transport agencies and mobility-as-a-service platforms. This will help cities better plan bus lanes, track how scooters and bikes share space, and make transit systems work more smoothly.
• Predictive analytics are coming. Through EU research projects like ROADEYE, Greenroads is building tools for predictive analytics. That means cities will be able to forecast traffic, spot risks early, and even simulate how a road change might work before it’s built.

The bigger vision is to turn every camera, from traffic poles to drones, into a real-time mobility sensor that helps make cities cleaner, safer, and easier to navigate.

If Greenroads succeeds, it will change how transport planning works across Europe.

What cities need before they can act

If cities want to cut emissions, keep people safe, and use public space better, they need one thing first, and that’s clear visibility.

Not just once-a-year traffic counts, but real-time, everyday insights into how streets are used by cars, bikes, and people on foot. That means spotting the cyclist pushed off a roundabout. The child crossing mid-block. The traffic that builds up right before school ends. And doing all of it without tracking license plates or faces.

That’s the role Greenroads is playing.