IAS Traffic Control System to be implemented in Chennai Metro City!
Posted on: 19/Feb/2020 6:20:07 PM
With the main objective to reduce the existing traffic congestion, a new traffic signal system known as ‘Integrated Automatic Signal’ is all set to be introduced in 7 major roads in Chennai Metro City including Anna Salai (called as the artery of Chennai Metro City)!
The traffic police inform that after this, there would not be any need for vehicles to wait long in signals.
Chennai Metro City is the 2nd city in the list of cities with the maximum number of vehicles after New Delhi! As of today, there are approximately 55 Lakhs vehicles in Chennai Metro City! Out of these, 78% are 2-wheelers. Further, the Department of Transport informs that the number of vehicles had increased by over 300% in the last 15 years!
With the above main reason, traffic congestion has been on the rise throughout Chennai Metro City. Traffic signals have been set up and they operate in the major junctions and areas with heavy traffic congestion.
Presently, there are 408 traffic signal systems installed in India. Out of these, 100 main signals are located in Anna Salai, Kamarajar Salai, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Royappettah High Road, Rajaji Road, EVR Road, LB Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, GST Salai, and Usman Road, (which are major roads in the city) and important junctions, and T Nagar and Anna Nagar.
Modernisation: With an objective to simplify the ordeal of the Traffic Police, several schemes have been implemented as a modernisation attempt including e-challans, ANPR camera systems which identify the vehicles violating traffic rules, a facility for the cashless transaction to pay the penalty for a traffic rule violation, etc.
As a part of this, the Chennai Metro City Traffic Police Department has now indulged in setting up and implementing next-generation-plan Integrated Automatic signal systems.
For this ambitious and extremely beneficial project, the traffic the police department has been working intensely on this planning.
At the end of a detailed analysis, review and planning, it has been decided to introduce this new Integrated Automatic Signal Systems in 7 important roads in Chennai Metro City.
Accordingly, 7 roads - Anna Salai, GST Salai, East Coast Road, Rajiv Gandhi Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road (100’ Road), Kamarajar Salai, and EVR Salai have been selected and the project has been undertaken.
For this purpose, statistical details have been gathered by the traffic department such as the number of vehicles in the congested traffic, the number of vehicles when traffic congestion is less, the type of vehicles, etc.
At t the same time, as all these 7 major roads are all leading with the maximum traffic congestion, a senior official of the traffic police department shared that this new plan will be implemented on these 7 roads. As apart of the project, ANPR cameras have been installed at the Anna Salai Nandanam Signal, Taramani signal located in Rajiv Gandhi Salai, etc.
Automatic Integrated Signal
This automatic integrated signal system is implemented and used in countries such as Britain and France. As per this plan, all the signals located on the length of a road will be in contact and in sequence. In order to integrate all these signals, the central traffic control room of the traffic police will be modernized.
Officials will be able to control the traffic from this central control room Further, they can emphasise on the speed limits and also register cases on vehicles violating the traffic rules.
As all the signals are in a serial contact, the speed of the moving vehicles can be calculated and as per that the time duration of the signals will be fixed.
With this, with the vehicles proceed at speeds specified by the traffic police, a senior official informs that the vehicles need not stop for a long while at these signals.
The case of 129 signals
The official shared further; the details of the number of signals at the 7 major roads selected Anna Salai-28, GST-21, EVR-22, Jawaharlal-19, ECR-12, Rajiv Gandhi-19, and Kamarajar-8.
There is scope for the number of signals to increase or reduce as the system is implemented. When this signal is in action, the vehicle is to strictly follow the speed limits specified by the Traffic Police.
Legal enquiry reaching the residence!
Cases will be filed on the vehicle who violates the specified speed limit. This integrated automatic signal system will be used for this. The device for checking the speed of the passing vehicles and ANPR cameras will be installed on all above 7 roads.
These devices will register the details of the violating vehicles and send to the control room. Cases will be registered and a receipt sent to the offending vehicle owner/driver
This plan is being executed in the 1st phases only on the above 7 roads after detailed analysis/review.
Arcot Road is the 2nd most traffic-dense road after Anna Salai. However, there is no scope in the Arcot Road location to implement this scheme. So, Arcot Road does not get included d in this list!
Based on the feedback/reports received after the implementation of the new system on these 7 roads, this will be implemented in the other roads in Chennai Metro City.
5.95 Lakhs cases for violating signal rules in 3 years!
Over the last 3 years, 5.95 Lakhs cases have been registered for violating the signal in Chennai Metro City.
Driving 2-wheelers without wearing a helmet, driving a car without wearing a seat-belt, driving the vehicle at high speeds, drunken driving, violating the signal, taking passengers in the goods vehicles, loading goods in excess of permitted limits, getting more number of passengers than allowed, driving while talking on cell phone, are 8 offences which are given importance and cases are filed accordingly.
Out of these, most cases are about driving 2 wheelers without wearing a helmet! The next in the list is the violation of signals. The police department informs that around 1.50 Lakhs cases are registered every year.
In the year 2019, 1,90,265 cases have been registered. Over the last 3 years, 5.95 Lakhs cases have been filed. On the other side, the traffic plie department earns revenue too with these penalties!
275 signal systems no longer functional!
A regular complaint is regarding the traffic coming to a standstill due to the aged/defective traffic signal system!
New traffic signal systems are set up in Chennai Metro City based on the necessity to reduce traffic congestion, to prevent accidents, and as per public demand.
The traffic police department informs that over the last 4 years, 100 new signal systems have been installed in Chennai Metro City. At the same time, it is also reported that the old traffic signal systems, without proper maintenance, go defective frequently! The life of the newly set signal system is estimated at 5 years.
However, in Chennai Metro City, out of the total signals in Chennai Metro city, around 275 signal systems have been functioning over the last 10 years! Further, another 70 signals are more than 5 years old! In rainy weather, these old signal systems tend to fail! So, the traffic police have to bear the additional signal duty as well! As there have been sudden and frequent failures of signals, the vehicle drivers complain the traffic systems are acutely adversely affected! Further, vehicle drivers suffer this hardship!
