By Kapil Bardeja, Co Founder & CEO, Vehant Technologies
With 250,000 fatalities occurring in road accidents every year, maintaining road safety and handling traffic jams is one of the biggest issues faced by India. This has rendered traffic congestion a daily problem that plagues millions of commuters in cities such as Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai, where, with every passing day, vehicle ownership is on the rise. It not only hampers day-to-day productivity but also severely adds to environmental pollution. As a result, the government continues embracing modern smart technologies to cope with improving urban transport, alleviating traffic congestion, and giving better safer road practices targeting a more efficient and livable city.
Understanding the Reason for Traffic Congestion:
The accelerated pace of urbanisation is one of the significant contributors to traffic problems in India. Urban growth has not only led to increased population density but also brought more automobiles on the road. Additionally, the roads, bridges, flyovers, and associated structures were developed many decades earlier, which causes limitations and interruptions in the services in handling today’s demand.
The other element is illegal parking in restricted areas, in which cars and bikes create lane blocks and reduce the space to move vehicles. Simultaneously, mobile phone-peering drivers not only slow down traffic and raise the risks of accidents but also make urban traffic management even more difficult.
To deal with it, a series of technology-supported solutions will be brought to life by the government, intending to resolve these issues. Government agencies are conducting exhaustive surveys and partnering with tech companies to gain real-time data on traffic density, accident-prone areas, peak travel time, and emissions from vehicles. These studies shape policy decisions, traffic laws, and the improvement of infrastructures.
Government Smart City Initiative from 2015
To raise the standard of living in 100 chosen cities through efficient service delivery, strong infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability, the Smart Cities Mission was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 25th June 2015. In regards to Public Safety and Security, the installation of 83,000 plus CCTV cameras in 100 Smart Cities has taken place, to monitor crime.
Besides, 3,000 public address systems, Red light violations, and Automatic Number Plate Detection traffic enforcement systems were set up to ensure public safety. The advanced technology provider companies are being engaged by the government to effectively make the cities’ solutions. Referring to cities organising traffic management systems like Automatic Number plate detection, Red Light violation detection, and Wrong way systems were implemented as well under the smart city initiative in cities like Lucknow. Other solutions have also been implemented in cities like Prayagraj, Ranchi, Bareilly, Agra, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and 70+ other cities based on their needs for traffic management and mapping solutions.
Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS):
Central to these initiatives are integrated traffic command centres with Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) that provide a single platform for monitoring and live management of real-time traffic information. These command centres pull together data from radar systems, no-parking detectors, and driver distraction cameras that assist the authorities in making insightful decisions and quickly responding to any traffic regulation matters, added Mr. Bardeja.
ITMS (Intelligent Traffic Management System) is a technology built on Artificial intelligence that gathers vehicle congestion information in real-time and transfers it to the traffic controllers in a neat package. This helps to incorporate adaptive signal control strategies significantly reducing traffic congestion and vehicle delay levels at the junctions.
By utilising that peak hour dynamic time, between for instance Delhi and Gurgaon or any one-sided traffic, Los Angeles gives signal timings according to the dominance of oncoming vehicles in a certain direction. Effectively it means that this scheduling will change depending on the day and time and thus facilitate the smooth flow of traffic even in the busiest of urban centers reducing the traffic jams.
Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is another important feature within these command centres, helping enforce compliance with speed limits, red lights, and parking regulations. By automating these processes, ANPR enhances traffic enforcement across cities and reduces the workload on personnel, improving overall traffic management.
AI-Enabled Detection for Traffic Violations:
To prevent careless driving, the government, in turn, has introduced AI-powered cameras, which report drivers who use cell phones by capturing all violations automatically in a record that is sent back to traffic control centres, enabling the authorities to quickly fine offenders. The technology has proved effective in cutting back the number of accidents and offers ease in traffic movement while instilling safe driving habits.
Additionally, no-parking identification systems with AI-enabled technology are being installed throughout the city to capture the vehicles parked within the no-parking zones. It also alerts the traffic department instantly, which responds by way of issuing fines or arranging for their towing. This way, the system frees the vital lanes from obstructions and creates more space to smooth their flow.
Real-Time Violation and Traffic Monitoring
The government has initiated radar-based surveillance systems in high-density areas. It is advanced technology and plays a serious role in managing traffic in real time. Through the use of radar waves, it detects the speed and density of the vehicles on the road. The technology helps in assessing the level of congestion on the road by giving accurate, instantaneous information about vehicle movement and density at a particular location. This information is then transmitted to a system of artificially intelligent traffic. This system modifies the signal timing and flow of traffic at a given time based on current conditions.
The high-density situations identified are some of the specific areas in which radar-based systems have successfully operated, where traditional means of traffic management through traffic lights often fail to improve the situation. For instance, at Connaught Place in Delhi, which has a common phenomenon of bottlenecks, radar-based system installation improved stream flow where congestion levels reduced to 15% since installation. These systems have been successful, and the government is extending this use of the technology in other cities with heavy traffic because the solution proved to be sustainable and scalable enough for the management of urban congestion.
With radar-based surveillance, adaptive signals, and AI-driven detection systems, India’s smart technology projects are building a solid foundation for improved traffic management in urban cities. Not only do these systems decrease congestion and travel times but also make cities safer and more sustainable transportation networks. As these projects grow, they have the potential to transform urban mobility in India, giving citizens more efficient and reliable means of traversing congested city roads.