Will Intelligent Transport System Make Delhi Roads Smarter?

When a high-powered committee set up to suggest ways to decongest Delhi's roads gave its report in July last year, among its nine measures, it listed putting in place an Intelligent Transport System (ITS). Earlier criticised by some for limiting its focus to “planning” alone, the panel has now suggested 10 guidelines for the implementation of ITS, according to a Times of India report. The strategies include parking pricing & management, multimodal integration, bicycle sharing & infrastructure, road retrofitting, bus service improvements, BRTS (bus rapid transit system) corridor development, integrated road network, and a capacity-building programme.

PropGuide looks at the proposed ITS and how it might change the way we drive in Delhi.

What is an ITS?

All the major cities that boast successful traffic management have in place intelligent transport systems, which allow them to integrate the overall operations. According to the panel's report, “Performance and efficiencies of the systems can be dealt in an efficient and equitable manner with the integration of ITS. Intelligent systems are also very helpful in traffic management, control and real-time location mapping to provide information through means of different devices powered by a central control monitoring system”.

To achieve this, the high-powered committee has suggested 10 ways, of which some have already been operational in the national capital; the others remain on papers.

CCTV surveillance and variable message sign

The panel has suggested installing CCTV surveillance at critical intersections and roads to monitor traffic movements. Apart from helping the traffic police get ready for emergency situations, it will also help people take alternative paths to avoid congested areas. A variable message sign (VMS) system could also be used in parking lots.

Automatic vehicle location system

An automatic vehicle tracking system provides information on real-time vehicle location on a network. By integrating this system with the control centre, the information thus received can be utilised to generate a number of reports on efficiency of route operations. This will also help generate data on route-wise deviations, time-table deviations and operational-time deviations.

Public transport information

People with vehicles on the road must also know how the traffic is moving, so that they streamline themselves to make the operations smooth. To enable this, the panel has suggested a system to track vehicles and share information with people driving on roads through passenger information system boards or voice communications.

Road management efficiency

As part of keeping the drivers in the loop, the panel has suggested increasing the efficiency of traffic management by sending information of maintenance or accidents to control centres and drivers. You often have to take a detour as some or the other construction work is on in a particular lane. A system like this will help you skip all such routes.

Signal camera and stop-line violation detection

The little mistakes committed on roads sometimes lead to major mishaps, so it is important to manage traffic in such a way that these incidents are prevented. As red-light violations are one of the major causes for accidents, installing cameras to stop such violations can prove effective. The panel has also recommended that the system be made capable of taking snapshots with number plate details to fix responsibility.

Speed camera & automatic number plate recognition

Not many people pay heed to the Delhi Traffic Police's advertisements saying “speed thrills but kills”. As a result, many accidents take place on city roads every day. By putting in place speed cameras, the traffic police will be able to measure the speed of running vehicles to ensure safety.

Automated parking management system

If you are parking your vehicle in Inner Circle of Delhi's Connaught Place, you see digital monitors outside parking lots displaying the number of available slots. This automated parking management and guidance system helps in efficient utilisation of parking lots.

Intelligent signalling system

The purpose of this system is to improve intersection efficiency by cutting on delays. As part of the system, various sensors are installed at up and downstream of a junction to determine classified flow volumes and changes in signal timings.

Automatic fare collection system

Toll booths sometimes are a major cause of traffic jams and this is why the cities that are successful in managing traffic have in place electronic ticketing machines to collect fares. While such a system helps plug any leakages in revenue collection, it also improves traffic movement to a great extent.

Control centre & data storage

A problem that significantly leads to traffic management failure is the absence of useful data. By putting in place a control centre, the city traffic authorities will be able to integrate, control and manage the information more efficiently.