VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is planning to introduce a traffic controlling system similar to the one followed in Tokyo, Japan’s capital. The move aims at streamlining traffic management to avoid congestion in the city, especially during peak hours.
Despite several initiatives being taken by the civic body and police officials, traffic problem has been haunting the public after the city was designated as part of the State capital. For instance, motorists commuting between Benz circle and Ramavarappadu on NH- 16 often face a harrowing time as most of the traffic signals on the stretch are out of order and traffic was being controlled manually for the past few months.
According to officials of VMC’s engineering department, municipal commissioner J Nivas, a few months ago, had toured Tokyo and studied the traffic management system being practised there. He then proposed to authorities concerned to replicate the same in Vijayawada. In this regard, the civic body has opted for ‘remote controlling of traffic signals’, and ‘central connectivity remote and monitoring system’ to change the duration of traffic lights based on the vehicular movement at any particular junction.
As part of the new initiative, public address (PA) announcement system will be implemented to regulate traffic and ease congestion at various locations in the city. With this, vehicles will be diverted to alternate routes that would help to decongest traffic on major roads during peak hours. For effective implementation of PA system, CCTV cameras and microphones will be installed at the traffic signal polls, which will use solar energy for functioning. A command control room will be also set up by the civic body to regularly monitor and streamline traffic in the city, the VMC said.
In addition, the officials conducted a study to introduce pedestrian signalling system at prime locations of the city to cut down on accidents involving pedestrians. Solar light blinkers and display boards will also be set up near traffic signals to divert the vehicular movement.
A senior VMC official, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that officials had already carried out ground level inspection across the city to study the feasibility of introducing the traffic management system being followed in Tokyo. In their study, officials observed that vehicular traffic has doubled in the city and suggested to develop a comprehensive plan to regulate it.
“A proposal will be sent to the State government seeking approval, and Request for Proposal will soon be invited to realise the traffic management system,” the official added.
System to reduce traffic congestion
61.88 sq.km - Total area of Vijayawada city
10.24 lakh - City’s population according to 2011 census
15 lakh - Present population
1,264.24 km - Total length of city roads