India gets first 3-D traffic signal in Mohali. “Traditional methods of traffic police to control and regulate traffic are very much labour-intensive and two-dimensional. Employing the 3-D technique to make traffic signal fully actuated and on a real-time basis is first of its kind in the country. This will be a major leapfrog towards better and economical traffic management system,” said Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan, ADGP (Traffic), while addressing the media.
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ADGP Chauhan said that Rajya Sabha on Thursday had passed amendments which mandate state governments to ensure electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on national highways, state highways and urban roads as per guidelines framed by the Central government. He added that a memorandum of understanding to conduct research and development in the area of IT and computation for traffic police with start-up Anukai Solutions of Chitkara University was signed in the month of September last year.
The new system will have sensors which would automatically switch on the green and red signals depending upon the number of vehicles coming from that particular side and would reduce the time to stop at the traffic signals.
ADGP Chauhan said that the actuated signals incur high initial and maintenance costs than fixed-time signals. The cost varies from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
“This simple mechanism will just cost 1 per cent to the fixed signal cost and it will start working as a fully actuated signal. Not only will it lead to a huge saving in cost, but this will also reduce the tendency to jump traffic light and reduce travel time,” ADGP Chauhan said.
According to the ADGP, these signals are calibrated on the movement of traffic but keeping 15 second in each direction as a minimum time, essentially required for the safe crossing of pedestrians.
The ADGP said that around 450 traffic signals operational across Punjab can be converted into 3D fully actuated traffic signals after the successful completion of the pilot project in Mohali on a fully commercial scale. This is a base technology and further extensions like synchronisation of traffic lights, creation of green corridor and managing the traffic lights of entire Punjab while sitting at one place is possible too.
