Bengaluru sets to roll out AI-based traffic solution at all signals

Traffic jam is one of the old transportation problems that we have been dealing with for many years. We still continue to lose some of our precious hours of daily life in traffic. While the times have changed, there has hardly been any change in solution to address the traffic management issue in most of India metro cities.

Though, in recent year, the discovery of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have emerged as a new ray of hope. From essential sectors such as education and agriculture to administrative departments, everyone appears to bullish about the potential of AI.

Moreover, the latest one to join the bandwagon is Bengaluru Police. The city has been experimenting with new technology to regulate its traffic more efficiently.

According to Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B R Ravikanthe Gowda, AI-enabled cameras will read the traffic density and after calculation will automatically tell how much time it will take to clear signal traffic.

The countdown timer in the AI-enabled device will save fuel and signal right for movement.

It will make the process more effective, Gowda added.

At present, close to 35 traffic signals are AI-adaptive, and soon all the traffic signals in the city will have AI. However, Bengaluru traffic police have not mentioned any deadline for the same.

There is also concern regarding the coordination and reset of the signal at every junction so that there is no roadblock in operation of traffic.

According to experts, the task would not easy as it would require to have to know-how about the technology and signals must be updated every six months. The traffic police have to study each junction and accordingly make modifications, said a Deccan Herald report quoting a transportation engineer.

Entrackr queries seeking detail response in this regard to city traffic police did not elicit any response.

India lags in AI research, and there is a limited number of researchers in the country.

Of late, though, AI has been at the centre stage of technological transition debate.

Last year, Delhi govt had got the MHA acceptance for its Rs 1000 crore traffic management system that will work on radar-based monitoring with the help of AI.

The current govt has been aggressive on the new tech adoption. From Amitabh Kant to Piyush Goyal to PM Narendra Modi, everyone has talked about the potential future business opportunity in the usage of modern technology.

In 2018, Indian govt think tank NITI Aayog had piloted AI solutions in the sectors comprising agriculture, education, and healthcare to identify and weed out real problems.

The adoption of AI as a traffic solution in Bengaluru is undoubtedly an early and innovative move. Its success will pave the way forward to widespread adoption in the country.