Wait no more, BRT corridor to see new light

Friday, Sep 18, 2009

For those stuck every day in an endless wait for the traffic lights to turn green at the Chirag Dilli flyover along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, here's some good news.

In an effort to reduce the waiting time — which during peaks hours can be as long as ten minutes on places like Chirag Dilli junction — the Delhi Integrated Multimodal Transit system (DIMTS) is setting up an Intelligent Traffic Management system which will be smart enough to gauge the traffic situation and direct signals to function accordingly.

Explaining the concept, a senior Delhi government official said: "If there is less traffic on two arms of the point, while the other two are heavily jammed, the installed sensors will send a signal to traffic lights, switching the cycle."

There are 20 signal points along the 14.5 km BRT stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate. The signals installed by CMS are currently run manually during peak traffic hours and automatically during lean hours — like the rest of the city.

"Traffic signals on the corridor will work in coordination, reducing waiting time along the stretch," he added.

Since the BRT is conceptualised around prioritising public transport, officials said the signals will be designed to give priority to buses. The waiting time for these will be the least.

The entire system will be monitored by a central control centre.

Officials added that the control room will also help track violators jumping signals and driving in wrong lanes. While government vehicles are reportedly the biggest violators along the corridor, driving in the wrong lanes, penalty for the violation is Rs 500.

"Through a network of CCTV cameras to be installed as part of the system, we will be able to track violators and send their details directly to the traffic police," the official added.

Siemens — the firm hired to develop the system for the entire corridor — will replace the existing traffic signals along the corridor and install sensors and pedestrian signals.

Original news source http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/wait-no-more-brt-corridor-to-see-new-light/518464/