The implementation of 'intelligent traffic management system (ITMS)' in the city for efficient traffic management with less manual intervention has once again come to the fore.
The project was proposed nearly a decade ago by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and the city police in view of rising vehicular traffic. However, due to various reasons, including lack of funds, the project had not materialised.
Now, with the funds sanctioned to the city under the 15th Finance Commission grant to improve air quality in the city, the ITMS project is back on the cards.
The VMC had recently invited 'expression of interest (EoI)' for the design, supply, installation, operations, and maintenance of Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) Project for at least five years. The last date for the submission of the bids had been postponed to June 30, from June 22.
"It is proposed to introduce ITMS in the city so that the vehicular movement is streamlined so that a vehicle which passes a junction at green signal also gets green signal in the subsequent junctions in the particular route. Also, the road with higher vehicle density will be preferred for green signal over the road the with lesser traffic. Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and VIP vehicles are automatically given clearance and provided with green corridor. Overall, this will reduce the waiting time of vehicles at the signals which in turn, reduces air pollution," the experssion of interest document explains.
Cut in waiting time
VMC Chief Engineer M. Prabhakar said the ultimate aim of ITMS was to reduce the waiting time of a vehicle and reduce the amount air pollutants released. "In the current system, vehicles on all roads of a junction have to wait for a prefixed time even if there is less traffic. In the proposed system, sensors will detect the traffic on a particular road and show green signal to the road which has longer queue," Mr. Prabhakar said.
The project had been sanctioned ₹5 crore, and after going through the bids in response to the EoI call, another round of tendering would be conducted with respect to cost of the project and it would be awarded to a suitable firm, he said.
The ITMS would replace all the signalling systems, including the one recently installed at Benz Circle. Twenty-five junctions, including Benz Circle, Nirmala Convent, Ramesh Hospital, Mahanadu, Ramavarappadu, PCR, PCR Y, DCP Bungalow, Raghavaiah Park, Skew Bridge, Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Enikepadu, Gollapudi one Centre, Gollapudi Y, Sitara, Chittinagar, Pushpa Hotel, Swarna Palace, Deepthi Centre, Vidhyadarapuram Junction, Paipula Road, Sidhartha Auditorium, Padavala Revu Food Junction and Madhura Nagar junctions would be covered under the ITMS project.
