The cameras will read traffic density and change signals in a smart manner
Around 35 traffic signals in the city are currently AI-adaptive
Will this solve traffic and vehicular congestion issues in Bengaluru?
The Indian government is slowly embracing artificial intelligence (AI) in many of its public services. The latest to join the club is the Bengaluru police department, which is all set to roll out AI-based traffic signals at most city junctions.
The initiative is expected to tackle the traffic issue, which is currently one of the biggest problems faced by Bengaluru citizens.
According to the additional commissioner of police, traffic, B R Ravikanthe Gowda, AI-enabled cameras will determine traffic density and calculate the time it would take to clear the particular wave of traffic and accordingly manage the signal lights.
A countdown timer in the AI-enabled device could help vehicles save fuel and will manage the changing of signals for smoother movement. At present, around 35 traffic signals are AI-adaptive, according to the traffic police.
While the plan involves setting up similar cameras at all traffic signals in the city, there has been no timeline announced for the same.
Meanwhile, experts feel shifting completely to AI is going to be a tedious process. “The police must regularly reset the signal at each junction. There is something called coordination of signals and they must be in sync. For instance, when the first signal shows green, the next junction should also switch to green so that vehicles move non-stop,” traffic expert M N Sreehari said in a media interview last month (September 22).
