The adaptive traffic management system, which aims at real-time monitoring of vehicular traffic, will be functional at 115 chowks in the city by next month.
The project will help the traffic police and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) streamline vehicular flow at chowks with the installation of cameras and advanced signalling systems. The infrastructure has been set up at 85 locations so far. The remaining chowks will be covered in the next one month.
The project is being implemented by the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) and PMC. The cameras and controllers will be attached to traffic signals. The duration of signals will be changed based on number of vehicles.
Sanjay Kolte, chief executive officer of PSCDCL, said works are underway at full swing to install the adaptive traffic management system (ATMS) system at the remaining chowks. He said there was a plan to cover 125 chowks in the ongoing phase, but there are around seven chowks where installation of the ATMS system looks difficult currently due to various reasons. Hence, around 115 chowks will be covered in the ongoing phase. The testing and trials will begin in a couple of weeks.
All key chowks on prominent roads — including Sinhagad Road, Solapur Road, Senapati Bapat Road and Karve Road, will have the system. Meanwhile, civic activists and regular commuters have said the authorities should first ensure smoother movement of vehicles during peak hours and work towards synchronization of traffic signals to minimize waiting time.
Sachit Gosavi, a resident of Model Colony, said the ATMS measure would remain on paper if it fails to resolve traffic issues. “Commuters are fed up with the chaos they face at prominent chowks during peak hours. The signalling system should be such that it helps clear long queues of vehicles at junctions”, he added.
Rahul Shinde, a resident of Deccan Gymkhana area, said the system should have provision of pedestrian signals, which are lacking at most chowks at present.
