Hyundai Motor India Foundation, the CSR arm of India’s No. 2 passenger vehicle maker Hyundai Motor India, has joined forces with the IRTE or Institute of Road Traffic Education and Gurugram Police, to transform Gurugram’s traffic management by adopting best practices in global traffic management and engineering.
As a result, on November 22, HMIF and IRTE inaugurated two newly-established facilities – Traffic Engineering Centre (TEC) and Organisation Development Centre (ODC) – at the office of the DCP (Traffic) of Gurugram Police, in the city’s Sushant Lok area. HMIF has supported the IRTE to commission these two facilities for the Gurugram Police.
The inauguration ceremony was presided by Unsoo Kim, MD, Hyundai Motor India; Vikas Arora, IPS, Commissioner of Gurugram Police; A Sreenivas, IAS, CEO – GMDA, and Vijender Vij, DCP (Traffic), Gurugram Police. Officials of HMIL – Puneet Anand, AVP, Corporate Affairs – and IRTE President, Dr Rohit Baluja, were also part of the occasion.
The two state-of-the-art centres aim to enhance road safety by prevention of accidents and safeguarding road users through Policy, Advocacy, and Consultancy. The facilities also aim to strengthen the commitment of all stakeholders towards road safety and sustainable traffic management, and strive to create systems for efficient road usage through innovation, research and development.
The partnership between HMIF, IRTE, and Gurugram Police also aims to revolutionise traffic management and road safety in not just Gurugram, but also in other metro cities across the country through advanced engineering solutions and capacity-building initiatives.
According to Unsoo Kim, MD, HMIL, “Road safety is a pressing concern globally, and in a rapidly growing city like Gurugram, efficient traffic management is critical for the safe and stress-free commuting. We have partnered with Gurugram Police to set up this centre, equipped with state-of-the-art technology to allow seamless monitoring of 1,100 cameras across 218 junctions in Gurugram in real-time, thus, streamlining traffic flow and ensuring quick safety response. This is a collaborative effort between HMIF, Gurugram Police, and the executing agency – IRTE.”
“At HMIL, we believe that road safety is the collective responsibility of multiple stakeholders, and our road safety initiative, which is aligned with HMC’s global vision for safety, is built upon the foundation of road safety for every citizen,” Kim added.
According to Dr Rohit Baluja, President, IRTE, “The TEC and IDC in Gurugram will serve as model facilities for the rest of the country for managing traffic flow. The Motor Vehicle Driving Regulations are dependent upon a TEC, and this maiden facility in the country is a modest initiative to support the Gurugram Police and GMDA to improve the traffic situation in the city.”
“Two of IRTE’s traffic engineers will be deputed at the TEC in Gurugram to train the Traffic Police on traffic regulation and enforcement,” Dr Baluja added.
What is Traffic Engineering and a TEC?
Traffic Engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to solve translocation problems by factoring in user psychology, habits and behaviour within transportation systems.
The growing traffic congestion due to poor road compliance, is one of the key factors driving the need for a TEC. Moreover, as per the IRTE, the traffic police of any city bears the responsibility for traffic management in that area. Since multiple stakeholders are functioning within city limits, the limited coordination among these diverse bodies like the Police, Transportation agencies, Economic Development agencies and Planning Organisations, leads to a fragmented management, thus, calling for an integrated approach which is possible through a TEC.
Therefore, a TEC allows real-time monitoring of traffic flow on National Highways, city streets, and critical intersections to relieve congestion in peak hours. Moreover, it helps in infrastructure optimisation to minimise design flaws and thus eliminate bottlenecks creating huge traffic snarls.
While enhanced and safer mobility, and reduced travel times are the key tangible benefits of a TEC, it also helps reduce noise and air pollution, minimises fuel wastage, and optimises parking solutions inside cities.
Core functions of an ODC
With urban cities facing mounting challenges in traffic management as well as congestion, pollution, road rage, and accidents, an Organisation Development Centre or ODC can help bridge the gaps in traffic management by providing comprehensive and professional training as well as organisation development for traffic police at all levels.
An ODC serves as a state-level nodal centre that can collect and analyse data, such as that from accidents, and execute its scientific examination. It can also undertake congestion and bottleneck analyses, as well as create training tools and systems. Documentation of legal updates, and coordination with police training institutions, along with engaging with schools and colleges for road safety education and organising workshops, are some of the key roles and responsibilities of an ODC.