Smart signals, Slow controls

On road realities of Bengaluru’s AI controlled signals

This was written as part of the Continuous Internal Assessment (1) 

Bengaluru’s adaptive traffic control systems (ATCS) are manually overridden during peak hours, undermining promised congestion relief and reduced wait times.

165 junctions across the southern and western parts of the city have been equipped with the ATCS technology in hopes to reduce traffic congestion through automation. Stan, a resident of Arekere, travels daily to his office near Dairy Circle through Bannerghatta Road at 9: 00a.m. He encounters many automatic signals being operated in manual mode. There is increased traffic congestion due to metro work and other repairs, he stated. Giving an example, Stan said that the traffic congestion caused at the JNR junction, due to sewage repair extends to the Sagar Apollo Junction, which is often in manual mode.

Shyam Kumar faces similar problems along his daily commute from Arekere to Outer Ring Road. He often gets stuck at BTM layout, Udupi Garden Junction. Expressing his frustration at the short cycle times, he said “I need to leave 15 minutes earlier because it takes me two cycles of green light to pass that junction”. In the context of synchronous signals, Srinath Menon explained how manual control of automatic signals disrupts continuous flow of traffic along RV Road.

Speaking to the traffic police, Head Constable Ashok explained how the ATCS has made their job easier at the Sagar Apollo Junction. The signal relies on cameras to effectively divide the 180 second cycle between the three lanes. However, during peak hours, he recognises the traffic flowing in and out of the city and manually overrides the system to allocate more time for that side accordingly, something that the automatic signal does not do efficiently.

Constable Roopa at the Forum (Nexus) Junction on Hosur Road, spoke of the importance of manual mode for emergency vehicle movement, or VIP movement. She stated that the Traffic Police Centre (TMC) coordinates between various junctions and provides them with instructions to manually override. Constable Kiran at the BTM layout Udupi Garden Junction, further elaborated on the Google and TMC tie up, which uses satellite imagery to manage traffic flows. He also stated that he uses Google Maps himself while controlling traffic.

Kiran bought to notice the reason for short cycle times, as he explained that traffic bottle necks get cleared faster due to shorter cycles, especially for the by lanes. Some commuters, such as S Lobo, stated that the manual mode is necessary for efficient management and blamed other factors such as public indiscipline, as reasons for traffic congestion.