NEW DELHI: Paving the way for Delhi to get a smart, technology-driven traffic management system over the next couple of years, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the implementation of ITMS at an estimated cost of Rs 1,789 crore. The project to be implemented by Delhi police will feature AI-enabled signals, real-time congestion detection, automated enforcement and priority movement for ambulances across 42 key corridors.The proposal for an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) was first initiated ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, though now the scale has been expanded to use the latest technology to detect nearly 20 types of violations and cover more stretches.Announcing the decision, Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaihnaw said the project will add “brain” to Delhi’s traffic management system as it will make the city’s traffic management infrastructure “intelligent” by integrating existing traffic signals, CCTVs, and AI capabilities into a unified, centralised control system.PM Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said the decision will “ensure the usage of technology to boost ‘Ease of Living’ across Delhi.” The project will be implemented in three phases over two years, followed by five years of operation and maintenance.On the need for the project, Vaishnaw said that at present, Delhi’s 1,529 traffic signals run on fixed timings with manual interventions and these can’t adjust on their own when traffic builds up at a junction. He added that the cameras installed to detect red-light jumping and speeding work in isolation as “there is no single city-wide system that links signal control, enforcement, traffic information and diversions or that uses AI to flag wanted vehicles”.He added that the ITMS brings signal control, enforcement and live traffic information onto one technology platform. Govt said under this new regime, adaptive signals will be synced across corridors and congestion can be spotted early. The AI-enabled system will detect violations and can flag stolen or hot-listed vehicles as well.In an official statement, govt said the system will enable traffic signals to automatically adjust timings based on prevailing road conditions and coordinate signals along identified corridors to reduce stoppages and delays. It will also facilitate priority movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles through green corridors, besides enabling quicker detection of congestion, slow-moving traffic and road incidents, allowing police to take faster operational measures.It said variable message signs and digital platforms will provide commuters with information on congestion, diversions, parking availability and traffic conditions. Such information may also be shared with navigation service providers.The system will strengthen automated enforcement against violations such as red-light and stop-line violations, speeding, wrong-way driving, non-use of helmets and seat belts, illegal parking and use of mobile phones while driving. AI-based analytics will also assist in identifying repeat violators and vehicles linked to hit-and-run incidents.Officials said the system will have multiple layers. The physical layer includes data centres, networks, controllers, sensors, and enforcement cameras that can read vehicle number plates automatically. The digital layer will integrate devices for real-time data capture and processing, while the application layer will cover traffic analytics, enforcement, parking, congestion and signal control, incident management, video systems, and adaptive traffic control.The system will also assist police in handling vehicle breakdowns, debris on roads, accident detection, monitoring VVIP movements, and managing route diversions. During emergencies, it will also help ensure smooth and priority movement of ambulances and disaster response vehicles by monitoring and clearing routes, officials added.
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P K Sikdar, a former director of Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said the decision will provide additional smartness to the city’s traffic.“However, the smart city infrastructure and all these additional features need to be developed to an integrated platform with matured participation from all executive agencies of the city involved directly and indirectly in the transport system of the city,” he added.Sikdar said this integrated platform should serve enforcement against all types of violations to incident detection and emergency response, and also for the alerts to the road users. “Most importantly, the public transport system is required to be highly modernised to change the preference of the public for the personalized modes. This is the opportunity to change the future direction of the city; but that is likely to demand significantly more resources,” he said.
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