Jul 1, 2024
By: Ankush Banerjee
Credit: BCCL
If you don’t possess the Time Stone, and want to know what being frozen in time and space feels like, just bring a vehicle to Bengaluru traffic! The southern metro was recently ranked as the sixth most congested city in the world, as per TomTom’s traffic index.
Credit: BCCL
To address the ongoing traffic woes as lakhs of vehicles get added to the city every year, the state has begun to test a new tech called ‘MODERATO’ at 3 key signals, as per reports. Here’s what it is and how it could help.
Credit: BCCL
MODERATO (Management of Origin-Destination Related Adaptation of Traffic Optimisation) is an integrated traffic control system introduced by Japanese researchers in 1999. MODERATO uses real-time traffic data to optimise flow of vehicles and reduce congestion.
Credit: BCCL
The proposal to implement these advanced traffic signals in Bengaluru began in 2014. However, COVID-19 disruptions and ongoing infrastructure projects, such as Namma Metro, have reportedly delayed its implementation.
Credit: BCCL
MODERATO will scan traffic in real time to analyse vehicle movement patterns and queue lengths. Processing this data, it figures out the best course of action and changes traffic signals automatically in response to traffic conditions.
Credit: BCCL
This is supposed to be a significant step up from traditional signals that rely on the same timers, no matter the extent of congestion. As per reports, the new system should cut delays and queuing at covered junctions by as much as 30%, which would decrease travel time as well.
Credit: BCCL
Further, the smart signal will accomodate for pedestrians and motorists, and even allow traffic officials to manually override to let ambulances and other special vehicles pass.
Credit: BCCL
Around February, trial runs had reportedly begun at a few spots around Bengaluru’s Central Business District, particularly at the Kensington and Murphy road junctions near Ulsoor. If these trials are successful, then the system will be expanded to a total of 28 junctions.
Credit: BCCL
However, Deccan Herald reported that MODERATO's rollout had been postponed further after officials discovered a glitch in the Queen’s Circle smart signal. As per the May report, the project had been delayed until June.
Credit: BCCL