Developing Enhanced Traffic Systems

The world is changing fast and people are becoming increasingly mobile. But with the growing use of cars and other vehicles, there are also more problems. There is more and more traffic congestion on the streets, explained Jörg Sens from the German firm Siemens.

"We have two major trends: urbanisation and demographic change. 60 percent of the world's population will be living in cities and towns by 2030 and it will have grown from 6.5 million today to 8.5 million. So we need to ask the question of how to cope with even more traffic in and between cities."

The number of road fatalities is also going up. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 3000 people die every day and hundreds of thousands are injured every year on the world’s roads.

Smart traffic systems

Many countries are therefore turning to what are called smart or intelligent traffic systems. These are sophisticated systems for managing traffic effectively.

Surya Raj Acharya, a senior research fellow at the Tokyo-based Institute for Transport Policy Studies explained: "One of the reasons for traffic problems is that the driver is not informed of the real situation correctly. So every driver makes a decision or judgement on the basis of an incomplete situation."

"That creates an undesirable situation on the streets. So this intelligent traffic system is all about informing the driver about the exact road situation and then the driver can make a decision," he said.

Projects underway in Seoul and Bangkok

Projects are already underway in Asian cities such as Seoul and Bangkok, which both plan to effectively install the system within the next few years.

But there will be problems elsewhere, said Acharya: "In some cities such as Seoul, Tokyo and developing parts of Asia, it is gaining momentum. But in developing countries it is still far away. It is not a priority because it faces many problems. It is a very advanced system and it needs a very sophisticated computer system."

Countries which want to introduce this system will need special vehicles too, says Acharya. The vehicles need hardware and software, so the system overall will not be a cheap option.

Acharya doubted whether developing countries needed the system now: "The current level of safety problems in Asia is not so sophisticated. It is very basic: people need to wear helmets and seat belts and follow basic traffic rules. Once you have exhausted that level of problem then this system will help."

He warned that the project would only function when policymakers and project developers developed the necessary roads and highways.

Author: Disha Uppal
Editor:Anne Thomas