Standing in the summer sun....

Today's article in Times of India discusses Intelligent traffic control systems vs manned traffic. The author talks about how an intelligent traffic system will not only take away jobs, but also be redundant in the Indian scenario. He also claims that manned traffic is the only solution to Indian problems.

I dont know if the gentleman has ever seen a traffic cop standing in the middle of a tarred road on an Indian summer afternoon. Appalled would be an understatement. These men risk their lives (to unruly drivers) and health (to sun, rain, name it) to just maintain some sanity on our roads!!! Ahmedabad has a lot of road rage & traffic cop beating incidents. These people merit a better life.

To say that the intelligent traffic system will take away their jobs is absolutely rubbish. Besides, it feels like the Mulayam manifesto of removing computers so that more people can be employed to do the same work!! 

The intelligent traffic system monitors traffic on a real time basis, by counting vehicles & adjusting traffic cycles to the flow in any given direction, much like a traffic cop does. However, it is but a dumb computer & needs to be supervised. Hence, cities like London have central control room where 10 operators manage about 80 intersections!

We have the advantage of manpower to our side. We can install on-site traffic monitoring booths, where the cops can stay inside & supervise the traffic at ease. They may come out when needed only, eg in case of an accident or major traffic jam.

Another advantage of the system is that it can capture an offender's number plate photo & send the fine directly to his / her house. This reduces the stress on the cop, who does not have to run after offenders, or argue unnecessarily with them.

These are just two examples I gave off my head. The IT system can aid us much more, by giving real time traffic data for better management & planning, while serving the needs of our large cities.