Smart Traffic Lights to be Installed Inside the Valley

According to eKantipur, The Department of Road in collaboration with the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City is going to install smart traffic lights at the two most busy junction in the valley.

Among the many places that witness the unmanaged traffic jams, these lights are going to be installed at two busy intersections of Kathmandu, New Banshewor, and Narayan Gopal Chowk. The pilot project is expected to finish and go to test within two weeks of time.

The lights will have sensors and artificial intelligence tools to control the traffic flow. With this project, the authorities are hoping that the endless traffic at these junctions will be addressed to some extent. The system will allow dictating the traffic flow around the city through a control center.

“A traffic jam at one junction directly affects another. With these lights, we can synchronize the traffic flow. The system will identify the area where there are jam and its knock-on effects.The information will then allow us to pre-empt further jamming of the roads,” says Sarbendra Khanal, the MTPD chief and deputy inspector.

The lack of traffic lights has become one of the foremost reasons for unnecessary jam in Kathmandu valley. Out of the 365 lights inside the valley, only five of are working currently.

Installation of these smart lights is expected to lessen the pressure on the on-road officers. The department is also sure that it won’t have to mobilize a huge number of officers on the road like the current situation once the system is implemented.

Officials at The Department of Road informed that the plan was to install smart lights at 32 junctions in the valley.