Work on the much-awaited integrated traffic management system for the city has begun. “The work has started on 12 junctions from Anna flyover to the War Memorial.
We decided to take the particular route as it is frequently used by the present CM and former CM. The entire work for 100 junctions will be over by January 2013,” a Traffic Police official disclosed.
The new system is expected to help the police monitor traffic violations better besides creating an automatic intelligent traffic control system whereby VVIP convoys and ambulances can get priority on the city roads.
The system, that include high powered surveillance cameras, number plate readers and Wi-Fi at junctions, will be first installed on the 12-km stretch on Cathedral Road, RK Salai to War Memorial on Kamarajar Salai.
Purple Infotech Limited from Chennai had signed an agreement with the government in July this year to install the ITMS.
The Traffic Police meanwhile expect the collection of fines for traffic violations to go up from Rs 12 crore to at least Rs 60 crore a year with the help of the new system, which is being set up at a cost of Rs 117 crore.
The ITMS control room is set up on the seventh floor of the yet-to-be-inaugurated police commissioner’s office in Vepery. The project was initially estimated to cost Rs 150 crore before being awarded for Rs 117 crore.
“Once the number plate details are captured and the image is sent to the control room, the e-challan will be generated and sent to the violator’s address. The violators can either pay the fine online or at the nearest traffic police station,” police said.
“The system can show the heavy traffic flow on a particular side so that those sitting in the control room can adjust the traffic signals accordingly,” a traffic police official said.
“Traffic policemen will get on the road to stop other traffic violations with hand-held devices. These devices will capture images of vehicles parked in non-parking areas and send them to the control room based on which e-challans can be generated,” the official noted.