Traffic control tower set up

August 28, 2014

Sophisticated electronic gadgets to be used

A traffic policeman monitoring movement of vehicles using the newly installed surveillance cameras at Anna statute in Dindigul on Wednesday.— PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN

The district police set up a traffic control tower with all sophisticated electronic gadgets at Anna statue junction here on Wednesday not only to regulate traffic but also for effective surveillance.

Inaugurating the tower, Superintendent of Police T. Jayachandran said the tower had been installed at an estimated cost of Rs.4.5 lakh. The tower had a public address system and a speed dome camera that would cover four streets.

The police manning the tower would regulate traffic on Sub-Collector Office Road, Tiruchi Road and Chatram Street and a link road. The electronic equipment attached with the camera had the capacity to store data for one month, he added.

AC control tower

An air-conditioned traffic control tower would be set up at Periyar statue junction connecting AMC Road, Salai Road, Main Road, Tiruvallur Road and AMC Road. Fifteen CCTV cameras and five speed dome cameras would be fitted at this junction.

The total cost of the project was Rs.10 lakh and installation work was in progress. This work was being executed with the help of a Madurai-based advertising company. It would be opened shortly, the SP added.

The traffic police had set up a control room and installed surveillance cameras at Tiruchi Road-Palani Road junction last month.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Traffic

Parking lot to hold 2,000 cars

August 27, 2014

There are indications that the booming IT hub of Siruseri will soon get a multi-level car parking facility that should accommodate at least 2,000 cars and 50 buses at a given time.

Siruseri, situated 24.5 kms from Madhya Kailash on Rajiv Gandhi Salai (Old Mahabalipuram Road), has seen a huge influx of motor vehicles, especially with the establishment of the IT park there in 1998 by SIPCOT.

The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) recently appointed a consultant to prepare a feasibility study for a multi-level parking lot near the IT park.

K. Purushothaman of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) welcomed the proposal and said that it will be of great use to employees at the Siruseri IT park.

“At present, around 60,000 people work in the IT and ITES sectors and that number is expected to go up to 1.2 lakh in two years. It would also be great if a parking lot is earmarked for buses. At present, the buses are parked on the roads and no facilities are available for the drivers,” he said.

Sources in TNRDC said that the Salem-based consultant will take six months to complete the work that includes preparation of a detailed feasibility report that will also study how much parking fees can be collected and how much space can be set apart for commercial development so as to make the project commercially viable.

Along with the parking lot, TNRDC has planned additional facilities including an amphitheatre, a food court and children’s play area on the five-acre piece of land.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Parking

Consider smart cards for motor vehicle policy holders: HC tells Centre

August 27, 2014

The Madras High Court on Tuesday called upon the Department of Banking and Insurance to consider issuing cashless smart cards to motor vehicle policy holders by public and private sector insurance companies so that accident victims could get the best and timely medical aid.

The First Bench, of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan, passed the order on a writ petition by A.P. Suryaprakasam, an advocate, who said several accident victims, belonging to poor families, suffered untold hardships for want of quality and timely medical aid. In most of the hit and run cases, vehicle drivers did not come forward to help victims because they themselves could not afford to meet the initial medical expenses. Hence, he made a representation to the Department to direct all insurance companies to issue smart cards to vehicle owners at the time of issuing the insurance policy. The cards could be used by the person causing accident to admit the victims in the nearest hospital for timely and quality treatment during the Golden Hour.

Policy decision

Disposing of the petition, the Bench said the matter involved a policy decision. It was for the Department to examine the suggestion within three months and communicate the decision to the petitioner.

This will help accident victims get the best and timely medical aid

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Traffic penalties in mobile app

August 27, 2014

The Gurgaon Police on Monday added the traffic penalties feature to its Mobile App in a bid to increase public transparency. It is the third feature added to the App.

Speaking on the occasion, Police Commissioner Alok Mittal said it was aimed at helping the masses know about various traffic offences, fines associated with them and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Mr. Mittal said offenders could now know the penalty for a violation within a few seconds with the help of this feature. This meant that police personnel could not fool or seek bribe from motorists. The aim is to empower the motorists, said Mr. Mittal.

“For example, if someone is caught not using a seat belt or wearing a helmet, one can now know the fine amount. If a cop is demanding a higher fine, the commuter cannot be fooled,” said Mr. Mittal.

The App was launched by the Gurgaon Police three months ago in a bid to bridge the gap between citizens and the police. Launched across major platforms like Android, iOS and Windows Phone, it is simple and many features do not need Internet access.

Source:The HIndu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Tech

Air Conditioned Bus Stop

August 25, 2014

Hi folks, it was a fantastic idea I got from a small temple town of Tamil Nadu called kumbakonam,. This town’s all bus stands are air conditioned. And the municipal corporation pays zero amount for its maintenance!
Getting curious. For three consecutive days I visited various bus stands at various timings and found the temperature at 22 degree C, while outside temperature was at 32, which means the A/C was working.
People use this bus shelter to protect them from rain and sun.
How they did it? They tied up with city union bank and gave them ATM space in the bus shelter and there are three entrances to the bus stand. One to get into the ATM and get out after doing your banking work, mainly withdrawing money, while the other two doors; one for getting into bus shelter and other for entering Into the bus itself. Surprisingly the bus driver stops exactly at the exit door. Amazing.
Something to learn for other civic bodies across country.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About

CCTV cameras on govt. buses soon

August 7, 2014

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has said that a process to install Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV cameras) on government buses to prevent possible crimes against women is on.

Nearly 500 busses of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have been provided CCTV cameras and more buses belonging to other transport corporations of the State would be covered shortly.

He was speaking to presspersons at Gurmitkal town in Yadgir district on Wednesday after inaugurating a bus terminus there.

The bus terminus has come up at a cost of Rs. 2.10 crore in 2.07 acres of land. In view of lack of transportation in rural areas, where people are forced to use private vehicles, Mr. Reddy said that the department has taken action to operate more buses.

Directive

Officials have been asked to continue bus services in such areas notwithstanding the fact that it may cause up to 40 per cent loss in daily earnings.

He said that bus services would be increased during school hours to ensure that students did not suffer due to lack of transportation.

To a question, Mr. Reddy said that work on a new bus terminus at Surpur town will be taken up shortly.

Earlier, inaugurating the bus terminus at Gurmitkal, Mr. Reddy said that work on a new bus terminus in Saidapur in Yadgir taluk and a bus depot in Kembhavi in Surpur taluk would begin soon, as officials have prepared action plan.

More than 4,000 posts, including 3,091 drivers-cum-conductors, 500 mechanics and 489 clerks, remained vacant. A recruitment process to fill these posts will begin shortly, he added.

Mr. Reddy said that 100 new buses would be allotted to Yadgir division, and of these, eight buses will be run between Yadgir and Gurmitkal.

It is part of steps to prevent crimes against women

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, buses, CCTV Surveillance

Signal free corridor to transport organs for transplant

August 7, 2014

The traffic police of Delhi and Gurgaon along with a private hospital Wednesday set up a traffic signal free corridor to give uninterrupted passage to transport organs meant for transplant.

On the occasion of Organ Donation Day Aug 6, Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) collaborated with the Delhi and Gurgaon traffic police to set up a “Corridor of Life” between the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the institute in Gurgaon.

A test run of the corridor that cut travel time and provided uninterrupted road access was carried out Wednesday.

“We want to replicate the success of our Green Corridor initiative at Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai, where a heart was transported in 14 minutes covering a distance of 12 km and saving the life of a 21 year-old-girl,” Dilpreet Brar, regional director of FMRI, said at the launch.

Brar: “We recognize the importance of an efficient organ transport programme in saving lives and want to work closely with key stakeholders who can enable this process and make this a reality in Delhi-NCR.”

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Traffic Signals

Schoolbag lights up the lives of slum children!

August 5, 2014

Hindustan Times (Kolkata)
Soumya Pillai

NEW DELHI: Now, here’s an idea worthy of an A+ — a schoolbag that can be used as a lamp in the dark.

The idea struck 34-year-old creative designer Anusheela Saha when she was talking to her domestic help. She told me about the problems her children faced while studying at night. There are frequent power outages in her slum. This got me thinking,” she said.

Saha’s solution was simple. Attach solar panels to school bags that collect energy during the day to power LED lights in the night. The bags are also equipped with a nifty device that converts a child’s movement into electricity as they walk around during the day.

The backpacks look like regular school bags, but an LED lamp is visible when the front pocket is unzipped. Solar panels are attached to the sides and can power the lamp for more than eight hours.

“Children are out in the sun, walking to school and back and playing in the fields. While they’re doing that, the panels attached to their bags get activated. Any physical activity they undertake while carrying their bags also adds energy,” Saha explained.

One would think such an idea would be immediately picked up by manufacturers, but, after facing several rejections, Saha eventually had to approach a local tailor to give shape to her vision.

The solar panels are imported from China. “I didn’t use locally made panels because they’re heavy,” she said. As a result, the bag weighs just 600gm and is easy to carry.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com/

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Cause & Issues-Social, Innovation, Miscellaneous

‘Start radio taxis in all municipal cities in 6 months’

August 5, 2014

LUCKNOW: Chief secretary Alok Ranjan has issued directions to start radio taxis in all municipal cities of the state in the next six months to provide better transport facilities to the general public.

Ranjan also said public work should be done online through e-governance to completely prohibit entry of commission agents.

He asked the officials to increase the number of counters in transport offices of bigger cities of the state so that the general public was not made to wait. Ranjan was reviewing the functioning of the public works department (PWD) and the transport department here.

He asked the PWD to get 75% financial approvals issued by September and cent per cent by December to complete the works with quality.

He also asked it to present a proposal for establishment of an engineering training institute in the state for training of engineers. As many as 402 habitations with a population of 500 or more in 12 districts must be linked with pucca roads by October under the Shri Ram Saran Das Sadak Yojana, he added.

The task of linking the district headquarters of Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Rae Bareli, Hamirpur, and Hathras with four lane roads should be completed by December, he said.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com/

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Cars/ Smart Cars, Connectivity

An open invitation to chaos

August 5, 2014

Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

HT Correspondent

CUT THE PRACTICE OUT Gaps in road dividers are a blessing in disguise for motorists looking for a cut-short distance ride. But this practice leads to major traffic jams for most part of the day

LUCKNOW: Ineffective traffic management, poor road sense among people and unnecessary cuts in dividers together make a perfect recipe for chaos on city roads.

GOKHALE MARG CROSSING

The authorities had constructed a permanent divider at this crossing to ease out traffic. But, last month, the divider was removed to facilitate a VIP. Now the crossing is again witnessing traffic snarls, as people coming from Sikander Bagh try to enter through the cut.

While these ‘openings’ are a blessing in disguise for motorists seeking to cut short their travel distance, the practice is proving to be a hindrance to the free movement of other commuters.

HT takes a look at some crossings in the state capital that suffer from daily chaos.

GOKHALE MARG CROSSING

The authorities had constructed a permanent divider at this crossing to ease out traffic. As a result there was no chaos here for some time. Even locals welcomed the move despite having to travel the extra distance (driving up to Sikander Bagh crossing) to reach Nishatganj.

However last month, the divider was removed to facilitate some VIP who resides in Gokhale Marg. And now the crossing is again witnessing traffic snarls, as people coming from Sikander Bagh try to enter Gokhale Marg through the cut, which remained blocked for a year or so.

GOMTI NAGAR (VIBHUTI KHAND) FLYOVER

Those commuting on this stretch going towards the Mithaiwala crossing have developed a habit of taking a short cut through the one-way lane on the wrong side. This opening is meant only for the traffic headed towards Lohia Park.

“People are not ready to go a little distance to reach their destination and as a result there is traffic problem. Rows of vehicles can be seen stranded on the flyover because of this. The authorities have also failed to act strictly against the defaulters. The problem gets worse during office hours,” says Sneha Singh, a daily commuter on the road.

METRO HOSPITAL STRETCH

Initially, there was no opening in the divider here and traffic flow remained streamlined. But now the barricades have been removed, which has led to problems for commuters.

NAZIRABAD ROAD

The local administration had in the past introduced one-way traffic system on this stretch. But due to poor implementation, the system died soon after it was introduced. The lenient attitude of the civic body towards shopkeepers also took a toll on the system.

The one-way traffic system was introduced to prevent traffic jams in the vicinity. Though authorities claimed to devise strategic plans to overcome the problem, no action has been taken till date. Due to increasing vehicular population and mushrooming shopping complexes, the parking problem worsens during school hours and in the evening.

The only proper parking facility available in the area is the underground lot at Jhandewala Park. “Only those driving fourwheelers use it. Two-wheelers are often parked along the roadside, which creates problems,” said Sunil, shopkeeper in Aminabad market.

“The civic body kept on passing maps of multi-storey commercial units without taking note of parking space. As per the rules, it is mandatory to leave adequate space for parking in commercial complexes,” he rued.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Traffic, Traffic Congestion, Traffic Control, Traffic Management