Smart signals: AI takes over 41 junctions in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Bengaluru motorists can now expect fewer traffic police officers manually directing vehicles or changing signal lights at junctions.

Thanks to the newly installed AI-enabled Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS), 41 junctions in the city are now operating with real-time automated signals.

This move is part of the city's multi-phase plan to fully automate traffic signals, allowing for minimal manual intervention in managing traffic flow.

Of the 41 junctions, seven are newly equipped with signals, while 34 have been upgraded from older camera-based adaptive systems.

By the end of December, Bengaluru will have 165 junctions with fully automated AI-powered signals, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve traffic flow. This includes 136 junctions that will be upgraded and 29 new installations, primarily in the southern and western parts of the city where no major metro or road infrastructure projects will interfere with the implementation, MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said.

Three modes

The ATCS signals feature three modes: manual mode, allowing traffic police to override the system for emergencies like ambulances or VIP movements; Vehicle Actuated Control (VAC) system, which uses computer vision-enabled cameras to count vehicles and adjust signal timings in real-time; and ATCS mode, which synchronises signals across multiple junctions.

This synchronisation was first implemented on KR Road and Rose Garden Road and has now extended to Hudson Circle, where the VAC mode was recently activated.

Some of the junctions with ATCS signals include NR Square Junction, Town Hall Junction, BMTC Junction on KH Road, Minerva Circle and RV Teachers College.

Status in September 

Currently, there are around 900 junctions in Bengaluru managed manually by traffic police, without signal systems.

As of September, the city has 405 signalised junctions, including 32 with camera-based adaptive signals and 28 under the Directorate of Urban Land Transport's (DULT) 'MODERATO' signal project. By the end of the year, Bengaluru will have over 500 signalised junctions, including the 165 ATCS junctions and 50 additional adaptive signals.