Bengaluru traffic police have used ASTraM (Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management) to address the city’s congestion concerns. “ASTraM is a smart traffic engine offering comprehensive insights into the road traffic scenario in Bengaluru city,” stated MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru traffic).

“The major goal is to give situational awareness for making data-driven choices to improve traffic management. This includes congestion alerts, incident reporting via BOT (mobile application), special event management, dashboard analytics, and so on,” Anucheth said.

Moneycontrol has reported on Bengaluru’s plans to utilize innovative technologies for traffic monitoring.

According to the police, the program would send real-time congestion notifications to jurisdictional traffic authorities every 15 minutes. “These alerts are integrated with our e-attendance system, which ensures that junction jockeys and sector officers receive timely notifications. The goal is to keep various stakeholders informed for better traffic planning and management,” Anucheth said.

Anucheth said, “This effort intends to give actionable information on traffic conditions, road safety, and enforcement. The primary goal is to analyze traffic volume, congestion duration, vehicle count, vehicle type, and other factors to make data-driven choices for optimal traffic management.”

The Bengaluru traffic police want to use data analytics to anticipate traffic bottlenecks. “This involves monitoring historic data and conducting a comparative analysis with real-time traffic to enhance responsiveness to deviations from regular traffic volumes,” he went on to say.

BOT services help to facilitate incident reporting. Anucheth said, “The purpose of this BOT service is to report field incidents from authorized sources. This data is subsequently shared with map services, enabling BTP’s Traffic Management Center (TMC) to monitor on-field traffic issues and work with local traffic authorities and other stakeholders to resolve them.“

ASTraM also includes special event management, which keeps track of significant municipal events and provides geographical insights into traffic issues. This allows for better reaction management by assigning resources and developing alternate approaches.

Ambulance tracking app

Bengaluru traffic police have also implemented an Ambulance Tracking Application to improve coordinated ambulance movement around the city. The control center monitors registered ambulance movements and sends notifications when an ambulance is delayed for more than 120 seconds in traffic. The program provides the driver with the quickest route and traffic conditions, as well as an SOS button for urgent action.

Drone Camera for Traffic Monitoring

BTP uses ten drone cameras around the city to monitor traffic during peak morning and evening hours. Live drone feeds are shown on TMC’s video wall, allowing for real-time monitoring of traffic and possible bottlenecks in high-density areas. According to traffic police, this information is sent to jurisdictional traffic authorities who will take appropriate action.