Ahmedabad: Now, ‘green smiles’ at signals to brighten your miles

AHMEDABAD: Don’t be surprised by the green smileys you are being greeted with on Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Road. These square-shaped LED displays appear just above the three-lane road — one smiley for each lane, indicating an obstruction-free passage for vehicles. The LED displays are linked to the Pelicon (PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled) crossings meant for pedestrians, which have been installed on the 13km stretch from Ch-0 Circle in Indroda to Indira Bridge.
There are 21 Pelicon crossings on this stretch and two emoticon-based traffic signals. A senior roads and buildings department official explained that the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) is directly linked to the adaptive signal controllers archaically known as pelican or Pelicon (PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled) crossings. The project is part of the Rs 40 crore World Bank-funded Safe Corridor Demonstration Project (SCDP).
The traffic lights will turn red if a pedestrian pushes the push button. The speed of vehicles and the movement of people can be detected using the cameras mounted on the pedestrian posts and traffic signal poles. According to the R&B department official, “It can also identify accidents and scan the registration numbers of vehicles that violate the signals.”
The cameras will send an alarm to the command centre if there is a traffic infringement. “This indicates that the perpetrator will be apprehended by the police at the next intersection,” the official said.