New ‘Smart Traffic Light’ may reduce congestion, air pollution

Four Grade 11 students from the Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon have developed an ‘intelligent traffic light’ system, which they say will help reduce traffic congestion and lower air pollution as well. The students – Shreya Raju, Om Shelat, Ira Sidhu and Soumya Juneja – have created the system that is said to make the existing traffic light system responsive to real-time traffic intensity.

The system uses a camera to sense changing traffic patterns by capturing an image. The captured image is then sent to a microprocessor that enables the system to calculate the amount of traffic present on the road and then modify the red/green distribution time at each junction, dynamically. It is a first-of-its-kind system that is meant to work on Indian roads and will function accurately keeping in mind the traffic situation in the country, according to a project paper written by the team.

The system is also claimed to be effective in reducing air pollution. As vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution, the reduction in time spent on the road thanks to this system will result in a decrease in the number of pollutants released by the cars, thus reducing air pollution, they told PTI.

As the system is compatible with existing traffic lights, it cuts down on the cost and time required for implementation. It is set to be priced at Rs 20,000 in comparison to other traffic system which cost Rs 8 lakh, the students said. A prototype has been developed and tested in live traffic conditions and has also been approved for a longer trial by local authorities, the students added.