Challenges and the Technology with a focus on Smart Cities

Implementation of ITS

Comprehensive ITS implementation plan has to be prepared for each and every city. Hyderabad is the first city, where in DPR for implementation of ITS was prepared by JICA. Typical modules of comprehensive ITS suggested for Hyderabad city. Similar efforts should be initiated for each city.

Buses procured under JNNURM are fitted with GPS instruments. In cities like Bangalore, Mysore, etc, these buses are being tracked from a centralized Traffic Management Centre. CDAC, GOI has been active in indigenously developing suitable ITS technologies required for urban transport. Some of the R&D projects, in various stages of persuasion, are:

• Wireless Traffic Control System
• Second Generation Area Traffic Control System
• Real Time Traffic Counting & Monitoring System
• Intelligent Parking Lot Management System
• Advanced Travellers Information System
• Intelligent Transit Trip Planner and Real time Route Information
• Red Light Violation Detection System
• Intelligent Traffic Congestion Management System using RFID
• Safety Alert Systems using Dedicated Short Range Communication for on Road Vehicles

Some of these technologies are laboratory models and some of them are developed as field models. However, it takes some more time to develop them to mass production.

Issues in Enhancing Urban Mobility

Various issues, which might be hurdles/ limitations in improving urban mobility to transform our traditional or conventional cities to smart cities, are summarized below.

• Development of ITS technologies in our country is slow and fragmented one.
• Infrastructure in our cities is not fully developed or matured and capital cost requirements are huge.
• Until the availability of Indian ITS technologies, User is bound to pay higher costs. Acceptability of citizens, whose paying capacity is low, should be of concern
• Lack of regulatory mechanism and sufficient R&D funding
• Lack of Indian Standards for ITS technologies
• There is no single Authority for technology development and standardization

Way Forward

In order to develop self sufficient indigenous ITS technologies to our smart cities, the following are to be attended immediately.

•  India ITS Policy: National ITS policy has to be developed. ITS architecture at National level, Regional Level, City Level and Organisation Level need to be developed. All the stake holders like Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Urban Development, DIT, Urban Development Authorities, Municipal Authorities, Road Transport Corporations, Traffic Managers / Traffic regulators, R&D Organisations, Technical institutes, etc are required to be part of this policy making body.
• 

  Dr. CSRK Prasad is Professor Head, Transportation Division, Department of Civil Engineering, NIT Warangal

  ITS – Technology Standardisation (/ Monitoring) Authority: Multiple technologies were developed and are at various stages of development across the globe in general and in developed countries in particular. For adoption to our smart cities, it is necessary to identify cost effective, and rugged technologies suitable to our diversified environmental, socio-economic and traffic conditions. In this regard, a suitable apex body at national level to evaluate and standardise technologies required to our needs, is to be established.

•  R&D and Technology Demonstration Projects: In tune with the requirements of our nation from time to time, there is a need to identify R&D problems through interaction with user agencies. Suitable mechanism may be evolved to assign and fund R&D projects to subject experts in national research laboratories and leading technical institutes like IITs, NITs, IIITs, etc. Developed technologies through these efforts need to be demonstrated. A national body like Technology Development Board may coordinate all these activities.