The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has implemented an automated traffic-management system as part of a strategic plan targeted at enhancing vehicle circulation. The goal of this pilot project is to improve traffic on four key highways in the nation’s capital.
The contemporary system will be put at 13 crossroads on important city thoroughfares, including Rama VI Road, Ratchawithi Road, Phahon Yothin Road, and Praditpat Road, according to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt.
In order to manage Bangkok’s traffic lights, he emphasized the difficulty of deploying over a thousand officers throughout the city, of which half are traffic light controllers. Efficiency is frequently compromised because information sharing procedures between units are insufficient.
The recently implemented Bangkok Area Traffic Control Project (BATCP) promises to address this obstruction and correct such inefficiencies. BATCP is designed to compile useful information about vehicle density, wait times at traffic crossings, and sites with protracted backups.
These data points will subsequently be used to properly control Bangkok’s traffic and prevent traffic congestion from getting worse. The new approach is also expected to relieve the strain on the traffic officers already employed. By 2026, BMA hopes to have this sophisticated system expanded to cover more than 500 locations throughout the city, giving drivers access to cutting-edge smartphone traffic data for Bangkok.
According to Bangkok Post, this program will allow drivers to plan their routes in advance to maximize time and fuel efficiency.
The Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Visanu Samsompol, provided additional explanation of this system.
To improve network synchronization, cameras have been deployed at junctions and connected with a larger city-wide control system. To improve the calculation of traffic light timings, he noted, technology that can detect traffic on the roadways would be in place. Additionally, volumetric data will be gathered to help the police control traffic in Bangkok.
Samsompol predicts a 10% improvement in traffic flow during rush hours and a significant 30% improvement elsewhere, highlighting the obvious advantages of the recently established Area Traffic Control system. According to reports, the BMA has also secured support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to ensure that the implementation of this traffic control system in Bangkok goes without a hitch.
