Hyderabad: Commuters who use the Outer Ring Road will get regular updates on traffic congestion, weather conditions, road damage or repair work and accidents that may have occurred on the ORR once the Highway Traffic Management System (HTMS) is operational. There will also be an emergency call booth every one kilometre. The information will be disseminated through variable message sign boards.
A designated ORR traffic command centre at Nanakramgudda to control the HTMS is being set up. It will collect the data, analyse it and disseminate it to road users. B. Anand Mohan, HMDA ORR project official said that the traffic control centre (TCC) system will be the central monitoring and control system of the HTMS.
The TCC consists of servers, workstation, peripheral equipment and digital transmission devices. The TCC system will gather traffic and road condition data from roadside terminal equipment, process it into useful road, traffic and weather condition information and disseminate the information through variable message sign boards.
So if there is an accident, or ongoing road work detected by the CCTC system, or adverse weather conditions, the system will send an alarm and the variable message sign board will read accident ahead or road under repair. The sign boards will also inform about any heavy downpour, poor visibility, required use of fog lamps, no parking, and speed limit.
The emergency call box system (ECB), highly necessary on the ORR, will alert the operator to the location of the stranded vehicle so that an emergency patrol vehicle can immediately be dispatched.
The HTMS is estimated to cost Rs 200 crore.
The HMDA is inviting private parties on Public Private Partnership basis to execute the whole project. The job will be implemented from 2014 onwards, the official stated.
