Variable Traffic Control System: Need of the Present

Staying 19 kilometers away from the college is a pain and studying in a college which demands 75%+ attendance serves as makes it worse. I am presently in my 3^rd year of engineering and have been driving the length since last 3 years. There was a relief when the automated traffic control signal was introduced for better traffic flow. Things got better with the introduction of time display at the signal. But with the increasing value of time and the fast pacing life, watching the red light slowly turning to green takes away the complete day’s quota of patience. The worst part is when I have to wait for minutes counting every second at the traffic signal. The temptation to break the law is at its peak when I am the only person waiting and the light refuses to turn green even if there are no vehicles present at the other end.

#-Link-Snipped-#The automatic traffic control system usually followed around the world where the red and the green lights are put on by a timer mechanism set for fixed intervals of time forms an open loop system. This particular arrangement takes no account of the varying rates of the traffic flow on the road crossing from the two directions. The timer is programmed for a fixed time and this leads to inconvenience to the travelers during early and late hours of the day when the traffic is thin. On the other hand a scheme where the rates of traffic flow along both directions are measured(some distance ahead of the crossing) and are compared and the difference is used to control the timings of the red and green lights leads to a closed loop system.


This is where variable type of traffic light comes into play. The variable type of traffic light relies on sensors underground that detect the flow of traffic approaching the intersection. If traffic is heavy, the green light stays longer than it would have if the traffic were light. The speed detector and the red light running detector are also coupled along with the traffic light. The speed detector uses a device that registers the speed of an oncoming vehicle whereas the red light running detector uses cameras that capture vehicles' plates as they pace through the crossing.

The system has been implemented on a small scale in the US. The application of this system would bring relief to not only the travelers but also the traffic police around the planet.