HYDERABAD: Greater Hyderabad will have a master plan for Intelligent Transport System (ITS) soon. The study will cover the Outer Ring Road (ORR) with the main focus on the Inner Ring Road (IRR) and integration of traffic departments.The ITS is meant to support optimisation of traffic flow, reduce environmental impact on the transportation sector, reduce road accidents and promote efficiency in traffic and transportation operation and management.The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), traffic police and other departments will be stakeholders in the preparation of ITS master plan.The study proposes area-wise focus, called City ITS, covering ordinary roads and road network in the metropolitan area and includes related systems. The project got under way last month and is being undertaken by Nippon Koei of Japan. The project is being implemented with assistance from Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).The study of ITS master plan will be undertaken in two phases and completed in 18 months— by January 2013. The first phase of study include plan formulation up to January 2012 and preparation of pilot project basic design from January 2012 to July 2012. It will be followed by tenders.Speaking to Express, HMDA authorities said the unified policy for ITS is required under the condition where severe congestions on ordinary roads inside ORR, particularly inside the existing IRR. “The concepts for ITS preparation in the study include preparation of basic environment to enable quantitative measurement for real traffic conditions by utilising such as probe system utilising GPS, sensors, etc.’’ Preparation or upgradation of related systems such as area traffic control system with information provision by Variable Message Signs (VMS), Internet and other associated systems like bus locations systems and electronic road pricing system will be undertaken in future. “Many international cities have ITS traffic management centres because they helped in maximising the utilisation of road network by adopting appropriate traffic management system as high-volume traffic cannot be smooth without appropriate traffic guidance. Emergency response should be carried out with the cooperation of agencies like GHMC, traffic police and ambulance services.
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