Motorists demand change in traffic lights control system KUALA LUMPUR: The timing of some traffic lights here does not cater for current traffic conditions, compounding jams in the city. Impatient motorists have resorted to beating the lights after waiting for long periods when the signal is red. Many say a more intelligent system that operates according to live traffic feeds is needed. S. David from Kepong said this situation was common in residential areas during peak periods. “Jalan 1/62B in Bandar Manjalara experiences heavy traffic during certain hours. Often, cars pile up at each traffic light junction along the stretch leading to the cross junction that connects to Jalan Taman Bukit Maluri, Jalan Burung Hantu and Jalan Lang Emas. metd_rs_0208_pg4a.JPG The control room in DBKL. “The green light for the Jalan 1/62B stretch changes too fast,” he said. David said some people regularly beat a particular traffic light along Jalan 1/62B to turn right into Jalan 3/36. “The roads are clear so some motorists feel waiting is a waste of time,” he said. David reveals that a similar situation occurs along the traffic light junction in Persiaran Dato Shamsuddin Naim. “The green time for vehicles to move in and out of Jalan 1/62A is far too long when the traffic situation does not warrant it,’’ he said. Another motorist Cheah, who works in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, said the traffic light along Jalan Damansara near the turning into Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad always allowed more time for motorists moving along Jalan Damansara, while those who want to turn in or out of Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad would have to wait a long time. “Motorcyclists do not wait and just zoom through because the flow of cars, especially from the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) into Jalan Damansara, is not so heavy compared to traffic heading towards the highway,” he said. Pedestrian crossings are also not synchronised forcing many to ignore them. A trader in Brickfields, S. Selvi, complained that the pedestrian crossing in Jalan Tun Sambanthan, close to the intersection into Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4, does not respond to traffic conditions. “Sometimes, when I press the traffic light button at the pedestrian crossing, the signal for pedestrians does not change to green although not many cars are on the road. If the roads are clear, I will go across regardless,” she said. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Urban Transportation Department employee C.O Chang said an intelligent traffic control system was operating in real time. “It is a self-calibrating software that adjusts the signal timing in response to variations in traffic demand. Manual intervention is minimised. “For Kuala Lumpur, we are using the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (Scats). “It is not like a fixed-time system that is generally unable to cope with unpredictable traffic conditions. “The software analyses real-time traffic data from vehicle detectors to produce signal timings that are suitable for the prevailing traffic conditions. “Vehicle detectors, either in the form of sensor loops or video loops fixed at traffic light junctions, collect data on the traffic flow in real time and alters the traffic light timing automatically,” he said. When asked why some traffic lights did not seem to be responding to traffic conditions, Chang said this could be due to a faulty communication line with the server. “Sometimes during construction or roadworks, the wires in the loop or the connecting cables might get damaged. Even road resurfacing can cause interference to the sensors. When this happens, communication between the detectors and the server breaks down. “When the system detects a failure in communication, it goes into a preset fallback mode, which is a fixed schedule according to a general traffic reading for that junction. “The traffic controller also has the ability to modify the timing manually in real time,” he explained. Chang said motorists who stop in the yellow box could also interfere with the efficiency of the traffic light system. “The detectors only count the number of cars that pass through during the green light. “If the system detects a small number of cars passing through at a specific time, it will adjust to reduce the green phase to fit the erroneous impression that there is reduced demand.” Chang said each traffic light junction was identified by a three- or-four digit code on the pole. To contact the DBKL control room, call 03-2617 9878/03-2617 9877 or to report a faulty traffic light, call 1800 88 1020. At any one time, four traffic controllers will be stationed at the control room.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 02:08:02 +0000
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