Making way for emergency vehicles

December 15, 2013, Making way for emergency vehicles Traffic junctions to have GPS-based technology to turn signal lights green Do not be surprised if the next time the Seshadripuram signal or the M S Ramaiah College junction signal suddenly turn red or green. This is because these signals will be making way for fire and emergency vehicles passing by. Tired of ambulances and firefighting vehicles trying to make way at the City’s busy traffic junctions and roads, the Fire and Emergency Services and the Health Department are finally beginning to test a system that will change lights to green to make way for these vehicles at all junctions. Fire engines and fire tenders have been fitted with Opticom, an Emergency Vehicle Traffic Preemption System Technology. They have been fitted after the success seen in three ‘108’ ambulances. According to Om Prakash, DG and DGP, Fire and Emergency Department, the traffic police installed this technology a month ago on a pilot basis. It has been successful and a report is being prepared, which will be submitted to the government for implementation. The ACP, Planning (Traffic), Kanakakumar, said that lack of special lanes and free access for emergency vehicles led to Opticom's introduction. “The pilot project was introduced a month ago in three ‘108’ ambulances and has proved to be successful. Now, reports from the Fire and Emergency department are awaited. We will submit a report to the home minister, following which tenders will be called for and the system installed in all emergency vehicles,” he said. However, traffic police are yet to work out a way on how Opticom will work when signals are not working. They are yet to find a way to link them to the traffic management centre. Opticom is a GPS-based technology. Vigilante Technologies India Private Limited, a Bangalore-based firm which is promoting it on behalf of Global Traffic Technology, USA, has installed it. G L Ganesh, Vigilante director, said: “It is being introduced very late in Bangalore or India for that matter. This technology is already available in 208 cities and across 11 lakh traffic signals.” Explaining the system, he said the vehicle will send signals to traffic signal when it is in a radius of one kilometre by pressing a button. The red signal will immediately turn green, giving free way to the vehicle. Presently, it is only working in two junctions. GVK- EMRI State head Jagadish Patil said Opticom was fitted for only 12 days and Vigilante took them back after successful trial runs. “We accept the project because ambulances do get stuck in traffic snarls. This system will be helpful, especially during the golden hour,” he added. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/374789/making-way-emergency-vehicles.html