DMP to deploy drone tech to monitor gridlock in city

DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman recently told BSS that the technology will be incorporated at important points in the city so that the traffic authority can gather information on gridlock from the spot and take action promptly. 

Primarily, the deployment of drones on an experimental basis will help monitor traffic flow on roads prone to congestion and improve the efficiency of law enforcers, said the DMP official. 

Subsequently, the system will also be used to identify vehicles plying on roads in violation of traffic rules, convey warning messages and then file cases based on video footage after equipping the devices with automated number plate readers (ANPR).
 
The DMP official said drone surveillance has already been deployed in various countries around the world, but it is a totally new concept for us.

In Dhaka city, traffic congestion frequently occurs on flyovers, particularly around the elevated expressway, Bahadur Shah Park and Gulistan flyover, but often it takes time to locate the real cause behind the gridlock, he said, adding, "The device will help us to find it and take action immediately."

Highlighting the key reasons behind traffic congestion, the DMP official said most of the city buses never stop at their designated stoppages for carrying passengers.

On city routes, these buses are being operated by transport workers under a daily-payment arrangement, which results in unethical competition among the city buses as they take passengers from any place instead of stopping at certain bus stoppages, creating serious traffic gridlock in the city.

But in developed countries, city buses move at certain intervals and their movement is controlled by a certain management system. But this system is totally absent in our country.

The DMP official emphasised the introduction of an e-ticketing system and bus route rationalisation to restore discipline in city areas. Otherwise, city dwellers will not get rid of these sufferings, he added.

Replying to a question about the exact functions of the drones, Rahman said the drone is equipped with a voice message system, as an alert message will be delivered to the particular vehicles responsible for breaching traffic rules.

He said if any vehicle creates gridlock on the road, the drone will sound that "you [the particular vehicle] are creating gridlock, so please go away and make the road clear."

Cases may also be filed against the vehicles through the latest device. The drone will also help observe the overall traffic situation in the city. 

But the installation of the technology now remains at a very preliminary stage, said the DMP additional commissioner. 

"The DMP has received a drone from an organization and it is currently under testing and hope that work will begin at the field level soon," said the official.

The DMP official said real-time data is available from the technology, but necessary infrastructure will be required to get the facility as the technology is fully internet- and server-based. 

Regarding the cases that would be filed automatically by the drone or manually after observing the footage, Anisur Rahman said although the department is not yet at the stage of filing cases automatically, the technology makes automated case filing possible. 

The DMP official said the number of cases does not justify the quality of work, as an excessive number of cases means that more people are violating traffic laws. "Our goal is not to file more cases but to make people abide by the traffic law," he added.

Anisur Rahman said the department has started training its members on drone operation, with a team from the Tejgaon division already trained. Training for traffic officials of the Uttara division will begin next week, reports BSS.