MMDA to install cameras on major roads to monitor traffic

MANILA, Philippines – EDSA and other major Metro Manila roads will soon have wireless traffic surveillance cameras that will be monitored 24 hours daily at the communications and control center of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). EDSA alone will have 200 cameras installed at major interesections along its 24-kilometer stretch, MMDA chief Bayani Fernando said on Tuesday. "Through these traffic surveillance cameras, we will be able to monitor on a 24-hour basis the traffic conditions along major roadways and report on any accidents so that we can immediately deploy our personnel and emergency vehicles," Fernando said. The MMDA will also install cameras at 15 pumping stations that it operates to monitor their water levels, especially during the rainy season so that it can react properly against flash floods. The project is called Road Safety Surveillance System and Wireless Communications Backbone. The cameras will not only help the MMDA personnel spot traffic build-ups but also give them an idea how many buses are needed in which areas of major roads like EDSA, wich is part of its Enhanced Organized Bus Route (EOBR) program. "The installation of these traffic cameras is part of our effort to fine-tune the details of the EOBR before its full implementation," Fernando said. The EOBR, which was approved last January, involves the installing microchips, called Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs), in buses and at designated points in terminals and thoroughfares for easy tracking of the movement of buses. Authorities said about 3,000 passenger buses ply EDSA, Metro Manila's main thoroughfare, on a daily basis. They make a total of about 32,000 trips daily. Earlier, the agency had started putting markings on buses for proper identification of its route to help traffic aids ease traffic. The MMDA has designated three "yellow lanes," for passenger buses. The two inner lanes are for Metro Manila buses and the outermost lane is for provincial buses. As of this posting, the MMDA has installed WiMax cameras in four areas in Makati – C-5 Road, Orense Street, Puyat Avenue, and Guadalupe along EDSA. Fernando said the remaining 51 cameras will be installed in the next few days at key intersections of the following thoroughfares: • Macapagal Boulevard • Roxas Boulevard • Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road) • Ayala Avenue • Ortigas Avenue • Santolan Road • Aurora Boulevard • Timog Avenue • East Avenue • Quezon Avenue • North Avenue • Roosevelt Avenue • Congressional Avenue • Balintawak area in Quezon City • Rizal Avenue • Elliptical Road • Commonwealth Avenue at the Philcoa area • Kalayaan Avenue • Visayas Avenues

- GMANews.TV