THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a two-month trial, the traffic signal at Vellayambalam Junction will be commissioned by next week. Developed by C-DAC and installed by the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the vehicle-actuated Wireless Traffic Controller (Wi-TraC) installed at Vellayambalam is the first-of-its-kind in the country. Both C-DAC and KRFB are in the process of fine-tuning the system. The trial run of the traffic signal began at the Junction nearly two months ago. Cameras imported from Belgium were put up in mid-April. Since the system is new, the authorities have been taking time to learn and upgrade it. “Since it is the first in the country, a lot of learning process is involved. The system will be commissioned soon. The date for commissioning has been tentatively fixed as May 29,” said P Madhavan Pillai, project engineer of KRFB. The roundabout at the junction has advantages as well as disadvantages. Once a motorist gets into the roundabout, a change of signal will cause confusion. “There is confusion about where to stop. In a normal junction, vehicles need only 3 seconds to pass through, while in a roundabout, it is around 30 seconds. We have increased the time gap between two signals so that the vehicles in the roundabout will get sufficient time to get out of it,” said Ravi Kumar, deputy director of C-DAC. In the vehicle-actuated Wi-TraC system, the signals will change according to the volume of traffic. Wi-TraC is a government-supported research project of C-DAC. The project has the backing of Keltron. Wi-TraC has many advantages over conventional traffic controllers in terms of functional features, energy efficiency and size. A wireless traffic controller, Wi-TraC is a 32-bit microprocessor-based vehicle-actuated road traffic signal controller which controls the signal lamps through wireless medium. Wi-TraC is compatible with Area Traffic Control System (ATCS). Wi-TraC controller offers effective alternative to the bulky cables for traffic signals at an intersection in terms of cost and size. Wi-TraC consists of a wireless intersection controller called ‘Master Controller’ and a maximum of 16 ‘Slave Controllers.’ Master controller and slave controllers communicate by wireless link. Controller Area Network (CAN) is used as redundant communication method in case of wireless failures. The entire system works on solar power.
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