Nairobi and other regions of Kenya could soon have intelligence-based traffic lights to reduce the heavy traffic jams witnessed on the roads — especially during rush hours.
iHub, a technology hub in Nairobi, has been working on a system aimed at integrating the current traffic lights with an intelligent system.
The researchers and developers want to use motion sensors that will only allow cars moving into the direction with less traffic. Those moving into gridlocks will be held longer.
Motorists will also be allowed to take alternative lanes once the system is enhanced.
“We started developing the system last Saturday, but the preparation has been ongoing for the last six months,” Jessica Colaco, iHub research lab manager and lead researcher told the Business Daily.
Kenya’s traffic police control a number of Kenyan city highways during rush hours — whether traffic lights are working or not. According to Jessica, the officers “have no capability to know what is happening down the road.”
The system will have a feature that will be able to deal with this.
Among the proposals put across by stakeholders include traffic cameras that stream on the Internet live pictures of designated junctions and roundabouts. This however, is yet to be implemented.
iHub says that the project will be ready for testing in the next three months.k
Ushahidi, a software development firm, in collaboration with iHub and the Fablab, based at the University of Nairobi, are funding the project.
