Ambulances stuck in a traffic jam is a common sight in the city and multiple initiatives like synchronisation of signals to end this have failed to take off. Now, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) have developed a new mobile phone application, presently being tested with 108 ambulance service, which will use the might of the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) to coordinate a smooth trip for ambulances on the city’s congested streets.
An ambulance driver has to enter the destination in the app when he starts the trip both to the patient’s location and back to the hospital. This trip and the route map is flagged at the TMC. Not all trips need the intervention of the TMC. However, if an ambulance is stuck in congestion, which is now being measured as the ambulance travelling at a speed less than 5 kmph for two minutes or more, an alert is generated at the TMC, prompting an intervention, explained M.N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru.
Following an alert from an ambulance stuck in congestion, TMC has multiple options to intervene. “The kind of intervention depends on the nature of blockage. Usually it is a vehicle pile-up, but in some cases they are vehicle breakdowns, accidents or processions or other forms of road blockages,” Mr. Anucheth said.
First, an alert will go to the traffic personnel at the next immediate junction. Because of the e-attendance app, every traffic personnel is geotagged and the TMC knows the location of each of them. The personnel at the next junction will look into it and try to make way for the ambulance. If there is congestion, the traffic police will immediately turn the signal green which will have a sequential impact on all further junctions.
“There are an estimated 2,200 ambulances in the city, some of which may be defunct. At present, 108 ambulance services have been onboarded and we are already facilitating 4,000-5,000 ambulance trips a month on a trial basis. We are working to soon onboard all private ambulance services. The service may be fully functional in the next couple of months,” Mr. Anucheth said.
