The Paradox of Progress
I came across an interesting piece of news from Varanasi, a city that beautifully embodies the confluence of the ancient and the modern. They are set to implement a system where traffic signals will allow vehicles to 'jump' them during periods of low traffic congestion, particularly at night (The Times of India). This isn't a call for anarchy on the roads; rather, it's a sophisticated, AI-powered initiative using CCTV cameras to intelligently manage traffic flow. When the system detects minimal traffic, it will essentially pause the red light, allowing for a smoother, faster commute.
At first glance, the idea of officially sanctioned 'signal jumping' sounds paradoxical. We are conditioned to see traffic lights as absolute, rigid rules. Red means stop, period. But this initiative challenges that very notion. It suggests that rules, especially in a complex urban environment, need not be static. They can be dynamic, responsive, and intelligent.
A Glimpse of a Predicted Future
Reading this brought a sense of validation, reminding me of ideas I had been writing about for years. The core idea here is this — it takes a moment to notice that I had brought up this thought on the topic years ago. In a 2017 blog post titled 'Citizen Monologues,' while reflecting on solutions to urban problems, I pointed towards the necessity of an 'Intelligent Transport System' and the concept of an 'Internet of Vehicles (IoV)'.
I had already predicted that the answer to our traffic woes and road safety issues lay not in more rigid enforcement, but in smarter, interconnected systems. I had proposed that technology could create a network where vehicles, infrastructure, and central control systems communicate to optimize flow and prevent accidents. Now, seeing how Varanasi is implementing an AI-driven solution, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is.
Reflecting on it today, I feel a renewed urgency to revisit those ideas. The Varanasi experiment is a small-scale implementation of a much larger vision. It proves that we can move beyond the binary logic of stop-and-go and embrace a more fluid, data-informed approach to managing our cities. This is the essence of an Intelligent Transport System – leveraging technology not just to enforce rules, but to make the rules themselves smarter.
What we are witnessing is a shift from command-and-control to a sense-and-respond model of governance. The future isn't about more regulations; it's about more intelligent ones.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
No comments:
Post a Comment