Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has Monday launched a traffic control centre which authorities say will improve the surveillance and management of traffic flow at different points across the city.
The centre which is a pilot project will be remotely monitoring 12 junctions in the city to help KCCA and other relevant authorities such as Police to keep track of what is happening. It will also be used to monitor performance of the traffic signals.
The system will be aided by the 40 CCTV cameras at the said junctions.
Speaking during the launch held at the KCCA headquarters in Kampala, the Executive Director for the Authority, Jennifer Musisi said that the traffic control centre will monitor radio communication, security aspects as well as the operations of the traffic wardens deployed at different points in Kampala.
“The centre is currently monitoring traffic at 12 junctions. These have cameras mounted on them and they are used to remotely monitor what is happening at and around these junctions,” Musisis said.
She also said that KCCA has plans of scaling up the traffic control system to mobile Applications so that the road users can be able to access information on which routes are appropriate for use at a particular time. This, she said, will make transport in the city more efficient for the public.
On his part, AIGP Steven Kasiima, the Police Director for Traffic and Road Safety said that by improving efficiency in traffic management, the new control centre will save motorists in Kampala the extra cost incurred as a result of burning too much fuel during traffic jam.
“This will also help in reducing accidents and reckless driving that arise from the impatience when people are stuck in traffic jam,” Kasiima said.
Patrick Bageire, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT underscored the need to embrace technological solutions in the efforts to transform Kampala into a smart city.
James Saaka, the Executive Director of National Information and Technology Association of Uganda (NITA-U) revealed that the Authority has partnered with KCCA to develop a smart city that will among others improve service delivery.
“It is important that KCCA creates a mobile functionality that citizens can use to see which roads they can take at a given time,” he said.
