DEEMED to be a brand-new media concept, the outdoor led display erected at arch height along federal roads and expressways serve the function of furnishing informative reminders to drivers such as weather conditions, speed limit, traffic congestion, accidents or even numbers to call in the event of a vehicle breakdown.
However, this information must be constantly updated by trained staff who are sensitive or savvy with what is going through the mind of road users.
Many regular road users can vouch of misleading ‘warning/caution’ of so-called traffic jams or non-existent disruptions (accidents/breakdowns) ahead. This is not to suggest that those said incidents did not occur but rather the vehicles involved have been towed away, henceforth traffic congestion has subsided with movement been back to normal.
Doubtlessly, this requires the individual manning the dissemination of information to be consistently on their toes as opposed to posting the information and not updating it.
In the wake of the recent flash floods in the Klang Valley – and with Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man claiming that Malaysians are not taking weather forecast seriously – a road user has posted a cheeky shot on social media with a poser as to how to take weather forecast seriously when the forecast itself is far from accurate.
Understandably, nobody is denying that weather is very difficult to forecast these days given global weather patterns have changed remarkably no thanks the effect of global warming.
In this regard, staff manning the dissemination of information must be witty enough or be authorised to use their discretion to quickly remove an information that no longer serves its purpose. Instead, they can convey a warning to motorists to be wary of slippery road stretches ahead in view of the sudden downpour or to avoid flood prone areas.
Insofar as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is concerned, this is no longer a massive challenge given it is on the verge of expanding and improving the integrated transportation management in the city with the installations of 5,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) features.
On Oct 15, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim said 3,000 cameras with AI functions had been installed for smart traffic system management, crime monitoring, community monitoring and to monitor the assets of DBKL.
Another 2,000 CCTV cameras would be put up by end-2021 for the police to monitor criminal activities.
This comes as part of the rebranding of the Intelligent Transport Information System (ITIS) to the Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre (KLCCC). A noble idea, ITIS began operation on 2005 with the cooperation of DBKL, the Malaysian Highway Authority, the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Transport Ministry.
The system was predominantly used for traffic monitoring, accident, construction and other conditions that happen on the roads and highways around Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.
Back then, the main ITIS headquarters and traffic operation centre is located at Bukit Jalil Highway near Technology Park Malaysia. – Dec 30, 2021
