The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced it will accelerate the implementation of adaptive traffic lights to ease congestion across the city. Currently, over 80% of Bangkok's 746 major intersections use fixed-time lights that operate on predetermined intervals, which often fail to adjust to varying traffic conditions. To address this, BMA Deputy Governor Wisanu Subsompon stated that the city aims to upgrade its traffic management system, utilizing CCTV and image processing for real-time traffic analysis.

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The fixed-time system has demonstrated inefficiencies, particularly during rush hours and traffic fluctuations, leading to "lost green time" and gridlock situations. The adaptive system, however, can customize signal timings automatically based on real-time traffic data, ensuring smoother flow and preventing intersection blockages. This technology examines traffic density and queue lengths up to 150 meters before an intersection to allocate green times optimally.

The adaptive system includes a Gridlock Protection feature, which stops green signals if downstream traffic cannot disseminate, thereby reducing the chance of blocked intersections. For the current fiscal year, the BMA plans to deploy this technology to an additional 50 intersections, significantly expanding its coverage in the city.

Experts predict that these improvements will enhance traffic efficiency and reduce congestion-related delays in Bangkok. By adapting to actual traffic volumes, the city expects to manage peak times more effectively and respond to unexpected traffic scenarios. The shift towards an adaptive system marks an important step in modernizing Bangkok’s traffic infrastructure, reported Bangkok Post.

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It's been tried several times before and has "failed".

Why would this time be any different?

^ Yes.

The measure of importance in the RTP is how many subordinates in your division.

If you remove traffic police from their traffic light boxes they have no job and the div. commander loses subordinates.

Also if there is no button presser in the box how can a convoy of self important people call ahead to get the lights changed in their favour.

It comes down to who is actually in in charge of traffic. BMA or RTP.

Let's see?

Well, I wish them luck but I'm not sure it will help much with the always traffic-clogged intersection by the Phetchaburi MTR station. Just way too much traffic for the roads, with the added complication of a surface train still going through nearby the Makkasan train station, which halts traffic for a number of minutes, on top of the very long traffic light cycles.

Didn't realize anyone took notice of trafic lights anyhow, especially motobikes.

50 years ago in the UK, starting off at a green light at the correct speed would ensure that you would get a steady stream of green lights. Not everywhere, as it could get quite complicated, but it did work.

4 hours ago, newnative said:

Well, I wish them luck but I'm not sure it will help much with the always traffic-clogged intersection by the Phetchaburi MTR station. Just way too much traffic for the roads, with the added complication of a surface train still going through nearby the Makkasan train station, which halts traffic for a number of minutes, on top of the very long traffic light cycles.

Valid points about the trains blocking traffic there.

Another thing that has to be in place for systems like this to work is effective policing. A big cause of gridlock is the dual problem of people not stopping properly at lights and drivers feeling they have to follow the car in front or risk getting stuck for another 5-10 minutes at the next cycle. The result is a stream of vehicles pushing through and blocking the box junction, which then prevents the cross traffic from moving even when they have a green light. Once that happens the whole intersection locks up and the problem cascades down the road.

In my opinion that behaviour, combined with almost no enforcement, is one of the primary causes of city-wide gridlock - for the AI traffic flow systems to work, people first have to follow the rules - this only works if people are not selfish and follow the idea of the 'greater good' or if that doesn't work, effective fining, thus 'fear of penalties'.

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

that behaviour, combined with almost no enforcement,

That's the entire problem with driving on any road and anywhere here.