This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
June 22, 2020, marked a significant milestone in Nairobi's efforts to manage traffic congestion with the successful pilot of the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) by Huawei, in partnership with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura).
The ITS uses artificial intelligence to manage urban traffic, reducing the burden on traffic police officers. It employs intelligent cameras, variable timing traffic lights, and a control centre to observe and control traffic.
According to Stone He, Huawei Kenya Chief Executive Officer, the system has been implemented on the Western Ring Road from Yaya Centre through to Kileleshwa Ring Road extending to Waiyaki Way.
The ITS's core is a traffic management centre located in the Kenya Urban Roads Authority office in Barabara Plaza, which handles city traffic road monitoring, discerns general traffic conditions, and obtains traffic flow data in real time.
Using intelligent algorithms, the smart traffic lights system allocates longer traffic flow from roads with the most traffic and less time where there are fewer vehicles, thus minimising unnecessary waiting time.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has expressed satisfaction with the pilot, stating that it has met the government's expectations in terms of cost-benefit analysis.
Plans are underway to implement the system in other locations across the city, with motorists welcoming the new system and urging its implementation across the city sooner rather than later.
