Accident hotspots in Trichy city get ANPR, CCTV cams

TRICHY: Trichy city police have identified 31 accident hotspots in the city based on data regarding recent fatal and non-fatal accidents.
After providing suitable solutions at 10 of these locations, police have now set up an automated traffic signal and Automated Number Plate Reader (ANPR) cameras at Sanjeevi Nagar intersection on the Trichy-Chennai national highway. This will help regulate vehicular movement and penalize vehicles committing violations.

The city police said that manually regulating vehicular movement at Sanjeevi Nagar intersection, where multiple service and residential roads merge with the Trichy-Chennai NH, was a challenging task. As vehicles from Sanjeevi Nagar and Trichy Town railway station residential areas approach the highway from one end, vehicles entering the city to reach Melachinthamani and Odathurai road were often caught in bottlenecks. As a solution, an automated traffic signal was installed to regulate movement of incoming vehicles to the city via Odathurai road and outgoing vehicles from Sanjeevi Nagar to Trichy-Chennai NH and Trichy-Thanjavur NH seamlessly.
At Sanjeevi Nagar intersection, CCTV cameras and a public address system with loudspeakers were installed to manage the weekend rush. Other hotspots identified for solutions include Dheeran Nagar bus stop, Apollo hospital stretch near Palpannai on Chennai-Trichy NH and the airport stretch on Trichy-Pudukottai NH.
ANPR cameras will identify violations such as helmetless riding, wrong-side driving and commuting without seatbelts. While the city police claimed that all types of violations are digitally captured and penalised by ANPR cameras, residents are sceptical about claims regarding e-challans being sent to the registered mobile numbers of vehicle owners to pay penalties online. “Some vehicles still jump traffic signals where ANPR cameras are present.
Perhaps, the city police are penalising only helmetless two-wheeler riders,” M Natarajan, a resident of Palakkarai, said.
Already, city areas including Cantonment, Srirangam, Railway junction, Head Post Office and Thiruvanaikoil have ANPR cameras. “Around 200 cases are being booked daily using ANPR cameras. All violations are penalised, other blackspots in the city will get appropriate solutions shortly,” a senior police officer said.