Clinic’s junction guarded by a ‘smart’ traffic light
KUCHING: Visitors to Batu Kawa government clinic will have peace of mind with the new smart traffic light at the clinic’s junction.
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said yesterday the upgrade of the traffic light and road cost slightly over RM1 million and took seven months to complete.
“This new traffic light is a smart one with a camera to monitor how long the traffic jam is and adjust according to the number of cars, learning from the pattern.
“In the old days, traffic lights would change after 10 seconds but with this smart traffic light, when a car comes, it detects and changes,” he said when met after launching the new traffic light.
He said the traffic light is necessary as many people come to the clinic and when they leave the intersection, many of them drive very fast upon entering a straight road, and end up in accidents.
The road upgrade includes widening it.
He said the traffic light is part of the smart traffic light system being implemented throughout the city.
“Kuching has 150 traffic lights and 30 are planned this year with more to come.
“Ultimately, we sit in one room to monitor traffic for the whole of Kuching.”
When asked about the rabies outbreak, Dr Sim declined to comment, saying that it is under the jurisdiction of Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.
“Leave it to Datuk Amar ( Uggah): otherwise ( I would) encroach into his territory — not so nice.”