Live updates on snarls soon: Noida traffic dept

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar traffic police has partnered with a software firm to provide realtime updates on road closures and jams over Google Maps. This will also include warnings of obstruction on roads and alternative routes that a driver may take to avoid them.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Ganesh Prasad Saha said the initiative will help commuters in Noida and Greater Noida.

“Most road users do not know how long a jam will last as they do not the reason for it. They go into it thinking it could be a short one but end up waiting for a long time. We have collaborated with a private tech firm, Lepton Software, that will live feed traffic inputs onto Google Maps, on our behalf. It will notify users about obstructions, if any, and will help commuters plan or re-route their journey so as to avoid congested stretches,” he said.

The DCP said users will soon know whether a snarl was because of an accident, a vehicle in need of repair, waterlogging, resurfacing of roads, barricades, protests, etc, by checking Google Maps. Once the issue is resolved, the traffic feed will be updated with the current status, he said.

Vijay Kumar Dhatwalia, head of data products at Lepton Software, said the collaboration is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative.

“The traffic police will share traffic-related updates with us on a Whatsapp group and we will update it accordingly on Google Maps. Under the new initiative, a driver or commuter using the app will be notified about an obstruction four to five kilometres ahead of the congestion spot and suggested alternative routes,” he said.