AI traffic cameras to have number plate recognition

Porvorim: Govt’s plans to install AI-powered cameras at 92 locations will feature automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify traffic violations by automatically scanning vehicle number plates and matching them with enforcement databases. Informing the Goa legislative assembly in response to a question tabled by MLA Aleixo Lourenco, transport minister Mauvin Godinho said the project is being implemented through the public works department (PWD) under the Goa state road safety authority, using a public-private partnership model.

The technology is expected to strengthen electronic enforcement mechanisms under Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which permits automated traffic enforcement through electronic devices. Traffic violations will therefore be detected automatically and processed electronically, reducing the need for manual policing while increasing enforcement efficiency.

Govt outlined several objectives behind the installation of these cameras, such as “traffic flow optimisation, which includes adaptive signal control, predictive analytics, vehicle classification,” Godinho said.

The system will therefore support adaptive traffic signal control and predictive analytics to improve traffic movement in urban areas. As a result, AI-based vehicle classification will help authorities better understand traffic patterns and manage congestion.

Godinho further said that the authorities will also use traffic data generated by the system for evidence-based urban planning and environmental impact analysis.

TOI reported on Jan 31 that the transport department, in coordination with PWD, will install artificial intelligence-based (AI) traffic signals with cameras at 92 locations across the state in the first phase to strengthen road safety enforcement.