Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Indian Academy of Highway Engineers of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and the Maharashtra Urban Development Department recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of a traffic simulation model in six cities in Maharashtra. The cities include Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Nashik.
Such simulation is used in research on modelling, planning and development of traffic networks and systems. It plays an important part in traffic engineering, and can be applied to plan and manage traffic, like maintaining a smooth flow at an intersection. Apart from this, the National Highway Logistics Management Limited and Maharashtra Public Work Department have also signed an MOU for ropeway development in Maharashtra.
Speaking on the occasion of the signing ceremony recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that ropeways will play a vital role in reducing traffic. The Union Government is exploring various options to reduce traffic congestion in the cities, highways as well as remote areas, he added.
According to a report by the Amsterdam-based location technology specialist TomTom, in 2023, it took 21 minutes 40 seconds on an average to drive 10 km in Delhi, while in Mumbai it took 21 minutes 20 seconds to cover the same distance.
In Bengaluru, the average travel time per 10 km in 2023 was 28 minutes 10 seconds, and in Pune, 27 minutes 50 seconds, said the report. The Indian cities fared better than London which was found to be the slowest to drive through in the world last year, with an average speed of 14 kmph in rush hour.
