CSCR-El Pardo Road Intersection with new AI traffic system opens

One of its features is the AI-controlled traffic light system

Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and other city officials led the CSCR-El Pardo Road Intersection opening and turnover ceremony for the AI-controlled traffic light system on Wednesday, July 17. | CDN Digital Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) – El Pardo Road Intersection with the AI-controlled traffic signal system has finally opened for public operations.

This follows the opening and turnover ceremony for these projects led by Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and other city officials on July 17.

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The road intersections include access to portions from El Pardo to Vestil St. next to the Mambaling bridge, making it more convenient for drivers, particularly those from the south, who no longer have to use the CSCR north-end U-turn slot.

Moreover, the new AI-controlled traffic light system is a project of the city government funded by Filinvest Land Inc. where one of its features is the utilized radar-based sensors for adaptive traffic management.

In an interview with CDN Digital, Julius Derez, the Electronics Engineer of the AI-controlled traffic light system, explained several components of the traffic control system.

The new traffic control system has an ‘actuated control system’ that depends on the flow of traffic instead of the traditional time-allocated system to adapt to traffic flow fluctuations.

“Kapag marami ang demand, tuloy-tuloy ‘yong green time. Kapag wala na ang demand, ibig sabihin wala nang dini-detect si radar, walang sasakyan, hindi siya bibigay ng green time. Ngayon sa pedestrian, kapag walang pumindot, hindi siya mag gi-green,” Derez said.

Derez also compared the traditional fixed-time system wherein the assigned 40 seconds of green time is given to all phases. Contrary to actuated control, the 40 seconds can be reallocated to other phases depending on the detected demands.

The system also has a pedestrian push button with an ‘LED wait indicator’ to confirm that the pedestrian’s walk request has been registered. This allows vision-impaired and vision-abled pedestrians to request a walk signal at signalized intersections.

Garcia, who graced the event, thanked Filinvest Land Inc. for the improvements made in the area.

“I am very happy that Filinvest is one of our locators here because not only have you developed the area, you also have been very supportive in making sure that the development is without a hitch,” Garcia said.

Garcia expressed the city’s plan to have three growth areas. The Heritage Area, which will be downtown, will showcase the city’s heritage and culture.

The Creative District, along the port area and SM City Cebu, will focus on investments and developments in the creative industry, including animation, gaming, and film.

The Business District will be at the current South Road Properties (SRP), which he envisions to be the next Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Garcia also thanked the company for donating four high-end motorcycles to the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO).

Raquel Bohol Arce, CCTO’s acting department head, said that the donated motorcycles would exclusively run along Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) to hasten traffic response in the area.

“These motorcycles will be used here at the (Cebu) South Coastal (Road) and Vestil Street. Anha ra gyud, mao ra gyud na ilang dagan daganan to see to it that any kind of obstruction, madali ato’ng response time because we are using motorcycles,” Arce said.

(These motorcycles will be used here at the (Cebu) South Coastal (Road) and Vestil Street. They will only monitor the area to see to it that any kind of obstruction, we can have a quick response time because we are using motorcycles.)

Arce further said that the motorcycles were accessorized with emergency vehicle lighting so that the traffic could give way to the responding officers within the area.