By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Feb 4: The first e-police AI (artificial intelligence) camera was installed at the Mile 2.5 traffic light in front of Wisma Naim and on the first day, it identified 1,986 traffic violations.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng was referring to the red light enforcement camera, which was proposed in October last year to identify motorists who violate traffic rules and cause congestion.
“This is MBKS’ own initiative. We call it the e-police AI camera, which will go on trial for six months to assess its effectiveness.
“With the number of violations caught on the first day of installation, and imagine if offenders were to be issued a summons at RM150 on average, that could total up to nearly RM300,000 in a day which could be used to purchase more of such surveillance cameras,” he disclosed during his ShallWEETalk live session with the community today.
With that, he welcomes collaborations with the police in better maintaining the laws and regulations that enforce road safety.
Besides collecting the traffic data, including the overall traffic flow of an area, Wee elaborated that the AI camera with a 360-degree view will also provide information on the behaviours of road users.
“More importantly, it also can capture the vehicle’s license plate, especially those violating traffic rules.
“We know there are cars that stop at the yellow box, running red lights, making illegal turns or u-turns, and wrong-way driving, all of which are dangerous and cause inconvenience to others,” he added.
Wee emphasised that the installation of the camera in its initial phase serves as a reminder for motorists to be careful and abide by the traffic rules and regulations to keep the roads safe.
“As more people are aware of its presence, we noted that the number of violations has dropped from 1,896 to about 1,000 on the second day and dropped further the consecutive day.
“I think the introduction of the camera will serve many purposes, including motorists being mindful of their behaviour on roads as well as eliminate corruption,” he added. — DayakDaily
