A countdown timer disappeared from intersection stoplights across Metro Manila earlier this month, causing motorists to complain to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). It turned out that the government agency planned to replace the old traffic lights with an adaptive system.
Modernization is not always pleasant, but in this case, it is for the better for the MMDA. ARTSS (Adaptive Responsive Traffic Signal System) is a new technology the agency is implementing to provide information to drivers.
READ: MMDA Switches to Adaptive Traffic Signals
MMDA Traffic Operations Officer V Francisco Pesino Jr. explained the adaptive system in an interview with CNN Philippines and enumerated three basic modes the system could operate: fully actuated, semi-actuated, and fixed time.
Flow demand and traffic volume determine the right of way at intersections in the fully actuated mode. Green interval cycle length is determined by system detectors or sensors, not by a fixed cycle length.
Edison Bong Nebrija, another MMDA official, shared a Facebook video showing an ideal adaptive system scenario.
The video shows that he waited at M.H. Del Pilar St. in Manila for more than two minutes, despite no traffic on Quirino Avenue. Despite the long line of vehicles waiting to turn, the light only turned green for 15 seconds when it finally turned green.
Pesino states that the countdown timers are only applicable in the fixed-time mode. Fixed-time mode disables vehicle volume detection so that the detectors won’t conflict with the countdown timers.
In any case, traffic lights with fixed cycle lengths have their advantages regarding countdown timers. They are most suitable for intersections with close spacing and can be used as a temporary mode if the adaptive system malfunctions.
Additionally, Metro Manila’s MMDA revealed that sixty percent (60%) of significant intersections had been equipped with ARTSS sensors or detectors rather than countdown timers. It may take up to three (3) years to install the sensors at all intersections, which means that countdown timers will be completely phased out.
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