The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and its partners have organized a workshop meant to develop an Intelligent Transportation System development plan to ease traffic flow and enhance road safety in the National Capital Region.
The Metro Manila Intelligent Transportation Systems (MMITS) Project’s technical working groups and the expert team from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) spearheaded the activity.
The workshop identified current issues, future challenges, objectives, and ITS user services from various aspects, such as traffic signal control, road and incident management, public transportation, freight and logistics, safety and accident prevention, and disaster and emergency management, in order to develop an ITS development plan. Joel E. Zurbano
Traffic Engineering Center (TEC) director and MMITS project manager Francisco Pesino Jr. welcomed the participants, saying the exercise was an opportunity “to deepen understanding, exchange knowledge, and improve collaboration among related government agencies as we provide a safer, smarter, and more efficient transportation system for all.”
Takeshi Matsunuma, project team leader, presented the MMITS’s overall objectives and deliverables, highlighting the vital role TWG members play in this JICA project in terms of strategic planning, implementation, and performance monitoring.
For his part, the project’s ITS development expert Tetsuya Sato explained the various ITS user services as part of the preparation of an ITS development plan that is scalable, adaptive, and tailored to Metro Manila’s traffic conditions.
Physical Planning and Spatial Development Service director and project coordinator Michael Gison said that the workshop was a welcome development as new insights on ITS technologies were shared during the activity. He described AI as the current buzzword, which can be used in a fruitful way to optimize traffic management and safety.
He likewise underscored the collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and other national government agencies in achieving an ITS for Metro Manila.
The ITS development plan is envisioned to support the MMDA’s vision, through the leadership of chairman Romando Artes, of developing efficient, commuter-oriented, and smart transportation systems in Metro Manila to complement the recently formulated comprehensive traffic management plan.
