Dar es Salaam — IMAGINE that one day you wake up in the morning and find the streets of the City of Dar es Salaam installed with state of the art radars. Where would you think they came from? Smart-micro which has its offices around the world has introduced a family of high performance traffic management, free flow tolling and new: traffic classification radars.

It has recently developed a new ingenious family of high performance radars. The said radar determines position, speed vector and lane index of multiple traffic objects even in complex situations. The radar is capable of detecting objects whether they are stationary or moving. It can cover up to four lanes simultaneously.

According to the manufacturers, the radar is cost effective and efficient. According to their website, one single sensor may replace up to eight loop detectors, is maintenance free and features WiFi interface (on request) - no need to purchase or go for extra communication cables anymore.

Smartmicro Traffic Radars can be applied for intersection monitoring - replacement of loop detectors, traffic Management - controlling traffic lights, Multi-lane free flow tolling (MLFF) and Traffic counting, classification, speed measurement and traffic statistics. It sounds like a plan. This technology is something that we Tanzanians need for road safety on our highways and streets in the city and towns.

The Traffic Police Department's move to consider upgrading the radars and traffic lights and signs in the country is highly welcomed. It comes at a time when the country is facing a major challenge in containing traffic violators among motorists, who speed in towns and on highways. To curb this anomaly, the traffic police need a very efficient radar system to replace obsolete ones.

The country's Traffic Chief, ACP Mohammed Mpinga said that speed radars or lasers were obsolete because they do not go by the latest needs and technology. "Drivers know their rights pretty well and it is easy to dispute what was captured by the radar, in case the details are not recorded," he said. Some drivers want to see their vehicles' numbers or pictures upon being intercepted by the traffic police.

Once police officers stop them for such traffic offences which often end up in serious disputes and arguments, the only way to overcome these wrangles is for the police traffic officer to tender the evidence to them. In order to minimize complaints and disputes on traffic offences, improving the radar system will enhance all the aspects of curbing traffic offences.

There are, for instance, cases whereby motorists beat red lights and since there is no camera to capture the offence or even a traffic police officer to monitor it, the culprit gets away scot free. The Commander said that once the new radar system and other CCTV facilities are installed on the roads, it will be possible for the police to prove the offences through the camera footage.

His office has also communicated to the relevant authorities the issue of road signs which are either warn out or broken. The 'Daily News on Saturday' learned from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development's spokesperson that the authorities were already aware that there were impaired traffic lights and uprooted road signs along the highways and streets in the country. Many broken and worn out traffic signs have been replaced or repainted and the exercise was going on all over the country.

Mr Mpinga said despite the meagre resources, the ministry was doing its best to repair road signs everywhere. However, what police authorities are still supposed to bear in mind is to ensure that the installation of such radars and cameras, when they begin to install them, should be done in a way that involves the local communities.

This is to make everyone committed and ready to protect the facilities. We have to ensure that the public is not only aware of the need to protect radars and cameras from vandalism, but we likewise need to guarantee that they feel it their responsibility to expose those who vandalize road signs, traffic lights and other traffic aids. A concerted stand on this will be the only way to make roads a safe place to be.