Electronic Monitoring and Advisory System

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An EMAS scoreboard on the Pan Island Expressway at Toa Payoh.

The Electronic Monitoring and Advisory System ( Chinese:电子 监控 与 信息 系统 / German: electronic monitoring and advisory system), also known by the abbreviation EMAS, is a computer-controlled system that is used to monitor traffic on Singapore's highways. The EMAS enables the staff of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to recognize accidents and react to them more quickly. In addition, it informs drivers about ways of avoiding traffic jams.

history

The contract for the establishment of EMAS was awarded by the LTA in December 1996 to Singapore Technologies Electronics. In the first phase, which was officially started on March 21, 1998 by then Minister for Development and Communication John Chen, the system was only installed on the Central Expressway.

The system was expanded and in the second phase of the project systems were installed to monitor the tunnels of the CTE, as well as the Ayer Rajah Expressway, the East Coast Parkway and the Pan Island Expressway. This phase of the project was completed in April 2000.

Facilities

A small EMAS billboard on the Pan Island Expressway.

The EMAS consists of a network of electronic cameras and LED display boards that are placed at strategic points along the highways. The cameras transmit their data to the ITS Center, which is located on Clemenceau Avenue. In the data center, employees monitor the traffic situation 24 hours a day and look for signs of accidents. If an accident is noticed, further steps are taken, including notifying the traffic police and the SCDF. Warning messages are then displayed on the display boards to inform the drivers about the accident and to enable an alternative route to be planned. When the highways are clear, the display boards are used to display other information, such as: B. Traffic safety information or planned construction work on the road network.

During the second phase of the EMAS project, smaller display boards were installed on the motorways and also on the access roads. These smaller display boards are used to show the estimated travel time to different destinations and other information. However, the travel time display was discontinued in April 2003 because the public considered it unnecessary.

Effectiveness and Criticism

The EMAS helped the LTA to quickly identify traffic accidents, breakdowns and other incidents. By June 2004, the LTA had removed all conventional emergency telephones from Singapore's highways, except for the CTE tunnels. The reasons for this were the effectiveness of EMAS and the widespread use of cell phones. The LTA guaranteed drivers who did not have a cell phone that they would not be left unaided, as the highways were checked by tow trucks every two hours.

However, the system also found some critics who viewed it as a waste of money throwing around incomprehensible reports.

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