Egypt’s Ministries to collaborate on ITS

Egypt’s Ministries of Communications and Transportation have announced a plan to restructure the country’s transportation system by launching an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) in a number of its governorates. Preliminary cost estimates put the project at EGP1 billion (US$164.7 million), which will be implemented over two phases. Traffic operation rooms around the country will operate under the Ministry of Interior and will be provided with ‘video call’ systems to facilitate control and monitoring. The operation rooms will also be linked to all mobile and fixed checkpoints, in addition to connecting them to a central database that is being currently updated by the National Security Authority. All operation rooms in the country will be interlinked for control of the road networks and traffic routes, which the Government hopes will improve flow, and also has the potential to save large amounts of fuel and reduce green house gas emissions.

A Ministry of Communications official said that the Ministry has finalized an experimental project to establish an ITS system in the governorate of Alexandria in coordination with the Ministries of Transportation and Interior. He said the two ministries have appointed a committee to prepare a booklet with the tender’s rules and regulations to be distributed among competing companies. The Ministry of Communications spokesman said, “A number of high-tech surveillance monitors will be installed in all operation rooms. Cameras will record around the clock and will be installed on all centers, highways, main roads, and vital and historic establishments all around the governorate.”

13 August 2012