Leveraging AI, Smart Infrastructure, and Data Analytics to Build Safer Urban Roads
A collaborative initiative between Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) and IIT Madras to deploy intelligent traffic technologies that enhance road safety, improve compliance, and create data-driven solutions for safer mobility.
The Challenge
Rapid urbanisation and increasing traffic volumes have made Bengaluru's arterial roads vulnerable to speeding, lane indiscipline, unsafe pedestrian crossings, and signal violations. Traditional enforcement methods often struggle to provide continuous monitoring or generate actionable data, highlighting the need for technology-enabled interventions that improve road safety while supporting evidence-based traffic management.
Vision
The initiative envisions creating a scalable model for smart road safety that combines engineering, artificial intelligence, and urban planning to reduce accidents and improve mobility in Indian cities. By generating real-world evidence on the effectiveness of technology-enabled interventions, IIT Madras aims to develop replicable frameworks that can support safer, smarter, and more sustainable transportation systems across the country.
The Initiative
IIT Madras, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), is implementing a comprehensive road safety programme across Bengaluru's Old Madras Road (OMR) and Airport Road corridors. The project combines AI-enabled surveillance cameras, edge computing devices, intelligent pedestrian signals, Variable Message Sign (VMS) boards, and scientifically designed road markings to improve traffic discipline, protect pedestrians, and support safer road infrastructure. The interventions have been continuously refined through field assessments and close coordination with BBMP, NHAI, and traffic police authorities to ensure they address evolving on-ground conditions.
Technology Driving Safer Mobility
The project integrates intelligent surveillance with infrastructure improvements to address multiple road safety challenges. AI-powered camera systems monitor speeding, lane violations, signal jumping, parking violations, and pedestrian movement, while redesigned junctions, lane segregation, pedestrian crossings, Pelican signals, and VMS boards improve driver behaviour and pedestrian safety. Rather than relying solely on enforcement, the initiative creates a data-driven ecosystem that enables continuous monitoring, evidence-based decision-making, and scalable deployment across urban road networks.
Implementation Progress
Phase I has successfully deployed surveillance infrastructure across key locations on both OMR and Airport Road, with cameras, edge devices, and supporting equipment installed at major junctions and high-risk stretches. Road marking designs, vendor finalisation, and implementation planning have also been completed, with Phase II focusing on Pelican pedestrian signals, VMS boards, lane markings, and additional intelligent traffic infrastructure. Once installations are complete, the project will undertake before-and-after data collection and analysis to quantitatively measure improvements in traffic compliance and road safety outcomes.
Key Highlights
- Smart road safety interventions implemented across Old Madras Road (OMR) and Airport Road corridors in Bengaluru.
- AI-enabled surveillance systems deployed for speed, lane, signal, parking, and pedestrian violation monitoring.
- Intelligent infrastructure includes Pelican pedestrian signals, Variable Message Sign (VMS) boards, edge computing devices, and scientifically designed road markings.
- Collaboration with BBMP, NHAI, and Bengaluru Traffic Police to ensure practical and sustainable implementation.
- Data-driven before-and-after impact assessment planned to evaluate improvements in traffic behaviour and road safety.