«Big brother» road controls for Palma

Intelligent road systems which can reduce the death toll on roads by as much as 50 per cent, are to be installed around the Palma via cintura ring road next year. This week 300 experts are taking part in the second National Conference on Intelligent Transport Systems in Palma and yesterday delegates discussed the latest developments in intelligent transport systems, some of which are to be tested in Palma next year. The first phase of the project will involve the installation of a network of electronic information boards so that drivers can be kept informed of the latest incidents and traffic problems along the ring road, in particular accidents, so that drivers are well aware of what to expect further down the road. The Intelligent Transport System Palma intends to use will however, not only reduce the number of fatalities and accidents on the road but also ease congestion and make it easier for the authorities to control traffic flow while making the maximum use of the existing infrastructure. The system will also lead to a 25 per cent reduction in delays for private transport and 50 per cent for public transport. The project will also lead to much tighter controls on drivers, such as automatic alerts of drivers not wearing their seat belt or failure to use hand-free mobile telephone systems. Experts said yesterday that if Intelligent Transport Systems were used across the European Union, some 7.000 lives would be saved each year.