MMDA to test DLSU’s smart technology to catch violators on Edsa

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will pilot-test by next month a locally-made technology which promises to not only ensure better apprehension of erring motorists on Edsa but also curb incidents of bribery and extortion.

MMDA chair Danilo Lim said on Tuesday that the agency has partnered with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to test “Catch-All” which was developed by De La Salle University (DLSU) students and engineers through a P4-million DOST grant.

Formally called the Contactless Apprehension of Traffic Violators on a 24-Hour Basis and All Vehicle Direction System, Catch-All uses artificial intelligence to spot erring motorists.

Among the traffic violations which it can so far recognize are the number coding scheme, speeding, running a red light and swerving.

Lim said that the new technology would “strengthen” the MMDA’s implementation of the no-contract apprehension policy, especially since the agency still needs personnel to monitor the video feed from its network of closed-circuit television cameras on major roads.

The Inquirer earlier reported that Catch-All would not need personnel to man the system because it is capable of collating visual information.

According to Lim, the pilot-test next month will cover “the whole stretch of Edsa.” He added that the MMDA and DOST would put up several outdoor LED screens to immediately notify motorists of their violation.

Information to be flashed on the screens will include the vehicle’s license plate, type of violation, and when and where the violation was committed.

The developers of Catch-All said their technology was not meant to replace or render obsolete the jobs of MMDA personnel but rather aid them in their task of managing traffic and enforcing road regulations, given the agency’s lack of enforcers.

Earlier, Chief Supt. Antonio Gardiola of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group said that Metro Manila should have around 13,700 traffic enforcers for the government to effectively man traffic flow on major highways.

However, the MMDA is severely undermanned as it has just over 2,300 traffic constables out of the ideal 7,000 who should be deployed throughout the capital in eight-hour shifts.

Apart from increasing the MMDA’s capability, Carlos Primo David, executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology, Research and Development, said that Catch-All would also ward off corruption and improve the implementation of traffic rules and regulations.

This was because the program would be objective and not have the dilemma of being perceived as the bad guy just because of its strict implementation of the law.