People might be divided about artificial intelligence. But the use of AI cams and warning systems at zebra crossings in Bangkok has already won the hearts of pedestrians. The problem is the price of the associated technology should have been cheaper.
Since May, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has installed several cameras fitted with sensors at two major traffic junctions in Bangkok: the Wong Sawang and Arun Amarin intersections.
Another 18 will be installed at intersections with high accidents. These 20 sets cost 100 million baht in total. Each set comprises four CCTV cameras and a system to record all footage and relay it to a central database, plus a sensor system and sound to detect when cars pass over zebra crossings during a red light.
The project was initiated by former Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang.
The system is smarter than hundreds of security CCTVs the BMA and police have installed to record other wrongdoing.
As soon as a vehicle stops at a set of traffic lights, a loud alarm goes off, followed by a pre-recorded announcement in Thai saying, "Please don't obstruct the zebra crossing. Thank you." The alarm and announcement will keep blaring until all motorists who are waiting for the red light to turn green move their vehicles from the pedestrian crossing. These cameras take a picture of both the offence and the offender's image. The BMA in future plans to send the related data to traffic police so violators can be fined.
Pedestrians have welcomed the technology. The loud warning noise can help educate drivers to follow traffic rules. The technology is also helping police to save time and curb corruption.
Needless to say, the public and the media have given the new technology glowing reviews, and many people have asked the BMA to expand the service to more zebra crossings in the capital.
Yet with such a hefty price tag, can the BMA afford such an expansion? The bigger question that needs a more immediate answer is whether the 5 million baht cost per set is rational.
Bangkok residents have had some experiences that have left them distrusting the national and local government when it comes to the procurement of CCTVs.
One scandal that drew much criticism was the BMA's decision to spend 22 million baht to procure 19 CCTVs in 2015.
In 2012, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) was asked to probe another procurement case of CCTVs by the BMA. Despite the agency being unable to find any trace of corruption, the probe showed some irregularities.
The DSI reportedly found that the BMA's fibre-optic cables were procured at 400 baht a metre, including installation fees. This was several times higher than the cables in Pattaya's surveillance camera system, which cost just 103 baht a metre -- plus an installation fee of 25 baht a metre.
Hopefully, governor Chadchart Sittipunt will look into the current AI cams and related procurements to clear the air. Make no mistake, both the former and current governors deserve praise for experimenting with innovative technology to improve the urban environment, and hopefully, the BMA will continue down this path.
But being an early technology adopter is not enough. The BMA needs to make sure these urban management innovations are also conducted transparently.