Following a pilot on Fergusson College Road that demonstrated real-time violation detection, Pune Police are set to expand AI-based traffic enforcement across the city.
Additional commissioner of police Manoj Patil said cameras under the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) will be installed at nearly 500 locations, with most violations generating automatic challans. Speaking at the Pune Social Impact Dialogue organised by the Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP), he said the system is designed to ensure “certainty of punishment.”
“Once enforcement becomes consistent and unavoidable, people tend to follow rules. We expect nearly 99% of challans to be generated automatically,” he said.
The move comes amid rising congestion, as vehicle growth continues to outpace infrastructure. Patil noted that earlier solutions relied on limited data, often making projects inadequate soon after completion. He cited a bridge originally designed for 19,000 vehicles that now handles nearly 90,000.
Authorities are now shifting to data-driven planning using real-time inputs from platforms such as Google and TomTom. Pune has around 78 lakh vehicles, but only about 7% of its land is allocated to roads, he added.
Planned measures include improvements to 32 key arterial roads, reduced signal delays, removal of encroachments, and efforts to increase average travel speeds. Smaller interventions, such as pothole repairs, clearer road markings, and one-way conversions, are also underway.
Patil emphasised that driver behaviour remains a major challenge. “Nearly 99% of traffic congestion is linked to violations,” he said, adding that stricter enforcement must be complemented by behavioural change. He also highlighted the need to boost public transport usage, currently around 11%, and promote transit-oriented development along metro corridors to shorten travel distances.
The SEAP-organised dialogue brought together corporate leaders, ESG practitioners, and civic stakeholders to discuss collaboration on urban challenges, including pollution, waste management, water systems, and inclusive development.
How AI cameras will tighten enforcement
AI-enabled ITMS cameras detect violations in real time, reducing reliance on manual policing. Using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), the system identifies vehicles and flags offences such as signal jumping, speeding, lane violations, wrong-side driving, illegal parking, and failure to wear helmets or seat belts.
E-challans are generated automatically with photo or video evidence and sent to vehicle owners via SMS or online portals, minimising discretion. Officials said round-the-clock monitoring will improve consistency and create a digital record of repeat offenders.
With deployment planned at nearly 500 locations, coverage will extend across key junctions and arterial roads—making enforcement more predictable and harder to evade.
