Lebanon’s interior ministry and the World Bank will begin a $130 million program to install a comprehensive traffic signal system in Greater Beirut, said Interior Minister Elias Murr.
The one-year project, which will be implemented in tandem with a new traffic law, would also feature the installation of a hi-tech network of monitoring cameras to aid authorities in spotting offenders and improving traffic flow, he said, cited by the Daily Star newspaper.
One feature of the project will be the creation of a centralized operations room from which trained personnel will be able to monitor traffic around the city via a series of cameras.
The hi-tech system, which has already been used in such cities as London, New York and Sydney, would enable officers to monitor several locations at once, and thus reduce the number of personnel needed in the field.
Murr, who said he has been planing the project since being elected last fall, also introduced new safety procedures such as mandatory car insurance, reduced hours for certain vehicles, and 2,000 new trained police officers, according to the paper -- ALbawaba.com
