Mahasarakham Univ trials smart traffic system to tackle accident hotspots

A university in Maha Sarakham province has launched a pilot of a remotely controlled traffic control system, allowing traffic lights to be managed online in real time to reduce road accidents and ease heavy congestion around the campus for its nearly 50,000 students.

Most students travel to and from Maha Sarakham University by motorcycle, with peak traffic reaching 1,617 vehicles per hour, according to a survey. Road accidents are commonplace at several high-risk intersections around the campus.

The system is being developed by the Faculty of Engineering.

Assistant Professor Phongphan Tankasem, a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering and a member of the university’s ‘Intelligent Traffic and Road Safety Research Unit’, said the team developed an innovative signal control system that allows traffic lights to be managed via the internet.

The system has already been submitted for a petty patent (application no: 2603000728) and is being piloted at the intersection near Pa Ku Kaeo Temple intersection, in Kham Riang sub-district.

The junction has been identified as one of the area’s most dangerous traffic blackspots, recording 18 accidents in 2025.

Under national road safety assessment criteria, a location is considered high-risk if it records more than three accidents a year.

During the initial phase, traffic signal timings can be adjusted remotely from a control room, using CCTV cameras and an online management platform.

The system enables operators to monitor traffic conditions and change signal phases without being physically present at the site.

Phongphan said the technology not only improves traffic management but also reduces risks for personnel who would otherwise need to work outdoors in adverse weather conditions.

Field trials have shown that the system continued to work effectively during heavy rain and storms and reduced traffic delays by up to 60%.

In the next phase, the university plans to upgrade the project to an artificial intelligence-based system, capable of automatically adjusting signal timings according to real-time traffic volumes.

If successful, the AI-powered traffic management system could significantly improve traffic flow and road safety on campus.

The university also plans to register the technology for wider transfer and adoption by other universities, government agencies and local administrative organisations across Thailand.