Bangalore turns to tech to pave road for ambulance

A technology tie-up between Bangalore's premiere hospital, the local transport department and the police aims to liberate ambulances that crawl through the city's congested roads.
Traffic in the Indian city is often punctuated by the sounds of ambulance sirens that futilely wail at their inability to progress to their destination. This age-old problem could be solved via a collaboration between Bangalore's Manipal Hospital, the local traffic commissioner, and the police.
Located on Old Airport Road, Manipal Hospital is at the heart of one of Bangalore's busiest traffic arteries connecting the CBD and technology parks in the west.
In an interview with ZDNet, Dr Sudarashan Ballal, medical director and chairman of the medical advisory board at Manipal's group of hospitals, said the hospital will use technology to try and solve the problem. It would map the path of GPS-equipped ambulances to reach an emergency victim and courier them back to the hospital.

This route would be sent to the local traffic management center, which will green-light the ambulance's journey. This would be complemented by police which will direct the flow of traffic. The transport center will also help navigate the ambulance through the quagmire.
"Normally in traffic, drivers will try to use the ambulance so they can get along faster," Ballal said. "There are many ways we're looking at technology to help save lives and make it safer for patients."
"The GPS-enabled device will be connected to the police control room, and the police will divert the ambulance to the hospital, making sure it's green all through the traffic lights," he explained. "We'll also have the traffic police manning various intersections, so the ambulance can leave as early as possible to avoid any perceived hindrances."