When a driver speeds through a red light risking not only his life but also that of others, there is not much anyone could do.
Regardless of how high the fines are, there is always going to be someone, who thinks he is above the law and is allowed to sacrifice innocent people instead of stopping and waiting for a few minutes.
In Kinshasa, the Capital of Congo, the city officials took on a slightly different approach to stop the driving madness. They placed two super cool, entirely green, solar-powered gigantic robots in the middle of two of the busiest junctions in town to regulate the traffic.
The robots are part of a governmental program to improve the road system in the capital, and to collect funds in order to restore the investment that they have made to provide comfort to drivers by building high quality road network.
It is just as hard to avoid a robot as it is easy to avoid a traffic light. And if you decide to pay no respect to the machine, it will not cut you a slack. Do not be deceived by the good looks of the two solar-powered robots. They not only give way to cars and pedestrians, but they also record everything you do and report your actions to the ticket issuing authorities, thanks to the numerous cameras fitted onto them. Curious to see how it works? Check out this video.
The cool robots have been a wild success. The authorities are already noticing that commuters are paying much more respect to the machines, than they have done until now to any other traffic control system, including living policemen. What makes it even better is that there is no way you could bribe the robot, sadly a very common practice that is often seen with living traffic controllers.
Does this mean that soon robots will take over this job everywhere? Maybe. Especially since Congo is not the richest country in the world, yet it is the first to use technological advances in such refreshing, entertaining and extremely successful way.
Image (c) AFP
