The importance of Intelligent Pilot Projects for intelligent public administration should be addressed in the search for viable and significant solutions to relevant problems that affect populations, with the consequent reduction in costs and increase in people’s quality of life.
The public administration must carry out Intelligent Pilot Projects aimed at finding viable and meaningful solutions to problems related mainly to security, education, health and infrastructure. Government inaction in the face of major problems affecting the population is a problem that plagues many societies. The lack of effective responses generates frustration, insecurity and, in many cases, perpetuates social inequality and public deficits, a problem that occurs in most countries, including those classified as “first world”.
Governments should reduce the amount of public funds spent on their actions through good ideas tested by Smart Pilot Projects.
Public administration has a crucial role to play in finding innovative, viable, meaningful and lasting solutions that promote collective well-being. But not only that, intelligent solutions can reduce costs and maintain and even increase the quality of the services provided. Debates on public accounts should consider the reduction of public resources.
Viable and significant solutions must be found by means of Intelligent Pilot Projects, which can indicate the effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of actions by governments, both federal, state, district and municipal, considering intelligent solutions in the field of public entrepreneurship or state entrepreneurship.
Pilot projects and their application by the public administration
Smart Pilot Projects are a strategy commonly used to test and evaluate the viability of an idea, product or service before implementing it on a large scale. These projects are usually carried out on a smaller scale, allowing those responsible to collect data, information and considered feedback in order to make intelligent decisions. It’s a way of minimizing risks and maximizing the chances of success, as it allows possible flaws to be identified and corrected before significant resources are invested (GLOSSARY ZN7, 2024).
In short, Pilot Projects serve to: Validate the idea: See if it really works and meets the needs of the target audience; Identify problems: Discover flaws or difficulties that can be corrected before the official launch; Obtain the opinion of real users to improve the project; Adjust the project: Modify the idea based on the test results.Minimize risks: Reduce the chances of a major failure by launching something that nobody wants or that doesn’t work as expected; Optimize resources, etc.
A Pilot Project is a temporary effort undertaken to test the viability of a unique system solution presented. Temporary means that the project has a closing date; unique means that the end result of the project is different from the results of other suggested system solutions. In the context of implementing processes and tools, it means experimenting with new processes and new tools (CIN. UFPE, 2024).
Problems afflicting the population of the Federal District
The Federal District, despite being the capital of Brazil, faces a number of challenges that have a negative impact on the population’s quality of life. Among the main problems are: Urban mobility with an overloaded capacity; Public health care that falls short of what is needed; Poor public security in some regions; Social inequality, deficiencies in infrastructure and damage to the environment.
The case of the crosswalk in the Federal District
Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, boasts a unique title: the “City of Respect for the Crosswalk”. This honor was not earned by chance, but through a historical process of awareness and mutual commitment between pedestrians, drivers and authorities. On April 1, 1997, the first crosswalk with traffic lights was installed in the federal capital.
The gesture of stretching out your arm to signal your intention to cross the street, known as the “sign of life”, has become a symbol of the campaign and the exercise of citizenship. This simple but powerful action demonstrates pedestrian awareness and their right to use the crosswalk safely. The results of investing in a culture of respect for crosswalks are undeniable. Statistics from Detran-DF show a significant drop in the number of fatal crosswalks: 2020: 3 deaths; 2021: 6 deaths; 2022: 5 deaths; and 2023: 2 deaths (GEMINI, 2024).
In the government of then Governor Cristovan Buarque, he set up thematic meetings to come up with relevant and viable ideas, but at a low cost, that could improve the quality of life of the people of Brasília. I, Dálio Ribeiro de Mendonça Filho, as the Environmental Manager (PPGG) of the Secretariat for the Environment of the Government of the Federal District, at the meeting on transport and traffic in 1997, suggested the implementation of an Intelligent Pilot Project to verify the possible efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness of compliance with the law on respect for crosswalks, which at the time was already law (Law No. 9,503 of September 23, 1997). The campaign to respect crosswalks was carried out in the capital in 1997 by the Traffic Department (Detran-DF) and the Military Police.
The pilot project was set up taking my suggestions into account, and was implemented in Asa Norte, with prior publicity in the media, the painting of crosswalks, the installation of vertical signs and the presence of a guard from Detran and another from the Military Police. The Intelligent Pilot Project for crosswalks worked in Asa Norte and spread to the whole of the Federal District and then to other regions of the country, with geographical variations in terms of respect for pedestrians.
In Brazil, the federal legislation governing crosswalks is the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB), established by Law No. 9.503 of September 23, 1997. The CTB devotes an entire chapter (Chapter VII – Pedestrian Circulation) to the rules and regulations that guarantee pedestrians’ safety and right of free passage on public roads (BRASIL. PLANALTO, 2024).
