The mixed signals

Traffic signals fluctuating between green and red before the stipulated time can confuse any motorist. Defective signals, which are many in the city, are making travel an ordeal for Bengalureans. The purpose of installing signal lights, especially at prominent junctions, is to ensure a smooth flow of traffic but there seems to be no prior study or analysis on setting the timing for these signal lights. 

Motorists say that they have to wait for at least three signal changes before their turn arrives. Amrit Appaiah, employed with an MNC, feels signal lights must be designed in tune with the developmental work and changing volume of traffic. “There are times when the flow of traffic is manually monitored by the traffic personnel. They tend to switch off the lights when the volume of traffic is more and try to manually manage it,” says Amrit.

He adds, “This creates a lot of confusion and adds to the chaos on the road. You will find this happening near the Hosur Road and Kasturba Road junctions,” says Amrit. He also says that when there is a sudden change in the signal light, some tend to move forward while some are left confused. 

“Censor-based signal lights are preferred over the ones that are operated by solar power. I find them more reliable,” he adds. At a time when Delhi is caught in a cloud of smog, motorists like Prabhakar Rao C M, a consultant, feels Bengaluru is also slowly inching towards a similar situation. 

“Thanks to faulty signals, motorists don’t turn off the engine. This contributes to the increasing pollution. There’s a lot of fuel and time wasted in trying to get past a signal, and sometimes the duration of lights is so short that the waiting at each junction becomes longer,” reasons Prabhakar. 

He also finds that a lot of traffic signals don’t function at all and require urgent repair. But officials with the Bengaluru Traffic Police claim that every signal in the city has been tuned in keeping with the density of traffic and time. Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) R Hitendra informs that there are 340 signals across the city and most of them are set according to the vehicle density in that particular area.

“Every signal is tuned to change colour within a stipulated time. This is to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic from all directions,” explains Hitendra. “Most of these lights run on solar power and they go off only when the battery is low. The contract to maintain these signals is with Onex,” he adds. Some senior citizens, like Jyothy Kushalappa, feel it would help if the authorities understand the traffic congestion, analyse the flow and then set the timers accordingly. “When the lights flicker before the stipulated time, one does not know whether to stop or proceed. This is dangerous and can lead to accidents. The best thing that two-wheeler riders like me can do to protect ourselves is to wear a helmet and be alert while on the road,” says Jyothy.