Yet untested, DULT signals raise questions

The smart signals project led by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) is scheduled for completion by the end of September. However, trials and testing for the project have not yet commenced.

Funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the initiative to deploy these smart signals was initially launched in 2014, but it was only put into motion in 2021.

Efforts are still underway to install smart signals at 28 intersections across the city. The current deadline for completion is the end of September 2023. Sources say that despite several delays in project implementation, not a single trial has been undertaken to test these smart signals real-time before they are unveiled in about a month's time.

Moreover, these signals use Japanese technology and are thus trained on models monitoring the traffic volume and road user behaviour in Japan. In a city that has a total of over 74.2 lakh two-wheelers as of June 2023, using a signal system adopted from a country with minimal two-wheelers, different road conditions and road user behaviour, including lane discipline, "doesn't make sense," sources said.