The Hindu : Front Page : Slew of traffic reforms on the cards on city roads

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 27, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Slew of traffic reforms on the cards on city roads

V.S. Palaniappan

Flow of traffic from Ukkadam signal to Aatuppalam ensured
The timing of green signal for vehicles coming from Aatuppalam increased by 20 seconds

COIMBATORE: Among the slew of reforms planned to streamline the traffic on city roads, the city police are focusing on decongesting the identified stretches, installation of new signals, networking of the police database with that of the Transport Department for suspending or cancelling the driving licence of frequent or habitual violators.

City Police Commissioner Amaresh Pujari has already set an agenda for the traffic police to implement a number of things to streamline traffic flow on city roads. In the first phase, flow of traffic from Ukkadam signal to Aatuppalam has been ensured, said S. Nizamuddin, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic).

The timing of green signal for vehicles coming from Aatuppalam has been increased by 20 more seconds taking it to 80 seconds. Now, a signal is being installed at the exit gate of the Ukkadam bus stand to regulate the exit of buses and to ensure uninterrupted flow of vehicles from the signal heading towards Valankulam Road over Bridge on the bypass road, Mr.Nizamuddin added.

The stretch was getting increasingly congested because of the closure of Nanjundapuram Road for the construction of a flyover across the railway line.

The police are now focusing on the North Coimbatore signal near Chinthamani where flow of vehicles need to be disciplined especially those coming from new flyover side towards flower market and then again at two junctions on Mettupalayam Road near NSR Road Junction and then near the road branching off towards Sivananda Colony.

A free left has been re-introduced near Surya Hospital for vehicles from Saravanampatti on Sathyamangalam Road proceeding towards Ganapathy.

Efforts are on to re-design the flow of vehicles at GRG School signal on Avanashi Road near Masakkalipalayam Road junction. To bring in discipline on Arts College Road that accommodates the District Sessions Court, interceptor two-wheeler with a recovery vehicle is being positioned on this road as well as on Railway Station Road for removing vehicles that are parked beyond the designated parking lot.

In addition to synchronise the signals and ensure uninterrupted flow, the police are planning to bring in suggested speed on signals on Avanashi Road, Tiruchi Road in the first phase and then on Mettupalayam Road after the road works are completed.

The signals in addition to the timers would have a display board indicating the suggested speed to guide the motorists on crossing all the signals without being stopped at the subsequent signals.

Steps are on to re-active the centralised public address system to enable the control to warn the violating motorists at traffic signals and also to bring in a feature for generating three copies of e-challans in the handheld machines so as to dispense with the manual challan system once for all.

Efforts are on to synchronise the vehicular database of the Transport Department with that of the database at the police control room so that steps could be taken to suspend or cancel the driving licence of habitual and repeat offenders/violators.

Coimbatore City Police has Road Safety Patrols (RSP) in 59 schools and 19 colleges with student strength of 2,520 students and 675 students respectively.

Mr.Nizamuddin said that Commissioner Amaresh Pujari has asked for providing another round of training to these students so that these RSP volunteers could regulate traffic and help their fellow students cross the road with ease during the school hours.

In future, RSP will be extended to all schools and colleges in the city. DCP also pointed out that the next step would be to fill up the vacancies in the Traffic Wardens Organisation. As against the 200 sanctioned strength, there were only 57 available now.

In the first phase, the strength would be increased to 100 and then to the maximum 200, so that traffic wardens could be available for traffic regulation on all days.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page