Waiting time to reduce at key traffic signals in south, central Kol
Times of India | 30 November 2024
Kolkata: The waiting time at several crossings is likely to decrease further by three to ten seconds, thanks to an ongoing Kolkata Traffic Police survey that relies on ground reports and not just technology to identify traffic volume for each hour of the day. The fresh changes were introduced based on suggestions from OCs who studied ground conditions, in addition to the statistical data collected from the crossings by the planning department. "Besides the technical inputs, we have incorporated local inputs," said a senior officer.
These changes have been implemented by making adjustments on multiple fronts, such as altering left turn timings and holding up or slowing down non-pressure flanks, which are the most significant of them. Among the visible changes will be at the Ballygunge ITI crossing, Ballygunge Tram Depot crossing, Beckbagan and the MG Road-College Street crossing. To align each localised signal with the centralised signalling system, police are not altering the overall traffic cycle timings allotted for each crossing. Instead, they are adjusting the timings of only one or two specific flanks to address local issues.
The police have also decided to segregate primary and secondary crossings on important stretches and assign signal timings to them based on the track volume. A study on vehicle count in each direction of the crossings, especially at the secondary ones, is being conducted. While such an experiment was already successful on CR Avenue, police will now try to ensure that crossings without high cross traffic, where most vehicles take left turns, do not hold up vehicles on the thoroughfare.
"While it is understandable that we need to give enough time for cross traffic at, say, the MG Road-CR Avenue or JL Nehru-APC Road, the same might not be true for Elgin Road-Sarat Bose Road, Roy Bahadur Road-DH Road or Alipore Road-Judges Court Road, where further changes are still possible," said an officer. According to the plan, as evident on CR Avenue, traffic on primary roads will have to stop longer at all important crossings where cross traffic is high. However, where cross traffic is less during non-peak hours, the up and down straight-moving traffic on these primary roads will always get preference.
As part of this realignment, police have already reduced signal timings on south-bound movement to allow more time for east-bound vehicles at the important Ballygunge Phanri crossing. Similar changes have been made at the Tagore Park crossing on EM Bypass, AJC Bose Road-JL Nehru Road crossing and Cathedral Road-AJC Bose Road crossing after 10 pm.