The purpose
Traffic planning has two objectives. One, a plan for managing everyday traffic. Two, to take note of requirements in the immediate future resulting from development and an increase in the volume of vehicles.
The authority
The Transport Department, the Traffic and Planning Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police and the State Highways Department are the competent authorities to carry out any traffic study or planning. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is responsible for the planning of national highways alone. Due to lack of expertise and authority, the Greater Chennai Corporation and other local bodies cannot undertake such studies or planning.
The work can be commissioned to private institutions and government-funded centres but the findings of such studies can only be recommendatory by nature.
The team
Traffic police personnel on the field work hand-in-hand with the traffic wing in their respective jurisdiction. When it comes to the State Highways Department and other State agencies associated with roads and traffic, such planning is exercised by a team of field-level officers (such as Road Inspectors) and outside experts such as structural engineers and surveyors. Sometimes, engineering students are also roped in to carry out vehicular census on specified routes.
The process
* In India, guidelines by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) form the basis of any traffic study or census. Accordingly, the Transport Department, State Highways Department and the NHAI carry out a traffic study or a census every June, when schools and colleges reopen after a long vacation. The time is chosen because vehicles pertaining to institutions contribute significantly to the traffic situation. Besides, many vehicles are registered after the financial year (March – April) for tax benefits.
* The traffic study or census is done on specified routes, round-the-clock for seven days and in three shifts. It involves four persons, including one Road Inspector for each shift. Each team will be assigned both ends of a specified route. The assistance of engineering students, local activists and residents is sought. Their suggestions are included in the study.
* At the time of the study, each member of the team is given the task of manually counting vehicles on the route. For pedestrian crossings or subways, the team has to count the pedestrians who cross the specified traffic point — again, manually. Finally, the study or census is compiled.
The final touch
The proposed traffic changes or diversions are discussed in detail at the monthly joint consultation meeting on law and order, usually in the third week of every month, at the District Collectorate Office.
The meeting, presided over by the District Collector, includes the police, the State Highways, respective local body, revenue officials like Tahsildar or Revenue Divisional Officer and the transport department.
In addition to this, the Transport Commissioner (Road Safety) submits a special report to the District Collector, identifying accident-prone spots (officially knows as “Black Spots” ).
With these inputs, the District Collector, who has the authority to decide on the final course of action, spells out the measures to be taken on specified routes.
The time frame
There is no specific time frame to implement the changes. They can be effected immediately depending on the availability of funds for executing them.
