While the police have replaced traditional traffic signals on arterial roads in Coimbatore city with ‘U’ turns by opening medians, the arrangement also poses risks to motorists in the absence of proper warning and reflective stickers on concrete median barriers that have been placed horizontally on the innermost lane.
On April 13, a private bus rammed the concrete barriers kept on the road for a ‘U’ turn at between R.G. Pudur and Chinniyampalayam due to the lack of reflective stickers on the concrete barriers.
While motorists from the city are mostly aware of the arrangement, motorists from other cities are likely to ram the concrete barriers when they are not aware of the ‘U’ turns ahead of them and the concrete barriers placed on the innermost lane.
On Avinashi Road from Uppilipalayam to KMCH, where elevated corridor work is under way, markings have been made on the pillars to alert motorists about the ‘U’ turns. At other places, including Mettupalayam Road, motorists are not warned of the median opening ahead of them.
“In the road transport parlance, ‘U’ turn means an opening in the median for the motorist to go back in the direction where the vehicle came from. But the ‘U’ turns established by the police in the city have barriers, nearly blocking the first lane. There is no warning for the arrangement. Along with the warning sign for ‘U’ turns, there should be caution boards placed at least 100 metre ahead, indicating motorists that the first lane has a barrier,” said District Road Safety Committee member K. Kathirmathiyon.
Traffic police officers said they had affixed reflective stickers on the concrete median barriers when each ‘U’ turn was opened. However, stickers had been peeled off or covered with dirt at most of the places. A senior traffic police officer was not available for comment.
Mr. Kathirmathiyon said LED blinkers could be used to warn motorists of the barriers on roads and the opening.
