Traffic signals turn into mere showpieces in Puducherry

Police personnel should be deployed until the signals are set right, says a resident

Traffic snarls have become a common feature these days on Kamaraj Salai. | Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR

Traffic signals in several parts of the city have become mere showpieces. Though the signals at a few places have remained non-functional for over a year, they have failed to draw the attention of authorities concerned, said residents.

A case in point is the signal at Lenin Street in Saram. It is a busy intersection as vehicles from Maraimalai Adigal Salai, Kamaraj Salai and Rajiv Gandhi square pass through the stretch. However, due to the non-functioning signal, the movement of vehicles gets stuck resulting in long traffic snarls especially during peak hours.

“For the pedestrians, it is very difficult to cross the roads due to heavy movement of vehicles. Crossing the intersection during peak hours remains an ordeal. Vehicles do not stop for people to cross the roads. The authorities should repair the signal or at least post a policeman at the intersection to regulate traffic manually,” said A. Ashwin, a college student.

“The signals on the arterial East Coast Road and Marappalam junction are also not functioning at many intersections. Utter confusion prevails during peak hours as the lone policeman on duty finds it difficult to regulate the traffic. The situation only gets worse during the movement of convoy of VIPs.  In the absence of traffic police, vehicles pass via the junction at their own discretion, often flouting the norms. The worst affected are students and office goers.” said Suresh, a bank employee.

“The purpose of having traffic signals gets defeated with the signals being non-functional in most of the traffic points. The government should come out with firm steps to ensure proper working of the signals. Police personnel should be deployed at busy intersections to regulate the traffic movement smoothly until signals are set right,” said S. Nadarajan, a resident.

According to a traffic police officer, “The Department has been waiting for funds to renew the annual maintenance contract of traffic signal lights in the city. This has also been raised during the Road Safety Committee meeting. Measures would be taken to set right the defunct signals soon,” he said.