Bhubaneswar, July 21: The capital's new smart signalling system has ended up creating more confusion for commuters than making commuting easy.
Several commuters said the new system did not have timers, creating confusion for commuters. Some alleged that the lights did not work at some junctions, adding to the confusion.
"I was passing through the Institution of Engineers Square yesterday and got stuck there for more time than usual. Earlier, traffic personnel used to handle traffic flow, but now it is controlled by a new system. As the signals do not have timers, I couldn't switch off my car's engine and had to wait for nearly ten minutes," said Chirag Rath, a resident of Surya Nagar.
The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, the state capital's special purpose vehicle to execute the ambitious smart city projects, had installed the new system. The sensor-based signals are supposed to automatically control traffic in real-time depending on vehicular flow at any given me.
Smart city officials said there were several benefits of the smart traffic system, including improvement of travel time reliability, reduction in congestion by creating smoother flow across intersections, faster response to traffic conditions and emergencies, predicting traffic volume and accordingly adjust signal timings.
In April, officials started implementation of the new system and replaced old traffic lights at five junctions - Housing Board Square, Institution of Engineers Square, BDA City Centre Square, Nicco Park Square and Anand Bazar Square along Sachivalaya Marg. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched the new service on June 22 at Nicco Park Square.
The signalling system at other junctions, including AG Square, Power House Square, Chandrasekharpur Square, are being also being upgraded.
"Traffic flow is in a mess since the new system was introduced. The lights sometimes don't turn green. I was stuck in traffic with a number of vehicles on one side, while the other side was completely empty. Yet, the light didn't turn green," said Dibakar Prdahan, a commuter.
Traffic personnel are also having a tough time handling the flow after the new system was introduced. They don't know if they need to take control or wait and follow the system.
"People are confused about the new system and so are we. Commuters keep shouting at us. We can't do anything since we don't operate the lights. We are forced to take controlto get rid of the congestion," said a cop, requesting anonymity. Administrators, however, defended the new system and claimed that it would take time for the commuters to get used to sa mart life.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they were aware of the confusion since they had decided to implement the system at only five junctions on a pilot basis. "We are taking inputs from various quarters on the new system. We will go forward with the entire project only after fixing the errors," he said.
