Timers to come up at signals for pedestrians, cyclists in UT

To enhance the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, the UT Administration has decided to install timers at lights installed for them at intersections. The first such signal with timer will be set up at the Sector 22/23 light point as a pilot project to ensure safer road crossing.

The initiative was discussed during a recent meeting of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC), chaired by Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav. During the meeting, the XEN (Electrical) informed the committee that the tender process for the pilot project at the Sector 22/23 light point was underway.

Nine road fatalities in 18 days

Even as the Chandigarh Police are observing National Road Safety Month, the city roads continue to claim lives, with nine fatalities reported so far this year.

On January 17, a 43-year-old woman, Reena, died in a road accident near Rally Ground, Sector 25. Reena, who was riding a scooter, was hit by a speeding motorcycle. Both Reena and the motorcyclist, identified as Neeraj, were injured and rushed to the hospital where Reena succumbed to her injuries. A case was registered against Neeraj at the Sector 11 police station.

The committee chairman directed members to identify additional locations for installing such signals with timer. A traffic police official said the lights for pedestrians and cyclists currently don’t have timers. When they are crossing the road, the traffic lights sometimes get green following which they are stuck in the middle to the road making them prone to accidents. “A timer will give them an idea about how much time they have to cross the road safely,” the official added.

Harman Sidhu, president of ArriveSafe, an NGO, and a member of the committee, emphasised the significance of the project, stating that timers for pedestrians and cyclists, synchronised with vehicle traffic signals, would provide them adequate time to cross safely before traffic signals turn green.

Notably, pedestrians remain the most vulnerable road users, accounting for 33% of road fatalities last year. Of the 81 lives lost in 78 mishaps last year, 27 were pedestrians, seven cyclists and two cart pullers.

The installation of pelican signals for pedestrians at critical and vulnerable locations was also deliberated during the meeting. Currently, there are two types of pelican signals in use— one where vehicles are required to stop, such as on the Sector 10/16 dividing road, and another where vehicles can continue moving without stopping. During the meeting, it was decided that pelican signals should be installed in a way that requires vehicles to slow down rather than come to a complete stop.