E-Paper
Ludhiana: Project to install hi-tech traffic signals delayed
The ₹7.56-crore project, which was approved by the municipal corporation’s finance and contract committee (F&CC) in January, is currently held up at the pre-bid meeting stage
The long-awaited project of installation of Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) at 42 major intersections in the city is hanging fire due to delay in the tender process.
The ₹7.56-crore project, which was approved by the municipal corporation’s finance and contract committee (F&CC) in January, is currently held up at the pre-bid meeting stage. Initially, the civic authorities had claimed that the work on this project would commence before the festival season.
The companies participating in the pre-bid meeting have raised 122 questions, which the municipal authorities are preparing to address. It is expected that the tender will be issued by the municipal corporation in approximately 15 days, with work anticipated to start on this plan by December.
Presently, the city has old traffic light systems in operation at 42 major intersections and ₹18 lakh per junction will be spent to upgrade to the new system. However, these lights have become outdated and are causing traffic issues. Due to a lack of power backup, these lights go off when there is a power cut, leading to confusion among commuters.
Additionally, during the construction of the elevated road on Ferozepur Road, many traffic lights have been removed. Functioning of most of the remaining traffic lights has deteriorated over time, requiring frequent manual repairs. The lack of an automated timing system for these lights adds to the problem.
The new traffic lights will incorporate modern technology. They will feature cameras and sensor systems, making them easy to control. These lights will be connected to the municipal corporation’s command and control centre, where employees can monitor their operation. Sensors in the lights will adjust their timings according to the traffic flow on the respective roads.
This will increase the green signal time for roads with higher traffic and vice versa. This technology will also enable remote changes to the traffic light timings by control room operators. Moreover, these lights will have the capability to issue e-challans (online traffic violation fines).
According to officials, the responsibility for issuing fines against those who jump red lights will lie with the traffic police. Traffic light camera data will aid in this process. This e-challan system is already in place at six major intersections in the city and will be extended to all intersections once the new traffic lights are installed.
Sanjay Kanwar, superintending engineer said, “Tenders for the project will be completed shortly and file is also approved by the additional commissioner. Within a few weeks, projects will be initiated.”
The 42 proposed traffic junctions for the implementation of ATCS are Jagraon Bridge, Durga Mata Mandir, Bharat Nagar Chowk, DC Office Chowk, Bhai Bala Chowk, Kaka Marriage Palace Chowk, Malhar Road, PAU Gate number 2, Gurdwara Sarabha Nagar Road, ESI Hospital, Dugri Chowk, Dugri Urban Estate Phase -1 Chowk, Dana Mandi Chowk, Janta Nagar, Pahwa Chowk, Vardhman Chowk, Police Colony Jamalpur, Veer Palace, Jamalpur Chowk, Dholewal Chowk, Manju Cinema Chowk, Vishwakarma Chowk, Session Chowk, Dandi Swami, Haibowal Chowk, Kitchlu Nagar, PAU Gate number 4, Mall Road, Hero Bakery Chowk, Saggu Chowk, Udham Singh Nagar near Meritorious School, Nehru Siddhant Kendra, Salem Tabri Chowk near Sabzi Mandi, Salem Tabri near Petrol Pump, Under Dugri Bridge, Samrala Chowk, Gill Chowk, MintGumri Chowk, Pratap Chowk, Sunet Chowk on Ferozepur Road, Lodhi Club Road, and Rajguru Nagar Chowk.
