NEW DELHI: In an innovative move to ensure that pedestrians don’t put their lives at risk while crossing a road, the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to install Zebra Poles at 60 red light intersections on the erstwhile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Moolchand to Khanpur T point. The poles will force motorists to hit the brakes and not jump signals, giving ample time to the pedestrians to cross over.
According to a PWD official in the know of the project, the zebra poles will have two lamps on each side of the road, with each equipped with modern lenses. The lenses will cast beams of light; both horizontal and vertical, on the pedestrians, thereby helping the motorists spot them from a distance. The horizontal beam will fall on the zebra crossing and the other on the pedestrian stepping over.
“The lamps will have two lenses, throwing bright rays on patches of the zebra crossing and pedestrians, helping the motorists sight them. However, the beams won’t cast a distracting reflection on drivers. The usual LED lamps are very bright, often throwing motorists and even pedestrians off-focus. These poles will be equipped with lenses that will throw bright beams without distracting commuters, thereby reducing the possibility of accidents,” a government official said.
Once the new poles are installed, the zebra crossings will be visible from a distance of 5-6 metres. The vertical beam falling on pedestrians will be visible from a distance of 8-10 metres, an official said. Currently, the 3.7-km corridor has conventional yellow lights at signals. “The lamps will ensure a secure passage for pedestrians in places where subways or foot overbridges (FOBs) cannot be built. It would also help us save money spent on building these pieces of infrastructure,” the PWD official said.
The PWD has already installed such lamps in around 28 intersections, from Moolchand red light and Neela Gumbad to Nizamuddin Railway station, on a pilot basis. “We will propose more such poles,” the official said.