COIMBATORE: Crossing busy roads is a risky affair for pedestrians. Automated signals go a long way in ensuring safe crossing. The much-needed pedestrian signals that were installed at the busy Sungam junction on Tiruchy road in Coimbatore city two months ago are yet to start functioning.
Due to the delay in its operation, the public, especially students, face hardship in crossing the five-corner junction and often they are at the mercy of speeding vehicles. The Sungam junction is a major intersection that connects Ukkadam Bypass, Puliyakulam Road and Kamarajar Road (Red fields).
The area has several educational institutions and often students cross roads during peak hours to catch buses. The police had introduced a roundabout system at Sungam junction in June 2023 as part of the efforts to replace traffic signals with roundabouts and U-turns. The roundabout system relieves the waiting time for vehicles to cross the junction and denies the possibility of a pedestrian crossing as it allows vehicular traffic without any interruption.
Police initially focused on the free flow of vehicular movement and implemented the roundabout instead of the signals. But they again installed signals on both sides of all roads in November 2023 as pedestrian crossings continued despite the roundabout pattern. After a row of people including college students met an accident at the junction, police introduced the pedestrian crossing signals and fixed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in all directions to regulate vehicle speed in the junction. It was expected to be implemented immediately, but even after two months, the pedestrian crossing signals are yet to be operational.
“As there is no signal now, like before, vehicles are moving at high speed from all sides. It is impossible to cross the road at peak hours and people are risk. Two days ago a student studying in a private school in the locality was hit by a bike while crossing the road. Fortunately, she had no major injury. Considering the inconvenience to the pedestrians, the police should start operating the pedestrian crossing signals at the Sungam junction,” said M Maragatham, an employee at a private automobile firm at Sungam.
Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) M Rajarajan told TNIE that they are waiting to operate the signals as there is a delay in setting up the pedestrian path between the centre median. “There are five roads leading to the junction and we almost set up pedestrian crossings on four roads. The work is pending only on the Sungam-Ukkadam bypass road. We asked the Municipal Corporation to make the pedestrian crossing and mark crosswalks as the road belongs to them. The signals will be turned on soon once they complete the work,” Rajarajan said.