COIMBATORE: The average response time of ambulance services in Coimbatore city has reduced to 7.10 minutes from 11.57 minutes, thanks to modifications in traffic management made by city police like U-turns and roundabouts. Police officers add that ever since U-turn system replaced traffic signals on Avinashi Road which is a main thoroughfare in the city in 2023, fatalities due to accidents have come down.
Amid several infrastructure work like construction of elevated corridor on Avinashi Road and Ukkadam Flyover, U-turns and Roundabouts have helped reduce the response time of ambulances. At least 40 U-Turns and six roundabouts have been introduced in the city in the last one and a half years, and they have replaced conventional signals by 95 %. In particular, Avinashi Road there are 24 U-Turns.
“Apart from reducing response time, the traffic flow modifications also reduced the fatalities on Avinashi Road. An article about the modifications written by G Manuneethi, Division Engineer of the State Highways Department, who has been working on the modifications, has been published in the journal of Indian Road Congress at its 228thMidterm council meeting held in June 2024.
Following this, officials from Maharashtra met Coimbatore city municipal corporation officials recently and also visited the spots where we replaced signals with U-Turns and roundabouts to study and implement it there, said a senior police officer.
First Permanent U-Turn
Since its introduction, the Coimbatore City police have been setting up U-Turns as temporary structures and modifying them according to feedback on traffic. Also, the elevated corridor construction on Avinashi Road forced police to alter the U-Turn systems often and they are also altering the pattern to ease the construction works. Now, the police plan to make a permanent U-Turn structure at Hope College Signal on Avinashi Road. “We have held a study there and after several modifications, we have decided to set up a permanent U-Turn,” said a senior police officer.