COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) in collaboration with the city traffic police, have planned to improve 20 vital junctions across the city, by establishing roundabouts and other structures.
Based on inputs from the district road safety committee, the city police along with CCMC, highways department, district administration and other department officials have been removing traffic signals across the city and have been replacing them with a U-turn system or a roundabout in order to reduce traffic congestion on roads.
Major roads earlier choked by traffic snarls due to waiting at traffic signals, heaved a sigh of relief after U-turns and roundabouts were implemented at vital junctions across the city. After initial hesitation to the new changes, motorists have embraced the new system.
In this context, on Friday, a team of officials led by CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran along with Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S Ashok Kumar, experts from Madras IIT road safety department, CCMC officials and other officials inspected the Lanka Corner and Podanur-Saradha Mill Road junctions in the city to set up a roundabout.
Speaking to TNIE, Ashok Kumar said, "A temporary roundabout has already been set up at Podanur-Saradha Mill Road junction near the flyover. After inspecting the spot, we have decided to reduce the diameter of the temporary roundabout from 13 ft to 10 ft as it was close to the flyover and was creating difficulties for commuters. Once trial is successful, a permanent structure will be built."
Ashok Kumar added that the temporary traffic island and roundabout would be shifted by 5 ft towards Tiruchy Road as vehicles proceeding from Town Hall were finding it difficult to cross the junction. The stretch near Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) will be made a no parking zone to reduce traffic snarls.
CCMC Commissioner Sivaguru Prabakaran told TNIE, "10 roundabouts built across the city after trial runs were a success. Now we're planning to improve 20 junctions across the city by establishing necessary structures such as roundabouts.
In Lanka Corner junction, we shall be establishing a roundabout and traffic channelisers to ease vehicle movement. Further, to reduce traffic congestion near the junction, we have planned to make the CCMC parking facility opposite CMCH free for all two-wheelers."