Staff Reporter
Panaji
Two traffic signals along the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg in Panaji had to be turned off months ago as the traffic chaos only worsened at two crucial spots on the thoroughfare.
A senior police officer said the road width is not enough and the signals at the Customs House junction and another near the ferry point added to the chaos, and hence it was decided to keep them non-operational.
The officer also said there needs to be a slipway at the junctions so that the vehicles going towards right or left can pass without waiting for the signals. Owing to the space constraint it is not possible to have a slipway, said the officer. These signals were installed a couple of years ago.
Currently, the crucial crossing points are manned by policemen who are posted during peak hours, while rest of the time motorists themselves have to negotiate with the oncoming vehicles.
Pedestrians face grave risk while crossing the road near the ferry wharf as motorists show least regard for the zebra crossing, said a passerby.
While these two traffic signals have been shut down, the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based traffic management system at the Merces junction, which was launched in March 2023, is also not operational for the past one month.
According to police, the AI-powered traffic management system was deployed at the busy junction on a pilot basis and was developed by a private firm. Now, the traffic police have written to PWD requesting for installation of new signals. Here too, the traffic is being managed by policemen.
Earlier, the signal at the junction had developed technical issues but were said to be rectified. Even the matter was raised in the assembly
in July last year but Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that there was no confusion near Merces-Panaji circle owing to the traffic signal system.
