Mangaluru: Traffic signals cause for delays and chaos in the city

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Nov 13, 2015: An autorickshaw driver says a tough time is faced for taking customers from Bejai Kuntikana Road to Hampankatta. He has to spend nearly ten minutes at KSRTC bus stand, Lalbagh and PVS junctions. This is during normal times,  at peak times the situation is very bad.

This autorickshaw driver has been driving on the city roads for at least  30 years, and is one among the thousands affected by the long delays at traffic junctions solely due to the latest batch of traffic lights commissioned. It has been nearly six months since the new traffic signal lights came up near the KSRTC bus stand, Lalbagh, PVS, Ambedkar (Jyothi) Circle, Balmatta, Bendoorwell and Kankanady. Lack of synchronisation in the timings among these circles has been causing problems to motorists and the pedestrians.

The problem has been acute at Lalbagh and the Bejai Kapikad. A motorists has to wait for nearly 90 seconds at the Lalbagh junction and take a right turn towards the KSRTC bus stand where again he has to wait for 140 seconds to move towards Bejai. “This has resulted in piling up of vehicles during peak hours in morning and evening and we have to rush to regulate the traffic flow,” said a traffic constable. Though some motorists wait, there have been accidents when motorists have tried to move ahead violating the no free left at these junctions. “Day before yesterday a car that turned towards M.G. Road from KSRTC in violation of no-free left was hit by a vehicle coming down straight from Ladyhill,” said the constable, stating the impatience of motorists in waiting at the junctions. “You see some order only when we are checking,” he said. Yogish Kapikad, a Bejai resident, said pedestrians find it hard to cross road near the KSRTC bus stand within the given nine seconds.

Motorists generally have been complaining about problems caused by traffic lights at Kankanady, Bendoorwell and Balmatta. It is a sress causing wait at Kankandy and then wait Bendoorwell, 50 meters away.