Despite installing a new traffic signaling system at the bustling Clock Tower area to ensure that the pedestrians cross the road safely, most of them are found crossing the roads regardless of what the signal is. However, the pedestrians complain that the system remains non-functional most of the time with the red light always on.
“We are rather being forced to cross the roads this way, braving the speeding traffic and risking our lives with the signaling system out of order working,” runs the common refrain. Police said things are so as it is difficult for the traffic police personnel to man traffic and push the button to keep the green and other lights on at the same time.
Suresh Gupta, a shopkeeper and a resident of Paltan Bazaar, said the traffic signaling system has proved to be worthless with the red light remaining on most of the times. “I for one have never seen it turning green,” he said.
Notably, it is a manual system which requires the policeman on traffic duty to press the button to change lights from time to time. But as he remains engaged in manning the traffic it is not possible for him to do the signaling work rightly.
“We have to wait for eternity to cross the road if we are to act according to the signal, for it never changes to green from red,” added Gupta.
Echoing the same problem, Renuka Tomar, a student, said as he was standing there for the past twenty minutes, waiting for a bus the traffic signal for the pedestrians remained red all through. “How long can we wait for the light to turn greenIJ This is the reason we cross the roads, ignoring the non-functional signal. It entails risk as the vehicles usually speed, but we cannot help it,” she said.
“At times it gets difficult for me to go to the other side of the road as there is a public toilet near GPO and going there by crossing a road and that too in a rush hour is tough. Nobody stops. The vehicles run seemingly at break-neck speed. Everybody, it seems, is in a hurry, not inclined to spare time for others to cross the roads safely. This is what we are encountering daily,” said Swarna Singh, an owner of a garment store owner.
Asked why things are so with people ignoring the traffic signaling system while crossing the road, Chander Dev Rawat, a police constable who was found on the traffic duty at Clock Tower crossing said there should be a man posted exclusively to handle the traffic signaling system. “It works manually and a person on duty controlling the traffic does not get enough time to press the button of the traffic signal for the pedestrians to cross,” he stated.