Traffic Signals

Maybe it is the initial rush of thoughts that were in my mind over the past few weeks, but here’s another post, despite promising myself that I would post only once a week – so that there’s no writer’s block.

For the Mumbaikars, have you noticed how people start moving their vehicles slowly ahead at the traffic signals? Especially the motorcyclists and auto rickshaw drivers, who are normally halfway through the road even at the red light, jamming up the oncoming traffic.

Idling at those signals, I always wonder why they do this. And is there some way that we can stop it.

And I realised that one of the key reasons why they do it is actually the placement of the signal. Nearly all our junctions have two sets of traffic lights – sometimes even three. One set is placed at the spot where traffic ought to stop – at the stop line. And the second is placed on the opposite side of the road – on the other stop line of the oncoming traffic.

People can see that light, and hence start moving ahead even earlier, knowing fully well that they will possibly be the first to move when it turns green.

Add to that the LED informing us about the time left, and we have given our local Schumachers all the incentive they need to start breaking the rules on the stop line.

Just wondering – would it not be helpful if those indicators and the second set of signal lights were removed from all junctions? To some extent, the drivers who move forward may wait as they won’t be able to see the signal change. And secondly, for whatever it is worth, electricity consumption by the traffic signals would be down by half.