Traffic signals that talk: Trial on at Seshadripuram

Traffic signals that talk: Trial on at Seshadripuram
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Whenever you crossed a road, have you ever felt like yelling at the vehicles to stop?

Well, the city may actually get a device that hoots asking the vehicles to stop and let the pedestrians cross.

A pedestrian road-crossing device is installed in front of Sheshadripuram Circle, in front of Sree Rama temple on a trial basis. If proved to be successful, the device may be installed in other places in the city too.

The device is designed by a retired engineer KS Iyengar and is specifically made to help pedestrians. After an interval of every 60 seconds, a red light glows facing the road. Simultaneously, a hooter sounds for 10 seconds, to alert the vehicles to stop.

For the next 20 seconds, another hooter operates with a lesser sound, during which pedestrians can cross the road. This is an automatic device which keeps working non-stop unless it is manually switched off.

The system has been working at Sheshadripuram, for the past two weeks from 8 am to 12 noon, and has received a good response.

There are requests from people to install the device at other places as well. But there are complaints also from many, calling it a noise pollutant, DCP Traffic (East) M A Saleem said. “We will observe it for a month, and then decide on it. Perhaps, we will use it with some modifications, while we keep in mind the suggestions from citizens,” he added.

The inventor K S Iyengar said that the device is one of the immediate solutions to the problems of pedestrians. “It is very helpful near school buildings. We are approaching some schools to install the signals,” he said.

Iyengar has spent Rs 15,000 on the trial and development of the system. “But another device will cost just Rs 10,000,” he added. The device has been installed in collaboration with Nallan Chakravarthy Trust and Mass Technologies.