The Pelican returns to help cross the road

Once a person pushes the button attached to the signal pole,the traffic light turns red for 18 to 30 seconds,allowing the pedestrian to cross the road.

“There are basically two types of signals we are planning to install. One is the pelican signal which has a switch. When a pedestrian pushes the switch,the traffic flow stops and the person can cross the road safely. This system will be used where there is low frequency of pedestrians. The other is an in-built cycle system where,after every two minutes,the traffic stops and the pedestrians get 15 seconds to cross the road. This applies in the case of higher frequency of pedestrians,” B S Bassi,Special Commissioner (Traffic),told Newsline.

Traffic officials said they are working on a twin strategy — identifying the infrastructure that can be used for a pedestrian crossing and identifying locations where there is need for installing signal crossing. The department is also carrying out a survey on the flow of pedestrians.

“The primary responsibility of the Traffic department is mobility with safety. The most vulnerable on the road are the pedestrians. Hence,the prime focus of the strategy is the common man on the road. The department is working on different methods and projects,including installation of new crossing and re-energising the old ones,” Bassi said.

Work has already started in certain areas of the city. The department has re-activated the pedestrian crossing signal at the C-Hexagon roundabout in the heart of the city.

“The pedestrian crossing at the C-Hexagon roundabout,which includes Rajpath,Shahjahan Road and Tilak Marg,was not being used. We carried out a study,stopping the traffic for 15 seconds every two minutes. We found that the traffic flow was not affected and the pedestrians found it easy to cross the road safely. Hence,we re-energised the pedestrian crossing in the area,” Bassi said.

Agencies such as PWD,NHAI and MCD will be lending support to the project. “At places where the infrastructure is available,work will start immediately and will take two months to complete. Where the infrastructure is yet to come up,it will take seven to eight months,” he said.