How traffic-jams could be eased with smart signal synchronisation

By Dheeraj Fartode :

Nagpur’s traffic is facing a severe problem due to unsynchronized traffic signals. The city has over 170 traffic signals; however, none of them are synchronized which resulted into vehicles to stop at every signal one after another. This leads to longer travel times and increased traffic congestion. Traffic signal synchronization is a traffic engineering technique that coordinates green light timings at intersections to reduce delays and improve traffic flow. It estimate when a group of vehicles will arrive at each intersection and programme the signals to provide a green light accordingly. Currently, traffic signals in the city are manually synchronized.

However, because the traffic police are not effectively synchronizing the signals, it results in wasted time and fuel for road users. For instance, on Wardha Road, the traffic signals at Samvidhan Square, Zero Mile Square, and Morris T-Point could be synchronized which could allow vehicles to pass from Samvidhan Square to Morris T-Point without stopping at each signal. However, due to the lack of synchronisation, vehicles have to stop at every signal along the way. A similar situation exists at Rahate Colony Square and Kruplani T-Point.

The signals are located within a 500-meter stretch, but due to non-synchronization, vehicles have to stop at both signals which leads to time delays and unnecessary fuel consumption. In Nagpur, there are several other routes -- such as Central Avenue, Outer Ring Road, Amravati Road, Sadar Road, Sakkardara Road, and Great Nag Road -- where traffic signal synchronization could improve traffic flow and make driving easier for motorists. A senior official of the Traffic Police stated that, for now, the synchronization of traffic signals is being done manually. However, new traffic signals will be installed in the next six months, after which synchronization will be automated. In manual synchronization, traffic police set the timers for the signals, while in automatic synchronization, the system itself adjusts the signal timings along the route, he stated.