COIMBATORE: For a city grappling with the ever-growing traffic congestion, Coimbatore folk are upset with police for trying and testing the very measures that once proved to be a failure in streamlining vehicular movement, and not coming up with a permanent solution to address their woes.After successfully replacing the automated traffic signals with U-turns to ensure seamless traffic flow on major city roads, police are now reverting to the old signal system to keep speeding vehicles in check and bring down the road accident rate.The move has, however, not gone down well with the public, who say the newly installed automated traffic signals on Avinashi Road on a trial basis have only worsened the traffic congestion on one of the city’s busiest corridors. The resulting gridlock has disrupted daily travel for office-goers, students and other commuters, who now want police to stop the trial run and remove the signals once and for all.The city police reinstalled automated signals at ESSO Bunk Junction and Pioneer Mill Junction for a trial period from June 13 to 17. Officials say the trial is intended to study signal performance and traffic density and to decide whether timing changes or layout modifications are needed before any permanent rollout. As part of the experiment, the U-turn near Pioneer Mill Junction is temporarily closed.Instead of easing traffic, the two signals have been causing long traffic snarls for the past two days, especially on Nava India stretch. Motorists reported slow-moving, bumper-to-bumper queues during evening peak hours, with significant delays across the corridor. The congestion has triggered criticism from residents and commuters, many of whom argue that the current arrangement worsens bottlenecks rather than improving safety or vehicular flow.This is not the first time a signal plan on Avinashi Road is facing a backlash. On March 10, police implemented a similar signal system after pressure from politicians, businesspeople and residents, but it was removed within a day due to heavy congestion.A senior police officer says a traffic signal near Bharati Colony, close to Nava India, was removed earlier for the U-turn system. “After its removal, locals petitioned officials, stating they were forced to travel nearly one kilometre to make a turn. The new signals are installed on a trial basis in response to their grievances.”According to the city police commissioner, N Kannan, traffic from Bharati Colony Road and Pioneer Mills Road is high, and vehicles entering Avinashi Road often move to the extreme right to take U-turns, leading to accidents and slowdowns. “I am monitoring the trial run personally and the system will be assessed for commuter convenience.”Civic activists and members of the public, however, demanded immediate and permanent removal of the signals.
