Red, amber and green are the colours of traffic regulation, aren’t they? But, they have an unlikely companion now — yellow. The new entrant to the group is actually an odd one out — for, it is more aural than ocular.
This additional feature of traffic management comes lodged in a rectangular yellow box with the disabled icon — and, if you are thinking about it, the box doesn’t glow yellow.
It’s an auditory signal that helps the differently-abled cross busy junctions through recorded messages. It is also of use to able-bodied pedestrians as its alerts apply to everyone.
The city traffic police have started installing these auditory signals at busy pedestrian crossings. The signals have been designed by the Commissionerate of the Welfare of the Differently-Abled, which first mooted this idea in 2013-14. Around 150 signals across the city are expected to receive these auditory aids.
“It’s one big team work,” says Joseph Xavier, technical officer, Office of the State Commissionerate for the Differently-Abled.
Xavier, G. Ravindranath Singh, deputy director and S. Sivanandham, deputy commissioner of police, Traffic Planning Cell (who retired from the Department recently) have been involved the project since the time it was mooted.
“It’s extremely satisfying to note that we have managed to incorporate ideas based on feedback from users, NGOs, the police and the visually impaired,” says Xavier.
Before the project was implemented in Chennai, the team made a visit to Delhi to study the “Hooter Box” concept introduced at 68 pedestrian crossings.
According to the team, the system being followed in Delhi is basic and the one in Chennai has more layers of complexity. The team says that the signals here incorporate the elements of synchronisation, voice and time in the equipment.
“Depending on how busy the crossing is, traffic police personnel can set the time for instructions. The average time is 20 seconds,” says a police official.
Vardah and red-tapism are said to be among factors that delayed the installation of these signals.
Currently, these auditory signals have been installed at 40 junctions across the city. The plan is to have them at 110 more. Govind Krishnan, founder of Netrodaya, an organisation working for the welfare of visually-impaired students, says the equipment should be installed at the earliest.
“The Government has allocated ₹75 lakh for the project. Implementation of the project cannot be delayed any further,” he says, adding that busy junctions that are known to be accessed by the visually impaired must be accorded priority. “It must also be water proof,” adds Govind Krishnan.
According to NGOs working in the area of differently abled, the challenge lies in how efficiently these signals are operated.
As the auditory signals can be operated only by traffic police personnel, much of the success of the initiative depends on them. These groups have also suggested that tactile tiles be laid near these signals.
Send feedback to toscda6@gmail.com or Traffic police Twitter account (ChennaiTrafficAlert)