CHANDIGARH: With all the 3,500 km of single lane roads having been expanded to capacity, the city now has no scope for widening of roads. Since roads have been expanded as much as possible and cycle tracks have come up alongside them, the engineering departments of both Chandigarh administration and the MC said improvement in public transport system and introduction of planned Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) are needed as soon as possible.
Sources in the engineering department said in view of the fact that the city does not have a chance to expand due to its limited area, they have held discussions with the department concerned.
"We were left with small areas along roads. Now, all the roads have been converted into cycle tracks. No area is left for widening at all. Besides, widening of roads will not solve any traffic problems and authorities will have to look for alternative areas", a senior officer said.
Sources also underlined the need for frequent plying of buses and early introduction of ITMS. "Since work of ITMS is with the Smart City project, the civic body authority will do the needful so that traffic can be managed in the city in a holistic manner," sources said.
Explaining ITMS, an official said under this system, a visual display board will be installed at all junctions of the city. The boards will display congested roads to indicate to commuters not to take them.
The ITMS system will also have the feature of automatic audible announcement system.
"Traffic signals through ITMS system will be set in a manner that the road having more traffic is given more time to release it as compared to the one which has less traffic. The system will enable authorities to catch violators easily and traffic
synchronization will also be in place", an official said.
Road widening work on in Sector 25, Chandigarh
