Jumping a traffic signal and blaming it on poor visibility will be a thing of the past in Chennai now.
The Chennai Traffic Police have now introduced an LED traffic pole that changes colour according to the signal on the arterial Kamarajar Salai, which will be visible from a distance.
The ‘Live Pole’ LED signal has been installed at the Gandhi Statue signal on Kamarajar Salai. “We have pasted LED strips on the inverted ‘L’-shaped pole and covered it with plastic to protect it from rain. If the signal turns red, the entire pole turns into the same colour,” said N. Kannan, additional commissioner of police, Traffic.
S.R. Senthil, deputy commissioner, Traffic (East), said that similar LED poles are found in Japan and Albania. “Our idea was to make sure that motorists can see the light from a distance and become aware of the signal. This way, signal jumping can be reduced. This signal can be seen when a person reaches Light House and from a very long distance if he/she is coming in the opposite direction,” he explained.
There are three signs on the pole -- Go, Listen and Stop. “We can also play awareness messages by fitting a speaker to the pole, hence ‘Listen’ has been added. We are planning to do it soon. It can be either about COVID-19 or traffic regulations,” he said.
Based on the feedback from the public and policemen, similar poles will be introduced across the city. “As of now, we are getting good response. People are able to see the signal from a distance. Adding similar ‘Live Poles’ on the stretch will also add to the beauty of the scenic beach road,” explained Mr. Senthil.
Mr. Kannan said that he will write to the government to install more such poles.
Blinkers also installed
The police have also installed blinkers at 25 accident-prone spots, including on Kamarajar Salai, Santhome High Road and DGS Dinakaran Salai. “We will be installing them in a total of 50 spots. The main purpose is to reduce the speed of vehicles and to bring down accidents caused due to over-speeding,” said Mr. Senthil.