Half of Vijayawada’s traffic signals out of order, road users complain of long waiting time

A traffic policeman regulating the flow of vehicles as a traffic signal at the area remains dysfunctional, in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

More than half of the traffic signals on the Bandar, Eluru and BRTS roads in Vijayawada have been out of order for months, adding to traffic congestion at major junctions during busy hours.

Of the nearly 20 traffic signal points on Bandar, Eluru, BRTS roads and in Singh Nagar that this reporter took note of, only two of them (one near the Sitaramapuram Junction and another on BRTS Road) were operational.

Major junctions, including the ones at Benz Circle, Auto Nagar, Mahanadu, Ramavarappadu Ring, near the Pandit Nehru Bus Station, are all manned by traffic police personnel, while the traffic signals have been dysfunctional for a long time now. Road users say they spend a minimum of five minutes waiting for the lights to turn green. They end up waiting longer during rains.

While the traffic lights at Benz Circle used to work earlier, the traffic police had to be deployed later in order to handle the rising number of vehicles, say some. To that, M.V. Anjaneyulu of the Taxpayers’ Association retorted: “But there is no need for the police to be deployed. One can just increase the waiting time at the signal.”

“There is no proper traffic management system in place in the city to regulate the flow of vehicles. After the Benz Circle flyover was opened for traffic, all the vehicles get stuck near Mahanadu Junction where the new Government General Hospital is located,” he added.

The maintenance of the traffic signals falls under the purview of the traffic police wing, and is funded by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. As per information from the traffic police, there are 24 traffic signals in the city of which 11 are functional.

An auto-rickshaw driver, Nagaraju (name changed), emphasised that traffic signals are more essential at junctions with lesser vehicle flow compared to busier junctions. “Absence of traffic signals emboldens people to drive recklessly. This has dangerous consequences,” he said, adding that it is becoming extremely bothersome to drive in Chitti Nagar and other crowded places, with haphazard parking only adding to the motorists’ woes.

VMC Chief Engineer Sreenath Reddy said an amount of ₹5 crore has been allocated for setting up new traffic signals, which will be automatic and are scheduled to go operational within a month. In addition, the traffic police personnel said they are planning to roll out drones in order to get a bird’s eye view of the flow of vehicles and bottlenecks, which will help them manage traffic better.

Human Rights Forum (HRF) State secretary Gutta Rohith, who lives in the city, points to the lesser-discussed issue of the occupational hazards faced by the traffic police personnel. “Owing to the dysfunctional traffic lights, traffic personnel are deployed. They work for hours on end in a city like Vijayawada which is known for its extreme temperatures, that too without any protective gear. While the government talks of deploying high-tech gadgets like drones, we do not even have basic safety gear for traffic police,” Mr. Rohith said.