It's always red in crawling Kolkata

KOLKATA: Around four years ago, a green corridor was introduced with much fanfare on Chittaranjan Avenue spanning 11 major intersections from Esplanade to Shyambazar. The corridor, where the traffic lights were meant to be synchronised, has now become history. Though different agencies pass the buck on the fate of synchronised traffic lights in the city, the statistics tell a sorry tale: there are traffic lights installed at only 97 intersections of the city; the lights are most of the time flashing amber with traffic policemen manually directing traffic; the average vehicular speed in Kolkata is a pathetic 20 kmph whereas it is around 35-40 kmph in Delhi and Mumbai.A senior official of CMS computers traffic division, the organisation which installed and maintains many of the traffic lights in Kolkata, admits that traffic lights, synchronised or otherwise, have not really worked. "Currently, junction control is done by signal systems which are pre-timed and insensitive to daily variations. variations. However during peak hours, it is switched to manual control which means there is no synchronisation at different junctions," he said. Part of the problem is that traffic lights at many intersections do not work. Deputy commissioner (traffic) M.K. Singh says lack of funds is the main impediment. "It takes about Rs 45 lakh annually to maintain these lights," he says, adding that the police are dependent on sponsors to keep the lights working. According to Singh, civic authorities in other metro cities are responsible for installing and maintaining lights. "Ideally, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation should maintain street lights," he said. Mayor Subrata Mukherjee is quick to point out that traffic is a civic subject in these metros. "Ask them to hand over the department to us and we will do a better job," he said. KMC gives the property to construct traffic signal infrastructure free of cost and does not have a share in the advertising revenues. However, World Bank consultant and former Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority director-general (planning and development) S.K. Roy believes that a synchronised traffic system can work in the city. "Kolkata has a distinct advantage in introducing synchronised oneways as the central area is a well-planned rectangular grid," he said. The other advantage, according to Roy, is that Kolkata is a narrow city.