Only 93 of the city’s 154 installed traffic signals are functional on the city’s extensive road network, which spans thousands of kilometers and includes more than 20 million residents and well over seven million registered automobiles.
It gets a little more interesting when you consider that 60 of these signals, or 65% of the total, are situated in areas under the control of the Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC), despite the fact that, according to the CBC’s official website, these areas only make up 361 km of the total road network that winds through the city.
In regions under the control of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), the city has 94 traffic lights placed in total, but 61 of them are “non-functional,” according to a recent assessment by the Transport Engineering Bureau (TEB).
Ironically, out of the 61 “non-functional” signals, 42 have been turned off, despite DIG-Traffic Ahmed Nawaz Cheema insisting in an interview with Dawn that the city “should have 2,000 traffic signals” to maintain a smooth flow of vehicle traffic. for VIP travel and, in the official’s words, “to assist the passage of automobiles on the roadways,” by the traffic police themselves.
The traffic police have suggested installing 25 new traffic lights, of which TEB is set to begin work on 13 fully automated traffic lights in the coming months, despite the fact that this is the rate of usage of the existing traffic lights on the highways.
The remaining 19 broadcasts aren’t working because of technical issues such as cable problems, power shortages, and broken equipment. TEB, which is in charge of maintaining these signals, attributes the problem to a lack of personnel and resources.
For instance, “just one vehicle designated for tracking purposes and the same is utilized for maintenance,” according to a TEB official who chose to remain unnamed.
As a result, wires and other necessary materials “are taken on a regular basis,” he claimed. No matter how hard they try, TEB is powerless to change this.
When it comes to the installation and maintenance of traffic signals, disagreements between the TEB and the traffic police hierarchy complicate problems because both parties accuse the other of lacking coordination.
No matter what either party claims, the lack of coordination is obvious given that there hasn’t been a meeting between the two departments in a while.
The TEB representative claims that the DIG’s office is in charge of setting up the meeting.
The DIG claims that since coordination is being handled by his subordinate employees, there is no need to convene a formal meeting.
The bilateral equation’s more positive side is that both parties can see the road forward. Both sides now agree that the city needs more traffic signals, not less, after years of extolling the virtues of its signal-free roads.
Even outside specialists concur with this.
More signals are required, particularly at roundabouts and beneath flyovers, according to Dr. Afzal Ahmed, head of the Advanced Traffic Lab for Analytics & Simulation (ATLAS) at NED University of Engineering and Technology.
Dr. Ahmed thinks that traffic signals are essential for regulating traffic and facilitating pedestrian circulation in the city’s corporate and commercial areas.
