Integrated Traffic Management System: Easing traffic flow or adding to traffic woes?

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) launched in Guwahati has drawn flak from a large section of people. People are nowadays venting their ire against the new traffic system on social media.

On August 23, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the phase-I of ITMS under the City Police Commissionerate for traffic management. The ITMS is a state-of-the-art citizen friendly, integrated and responsive traffic surveillance and control mechanism, equipped with cameras at major junctions of the city. It is expected that the new system will help in checking traffic violations and lead to seamless traffic movement in the city. In the first phase, ITMS will 20 junctions from Nepali Mandir to Khanapara. In the final phase, a total of 94 junctions will come under the ambit of ITMS.

However, it has been alleged that traffic congestion is many areas of the city has increased after new traffic signals under ITMS were installed in those places. Some of these areas are Sixmile, Last Gate Clock Tower and Rukminigaon. People have started wondering whether the authorities concerned had done proper planning or not before launching such a traffic system in the city. Pranoy Baruah travels to office and bck home every day through the Last Gate Clock Tower junction. He said that earlier he never saw any traffic jam in that area although there was no traffic policeman to regulate the traffic in that area. However, after a traffic signal was installed in the Clock Tower area, traffic jams have become frequent. "There is traffic jam in this area every evening after the traffic signal was installed, something which I never faced before in this area," he said.

Traffic congestion has increased in the Sixmile and Rukminigaon areas also after traffic signals were installed under ITMS. City dwellers have said that after the Dispur flyover was inaugurated, there was smooth flow of traffic in the areas near the flyover but now, due to the traffic signal in Rukminigaon, there are traffic jams and vehicles can be seen struck in such jams right from the starting point of the flyover.

Pradyuman Baruah, a resident, was stranded near GNRC Hospital in Sixmile for almost 30 minutes yesterday evening. "Traffic management has worsened after the new traffic system has introduced. Was any planning done before introducing this system to regulate traffic in the city? Was the opinion of experts taken into consideration? Seeing the situation on the streets of the city, it appears that no planning was done and no expert was consulted," he said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Guwahati, Iftiqar Ali said, "As we strive to build up a strong police-public bond to encourage community participation to smoothen traffic arrangements, we urge the commuters of Guwahati to propound ideas which can help us ensure smooth traffic flow in the city. Kindly suggest some area/ stretch/path specific ideas to make smooth traffic arrangements under the Police Commissionerate, Guwahati."

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