News
Public see red as police and CMC go in circles
Malfunctioning traffic light systems in Colombo city are adding to the already chaotic traffic, with the police and CMC giving different reasons for the situation.
 These traffic lights at Pettah have been malfunctioning on off for the past few weeks. Pix by Hasitha Kulasekera |
“Police officers are assigned to control traffic in some busy intersections in Colombo and it would help the task of these officers if there was a system of properly functioning traffic signals in all parts of the city,” Traffic Administration and Road Safety Director, Senior Superintendent K. Arasarathnam said.
He said an increased number of vehicles ply the roads now, with about 300,000 entering the city daily.
During the past few weeks many traffic lights at busy intersections including on Darley Road junction, Olcott Mawatha, Maradana junction, Slave Island and the pedestrian signal system at Lipton Circus in Town Hall were out of order, prompting police to deploy additional men.
The Sunday Times learns that excluding the signals at Olcott Mawatha, Baseline Road and Maradana junction that are maintained by the Road Development Authority (RDA), the rest come under the purview of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
Meanwhile, Deputy Director, Traffic and Road Design, Eng. J. A. Guruge told the Sunday Times that sometimes the signal lights were switched off at the request of the police, especially during peak time since they deployed officers to direct the traffic.
He said the Municipality spent around Rs. 100,000 monthly to maintain about 50 signal intersections and 22 pelican crossings in the city with measures taken to attend to breakdowns immediately. However, he added sometimes there were delays because the insurance processes for claim for repairs took time.
Meanwhile, CMC Chief Engineer I. M. J. Keerthi charged that the traffic signal system on Olcott Mawatha had been switched off at the behest of the police since as they had a special traffic police division that was deployed to control the traffic.
Some motorists and pedestrians also complained about the build up of traffic especially during peak rush hour in the mornings and evenings.
 Slave Island traffic lights |
Nimal Ganegoda, a three wheeler driver complained that there would be less traffic if the lights functioned properly. “Pedestrians cross the road whenever they want to without paying any attention to the traffic signals. Driving in Colombo nowadays is a pain,” he said.
Meanwhile a private sector employee working in Colombo said, “We have to wait for more than 10 minutes at the crossings. The drivers don’t even slow down. The authorities need to fix the signal systems.”
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