CHENNAI: At a time when global fuel markets remain volatile amid geopolitical tensions, the Chennai traffic police's recent replacement of old traffic signal poles with new systems without countdown timers at several major junctions, including T Nagar and EVR Periyar Salai (Poonamallee High Road), has triggered concerns among motorists over a potential surge of fuel consumption due to uncertainty over waiting times at signals.
Commuters say the removal of timers has led most of them to keep their engines running while stationary, potentially increasing fuel consumption amid the global crisis.
The new signal systems have been installed at a number of busy junctions, including areas in T Nagar, EVR Periyar Salai (Poonamallee High Road), and other major arterial roads. While the upgraded signal poles are intended to modernise traffic management, motorists say the absence of visible countdown timers has created uncertainty while waiting at red lights.
Many commuters argue that countdown timers previously helped drivers estimate the duration of signal stops and decide whether to switch engines off or not. But now, they prefer to keep their engines idling rather than risk delaying traffic when the signal turns green.
Suriyakumar, a biker who frequently travels through central Chennai, said, "When there was a countdown timer, we knew exactly how much time was left before the signal changed. If the waiting time was long, many riders would turn off their vehicles and restart them when the timer approached zero. Now, without timers, most people simply keep their vehicles running because they do not know when the signal will change," he said.
Auto driver Kathiresan, who has been operating in Chennai for nearly two decades, echoed similar concerns. "The old signals had very useful timers. If we switched off the engine, we could restart it at the right time. Now, if we turn off the vehicle and the signal suddenly changes to green, motorists behind us become impatient and start honking. To avoid that situation, many drivers keep their engines idling throughout the signal wait," he said.
With global crude oil markets remaining sensitive to geopolitical developments, including tensions involving the United States and Iran, fuel efficiency has become an increasingly important public policy concern. In recent days, the Centre has repeatedly encouraged citizens to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption and improve energy efficiency.
According to the 2017 study, "Estimation of Fuel Loss Due to Idling of Vehicles at a Signalised Intersection in Chennai, India" by VIT Vellore, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars, LCVs, and HCVs were observed in idling mode at traffic signals. The analysis revealed that the percentage of vehicles in idling condition varied between 88% and 94%. This clearly shows that only 6% to 12% of the vehicles passing through the approach road from Siruseri switched off their engines, while the remaining vehicles remained in idling condition.
Using the fuel consumption values for various vehicle types suggested by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), the total fuel loss during the study period was estimated at Rs 4,93,849 lakhs. In a city with many intersections, the monetary loss due to fuel consumed by idling vehicles would be very high, running into crores of rupees in a single day.
As no recent estimate is available, a calculation based on fuel price inflation indicates that the economic cost could be significantly higher today. With petrol prices rising from around Rs 70/litre in 2017 to approximately Rs 107.88/litre on Sunday price, and considering that the Greater Chennai Traffic Police manages over 312 traffic signals, the fuel-related component of these losses could now be equivalent to nearly Rs 8,580 crore annually.
However, transport experts caution that signal timers must be used appropriately. Venugopal AV, Program Manager at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), told DT Next that countdown timers for red signals can be beneficial, particularly at busy intersections that are not operated through adaptive traffic signal systems.
"If the signals are not adaptive signals that change based on traffic conditions, timers counting down the red light can be useful at busy junctions with long delays. They reduce red light violations caused by frustration and lower idling anxiety," he said.
At the same time, he warned against the use of green light countdown timers. "Timers counting down the green light are dangerous because they encourage motorists to race through intersections before the signal changes. This can lead to higher speeds and increase the risk of crashes," Venugopal noted.
G Karthikeyan, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told DT Next that new traffic poles use AI cameras to switch signals based on traffic density and situations. He also clarified that these new traffic poles will operate without signal timers.