Chennai’s confusing signal poles to go; smart traffic upgrade by December

CHENNAI: Motorists troubled by confusing and partly hidden traffic lights across Chennai may finally see some relief. The city’s traffic police have said that the removal of old poles and the installation of Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) signals at around 165 junctions will be completed by the end of December.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic Planning) Bhasker said the transition to the city’s new tech-driven system was underway. “We understand the issues people are facing. There were some operational delays, but it will be sorted out by the end of December,” he said. “Around 165 junctions across the city will have the ITS system. So far, about 50 have been installed on a pilot basis. The old poles can only be removed once the installation work is fully completed.”

The ITS project, part of Chennai’s smart city initiative, uses AI-based adaptive signal control to manage traffic flow. The system detects vehicle density and automatically adjusts signal timing to reduce waiting time and congestion. It also integrates surveillance cameras and vehicle-count sensors for better monitoring.

The issue of old poles obscuring the new signals has persisted for months. Confusion continues to reign at several busy intersections including EVR Periyar Salai, Anna Salai, and T Nagar. “I can see the green light, but the right-turn indicator isn’t visible. It’s the horn from people behind that tells us to move, imagine how dangerous that could be,” said a fellow commuter at the Dasaprakash junction. Commuters say visibility problems have been a daily nightmare especially at night during rains.

A traffic official from EVR Periyar Salai admitted that “partial visibility” of signals has caused confusion and occasional rule violations. Authorities say the upgraded ITS will bring synchronized, camera-backed and sensor-linked control across junctions, improving travel time and safety once completed by year-end.