Bengaluru: Pelican signals to be set up to help pedestrians

Bengaluru: The traffic police department is planning to install 60 pelican signals across the city to ensure the safety of pedestrians, while trying to cross the road.

A senior traffic police officer said that the pelican signal is where the pedestrians can hit a button on the footpath, which stops the traffic until they cross the road.

He said, “We need it, as we see pedestrians struggling to cross a busy road especially during peak hours. They are at risk every time they are crossing the road and pelican signals are a must.”

He said that a team is working on identifying accident-prone areas where pedestrians have suffered the most fatalities and also roads where high volumes of people cross the road to install pelican signals.

R. Hithendra, Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, said, “Wherever there is a gap of 1 kilometre from one traffic signal to another, then a pelican signal is needed. These signals will help pedestrians avoid crossing the road randomly as this creates traffic congestion.”

He said, “For now, our personnel are identifying pedestrian accident prone areas and senior police officers will also conduct an inspection and check the feasibility of setting up the signal. The work of installing these signals will be taken up soon.”