Bengaluru adds 50 new traffic signals, review planned to ease growing congestion

With the total number of traffic signals touching 501, city traffic authorities are preparing a detailed review to decide where signals are necessary and where they can be removed for smoother traffic flow.

Bengaluru Traffic Police has installed 50 new traffic signals in the current financial year, increasing the total number of operational signals in the city to 501. With traffic congestion continuing to rise, the department has decided to carry out a comprehensive study to assess where additional signals are required and where existing ones may no longer be necessary.

As part of the review, traffic authorities will examine junctions where signals are placed very close to each other, particularly those located within a distance of less than 100 metres. Some signals have already been removed based on earlier assessments, and more may be taken down if found to be ineffective or redundant.

Before any traffic signal is installed, a detailed ground-level assessment is conducted. Teams monitor Passenger Car Unit (PCU) density, road design, traffic volume, pedestrian movement and intersection patterns. The presence of residential neighbourhoods, commercial areas, hospitals and educational institutions is also taken into account while deciding signal placement.

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However, officials acknowledge that the number of traffic signals is steadily increasing as regulating vehicle movement has become more challenging. In many locations, motorists are not adhering to traffic rules even at newly installed signals. As a result, traffic police personnel have to be deployed at these junctions to enforce compliance, reducing the effectiveness of automated regulation.

This practice has added pressure on manpower, with officials noting that stationing personnel at signalised junctions is proving to be a repetitive and inefficient exercise.

According to department records, Bengaluru has a road network stretching nearly 14,000 kilometres, around 44,000 intersections and approximately 1.2 crore registered vehicles on its roads. To better understand whether the city has an excessive number of signals, traffic authorities are also comparing Bengaluru’s signal density with that of other major metropolitan cities.