Nagpur: Commuters may face longer waits at some approaches during peak hours after traffic police tweaked signal timings at 28 busy junctions, giving more green time to roads carrying heavier traffic.“The changes have been made only for the morning and evening rush hours, following observations of traffic flow at major junctions. The objective is to clear queues faster on busy routes rather than give every approach an equal share of green time,” a senior traffic police officer told TOI.However, the longer green phases come at the cost of waiting time for traffic on other approaches, as every additional second allotted to one road has to be accommodated within the signal cycle.The city has 171 traffic signals, of which around 161-162 are currently functional. The latest exercise covers major junctions in the Sitabuldi Traffic Police Division. A senior official from NMC’s electrical department said the timings were revised at the request of traffic police, with green phases extended by 5 to 15 seconds.The variation is significant. While some approaches get as little as 18 seconds of green, the busiest receive up to 55 seconds. At Kripalani Chowk, traffic heading towards Rahate Chowk gets 55 seconds, while the Ajni Chowk approach gets 45 seconds. At Rahate Chowk, traffic heading towards Morris Chowk gets 55 seconds.At Samvidhan Chowk, the MSEB approach gets a 55-second green phase. At Lokmat Chowk, traffic heading towards Kalpana Building gets 50 seconds. Zero Mile Chowk gives 50 seconds to traffic heading towards Morris Chowk, while Bole Petrol Pump Square gives 40 seconds to vehicles heading towards Law College.Kripalani Chowk illustrates the variation in signal timings. Its four listed green phases are 22, 55, 28 and 45 seconds. If these run sequentially, they total 150 seconds, or 2.5 minutes, before amber and all-red intervals are added. A vehicle arriving just after the 22-second green could theoretically wait up to 128 seconds for the next green. For the 55-second phase, the corresponding maximum theoretical wait would be 95 seconds.“These are indicative calculations, not measured waiting times, because the schedule does not establish whether every phase operates sequentially or whether some overlap. Amber, all-red and pedestrian phases could further affect the actual cycle,” the official said.Morris College Square could have an even longer cycle, although one stretch has been closed for underground tunnel construction. Its schedule lists 22 seconds for Variety Market, 28 for Manas Chowk, 75 for traffic heading towards Rahate Chowk and 50 for Zero Mile Chowk. If these are consecutive green phases, the listed timings total 175 seconds, or nearly three minutes.For motorists, the revised plan is a trade-off: quicker clearance on the busiest routes could mean longer waits on other roads. Whether the changes reduce overall congestion will depend on how effectively the additional green time clears queues during peak hours. Traffic police are expected to monitor the revised timings and make further adjustments based on traffic flow at the junctions.TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING TWEAKJunctions covered: 28Traffic signals in city: 171Functional signals: 161-162Timing changes: Morning & evening peak hours onlyGreen time range: 18-55 secondsLongest single green phase: 55 secondsLongest composite phase: 75 secondsKripalani Chowk indicative cycle: 150 secondsKripalani maximum indicative wait: Up to 128 secondsMorris Chowk listed green phases: 195 secondsIndicative calculation, excluding amber/all-red and overlapping phases.
