In what regular commuters hope will bring relief to them, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) will synchronise five traffic signals along Old Madras Road (OMR) in the eastern part of the city, following a month-long pilot project in central Bengaluru that enabled seamless traffic movement during non-peak hours.
If the technical adjustments succeed, commuters could save at least five minutes of travel time on OMR, according to a police officer from the east division. The plan involves synchronising a 2–2.5 km stretch between N.G.E.F. Junction and Anjaneya Junction, covering Double Road and 80 ft. Road junctions.
Synchronisation in central Bengaluru
In September, the west division traffic police, began synchronising two stretches after studying factors such as vehicular density, travel time, and distance.
The first synchronised stretch covers four junctions, starting from Town Hall Junction for vehicles coming from J.C. Road, allowing them to move without stopping at signals up to Police Corner Junction, crossing N.R. Junction and P.S. Junction.
The second stretch covers five junctions, starting from Nrupathunga Junction and passing through Police Corner, Hudson Circle, and N.R. Circle, reaching Town Hall Junction and beyond without encountering a red signal.
While the first stretch is expected to save around 120–140 seconds (approximately two minutes), the second stretch could save at least three minutes, according to estimates.
Lags
The only lag observed during the month-long pilot was near Hudson Circle, where vehicles occasionally encountered a red light due to various factors such as VIP movement, changes in speed, or ambulance passage. All covered junctions are equipped with Vehicle Actuated Control (VAC) signals.
If the synchronisation cycle breaks, police officers must manually manage the next three to four cycles to restore the synchronised flow.
“The technique is being implemented only during non-peak hours, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is difficult to even consider implementing synchronisation during peak hours,” the officer told The Hindu.
The primary challenge lies in the high vehicle density on these stretches during peak hours, which could cause severe congestion at the entry points of the synchronised stretch.
“The technique is practical and effective under moderate traffic conditions, which typically occur during non-peak hours,” the officer added.
Best for local signals
Another officer explained that while the method has proven useful in saving a few critical minutes, it works best on local stretches rather than on roads with heavy vehicular movement. At junctions where three or four roads with varying traffic loads converge, synchronisation can lead to traffic build-up.
For example, synchronising signals around K.R. Circle may not be feasible. The circle connects four roads: Vidhana Soudha (Ambedkar Veedhi) Road, Cubbon Park Road, Post Office Road, and Seshadri Road. Among these, Seshadri Road experiences the heaviest traffic load, while Cubbon Park Road has relatively little. Thus, when signals are synchronised for Cubbon Park Road, vehicles pile up on Seshadri Road, causing severe congestion.
Additionally, implementation poses challenges due to the presence of different types of traffic signals across the city. Bengaluru currently uses three main systems namely Adaptive Traffic Signal, Vehicle Actuated Control (VAC), and the Management of Origin-Destination Related Adaptation for Traffic Optimisation (MODERATO), commonly known as JICA signals. For synchronisation to work effectively, all signals must be of the same type, but the city’s signals are of mixed types.
Despite these limitations, the BTP remains determined to continue its synchronisation efforts to save commuting time for Bengaluru’s motorists. According to police sources, the next experimental stretch under consideration is Mysuru Road.
Published – October 06, 2025 10:12 pm IST
