The traffic police are planning to go hi-tech, with giant screens to flash traffic status messages for the benefit of motorists. Sadly, the signages we have now are even mis-spelt, like the one of the AJC Bose flyover at the Park Circus end. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Four giant screens will soon be installed at key crossings in the city to guide traffic through the road chaos.

The “hi-tech” screens will warn motorists of snarls lying ahead and suggest alternative routes.

According to a tentative plan, the solar-powered LCD screens will be installed at the Parama Island, Esplanade, Shyambazar and Mayo Road crossings by the end of this month. “The locations, however, may vary from time to time,” said a senior officer of the traffic police.

In a city where chaos is the only certainty on the road, the police are banking on the screens to ensure smoother flow of traffic.

“The idea is to let the people on the road know what lies ahead and suggest the best possible route to their destination,” said Jawed Shamim, deputy commissioner of police (traffic). “In a city where there is so much congestion, the screens will be of much help.”

Under normal circumstances, the boards will flash traffic messages, he added.

The project is likely to cost Rs 30 lakh. The screens will reach the city from Nagpur by next week. They will be mounted on hydraulic pillars attached to vans at a height of 15 ft, around 300-400 metres from a crossing.

“The messages will be typed and monitored from the traffic control room in Lalbazar. But during an emergency, the officer-in-charge of the local traffic guard will be empowered to post necessary directions on the screen,” said a traffic police officer.

“The messages will range from road diversions to the necessity of wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler,” he added.

“To make the boards function perfectly, there has to be a high degree of coordination between the traffic guards and the control room. Only time will tell whether we are capable of achieving it,” said an officer at the Lalbazar headquarters.