Sir,

Being a resident of Mysuru who travels these roads daily, I fully support the Mysuru City Traffic Police’s efforts to improve road safety through the installation of traffic signals. However, I believe we need a more intelligent approach to how these signals operate on a daily basis.

Traffic signals have been installed at several locations including Maharaja’s College Grounds and Maharana Pratap Circle. While their presence is not the issue, their continuous operation regardless of actual traffic conditions is creating unnecessary congestion.

Consider Maharaja’s Grounds. This location witnesses heavy crowds only during Dasara or occasional political functions. Though installed a few months ago, the signal operates throughout the day regardless of actual traffic volume, causing needless stops for daily commuters.

The situation worsens as vehicles heading toward Maharaja’s Ground Circle queue up and spill over, blocking even those heading toward Saraswathipuram Fire Station underpass, bringing both directions to a crawl.

Similarly, at Maharana Pratap Circle, a new signal now operates barely 550 metres from the existing Mall of Mysore signal, forcing motorists to halt twice within a very short distance.

I am not opposing traffic management infrastructure. Having the signals in place is understandable. However, they need not operate 24×7 at all locations.

What I request is that the Traffic Police monitor actual traffic volume at these junctions and operate signals only when genuinely needed.

Signals at Maharaja’s Grounds, for instance, could remain switched off during normal days and be activated only during events. Similarly, signals placed in proximity could be coordinated better or operated selectively based on real-time traffic flow.

This approach would maintain safety where required while reducing artificial congestion, fuel wastage and travel time during periods of low traffic. Modern traffic management is about smart deployment of resources, not blanket automation.

I urge the Mysuru City Traffic Police to pilot time-based or sensor-triggered signal operation at low-density junctions like Maharaja’s College Ground, a small but impactful step toward genuinely smart traffic management.

—Abhishek Raj

K.C. Layout

31.5.2026