Smart traffic lights are being installed at seven different places of Kathmandu from Tuesday including in New Baneshwor, Padmodaya intersection of Putalisadak, Shankar Dev intersection, Narayan Gopal Chowk of Maharajgunj, Soalteemode and in front of Kathmandu Metropolitan Office from Tuesday.
The traffic lights at Baneshwor Chowk have been installed at 3 pm to initiate the installation project. Metropolitan Traffic Police Division Chief DIG Sarbendra Khanal informed that testing has been done at all places.
Traffic police had to use hand gestures for the management of traffic in the main intersections of the Valley after most of the traffic lights gathered dust. Now smart traffic lights will work in these places.
These traffic lights have been installed on joint effort of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, Department of Roads and Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The installation of smart traffic light was entrusted to Yarsha Technology.
DIG Khanal further said installation of smart traffic lights would be gradually started in other places as well.
Khanal said smart traffic lights would be now installed at Kesharmahal, Durbar Marga, Singha Durbar, Maitighar, Kalimati, Gaushala and Tinkune, among other places.
Engineer at Yarsha Technology Siddhik Ansari said that the company will look after the installed lights for five years.
"We've forwarded our works in a way that the vehicles do not have to stay for more than 90 seconds in congestion at the main junctions of the capital," Khanal said.
"Traffic lights will be solar-powered," Ram Chandra Khanal of Yarsha Technology said, "Even power outage and road construction will not affect their operation."
With the installation of traffic lights, mobilization of human resources will drastically be reduced. As many as 1,400 traffic police personnel are deployed for management of traffic in the Valley. The MTPD has said after installation of lights, just 500 traffic police would suffice. It also believes traffic congestion will be reduced and will also aid in minimizing the rate of accidents.
Currently, only four of 21 traffic lights in Kathmandu Valley including in Suryabinayak, Kaushaltar, Gatthaghar and Sallaghari--all in Bhaktapur--are operational.
Smart traffic lights are being installed at three locations of Lalitpur Metropolitan City including in Kandevata, Pulchowk (at the entrance of minister quarter), and in front of Alka Hospital.
The traffic police have written to KMC and Department of Roads stating that traffic lights should be installed at 34 locations. Chabahil, Old Baneshwor, Maitidevi, Babarmahal, Tripureshwor, Krishna Pauroti, Mitrapark, Airport, Gwarko, Satdobato, Jawalakhel, Ekantakuna, Lainchaur, Halchowk, Sorhakhutte, Balkhu, Samakhusi Chowk, Mahalaxmisthan, Teku and Gairidhara, among others, are places where traffic police suggested installation of traffic lights.
Installation of traffic lights was first done in 2026 BS. Traffic lights were installed for the first time at Sundhara, New Road Gate, Singha Durbar and southern gate of Narayanhiti Palace. They stopped working in due course of time. Japanese government had first installed traffic lights in 2001 in Thapathali and then at 10 different locations of the Valley in the same year. These traffic lights stopped working from 2010 onward.
