COMMUTERS approaching the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) from either direction have been greatly relieved of much chaos as they are now  facing the newly-installed traffic lights which commenced operation yesterday morning.

Head of the Traffic and Street Lighting Department in the Ministry of Public Works, Terrence O’Brien, speaking with this newspaper, indicated that this installation had been in the pipelines for a very long time and was delayed through a number of factors.
He explained that the chaos and congestion caused in the past by vehicles and pedestrians whenever the bridge was closed will no longer be, since  the new traffic signals have been  installed and tested.
The testing which was done yesterday morning as the system came into operation saw an off-peak period of 115 seconds and was verified to be an excellent timing period.
O’Brien noted that if the traffic situation builds up, the present system can be operated manually from a press station installed on one of the signal poles.  He said that the operator who will be a traffic warden from the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department can control the traffic in the build-up lanes.
He pointed out that there will soon be filter lanes installed to have the  traffic going to and off the bridge approach  in a smooth operation.  This is expected to reduce the extent of traffic build-up at peak hours.
These new signals are the modern type, made in China, and were acquired by the Government of Guyana.
Areas under consideration
Asked about the next location where traffic lights are likely to be installed, he mentioned that this would be in the area of Conversation Tree and the Railway Embankment.  He noted that this area has become a sore point and needed some immediate control mechanism.
Other areas under consideration are Durban and Haley Streets and Camp and  Robb Streets as these areas need replacement of the signal lights.
Meanwhile, commuters who spoke with this newspaper congratulated the government for installing the signals.  The department will continue to monitor the installation and traffic for a period before making final settings to the installation.