A pedestrian-centric facility has screeched to a halt, even before it took off. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has put a pedestrian-controlled signal facility on hold within 24 hours of launching it, a recent report in this paper stated. The civic body had, on an experimental basis, selected seven traffic signals where pedestrians could press the signal button to halt vehicular movement. But, after the traffic department questioned the possible chaos and misuse by pedestrians at crucial junctions, the NMMC has decided to halt the initiative.

The concern was about the high volume of traffic at these signals and the problems that might occur with the reins in the hands of the pedestrians. Now, top cops say that they will launch a campaign about the proper usage of the facility. One has to wonder if this follows a tiresome, familiar pattern. Launch an initiative or a new piece of infrastructure without fully thinking it through.