Road Town, Tortola - Four technical staff from the Public Works Department and two other individuals from the public service who have been integral in the maintenance and monitoring of the traffic signals in the Territory will receive training in traffic signal operations beginning tomorrow.

The Ministry of Communications and Works in its commitment to improving traffic operations throughout the Territory, has secured the services of a traffic engineering consulting agency, Coordinated Traffic Solutions, to provide traffic signal operations, systems and equipment training, and signal timing optimization for the intersection at Waterfront and Admin. Drive.

“I look forward to seeing the benefit of this investment as the optimal operation of the traffic signals is our goal,” Minister for Communications and Works, Honourable Julian Fraser, RA said.

“The training is aimed at introducing various concepts related to traffic signal operations and how they are integrated into the existing signal systems in the Territory. The training will also give personnel first-hand experience in monitoring, adjusting and evaluating the signal system,” Acting Director of Public Works Department, Dr. Drexel Glasgow told the Department of Information and Public Relations.

The director also noted that “A major component of the consultancy is the calibration of the signal system at the intersection of Waterfront and Admin. Drive, which will include collecting traffic turning movement count data, modelling the data with the geometric configuration, and developing optimised signal timing plans that are in sync with time of day and week considerations.”

The director is expecting that traffic operations will be significantly improved as a result of the signal timing optimisation exercise.

The training is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Public Works Department and will be completed on Friday, March 26.

The traffic lights were commissioned on August 20, 2009 in an effort to relieve the traffic congestion in the Road Town area and to provide a more pedestrian friendly capital.