Traffic police gear up to mark roads

If followed, that is.
That's a pretty big if.

Traffic police gear up to mark roads
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: One can think of a road, without potholes, but it is difficult to imagine a road without any markings or guidelines. These markings help traffic to flow smoothly. If followed, that is.

As the rainy season comes to an end, the traffic police in the city are all prepared to start marking zebra crossings, yellow and white lines on the roads. More than a 100 litres of paint and thinner are used to paint markings in every jurisdiction.

East Zone Traffic DCP M.A. Saleem told this website’s newspaper markings on roads are very important as they guide motorists onto safe driving paths. He said previously, Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) and Land Army Divisions were engaged in doing the painting on the roads, but for the last four years, police have themselves taken up the initiative.

‘‘Markings done by police personnel are more accurate and we do it according to the traffic density,’’ said Saleem. Generally, police constables and a few hired painters do the markings on the roads.

Cubbon Park Traffic Inspector M.L. Alvares said the marking work on the roads starts soon after the rains. ‘‘The central areas will get touch ups every alternate week, while the outskirts will be painted once in three months,’’ he added. The markings once painted will last for a minimum of three months.

Each marking done on the road has specific measurements. Each strip on the pedestrian zebra crossing is one foot wide with a gap of 1.5 feet between each. The central lines on the roads are each three feet long and at intervals of five feet between two lines.

Another traffic inspector said more than 50 litres of paint and thinner are used to mark one junction alone. Mysore Paints is the major paint supplier for the road marking and further added that new pedestrian crossings with reflecting paint on it, is under testing on few junctions. After checking the results, busy junctions in the city would get reflecting markings on the roads, he added.

The police department is ensuring the safety of every rider on the road and now its the motorists’ choice to follow lane discipline while riding their vehicles, officers said.