Traffic police serve up morning humour

Programme to check mishaps proves successful
The traffic police have succeeded in bringing down the number of accidents on the city roads with a special drive
The Times of India


The city traffic police's programme - 'Enforcement of Traffic Regulations' (ETR) that was devised to put a check on the increasing number of road accidents has been effective to a large extent. Digest this: Rs 11.6 crores has been collected as penalties and around 12 lakh cases have been booked for traffic violations, the highest so far in the history of the city traffic police.

IGP & Additional Commissioner of Police K V R Tagore says, "the ETR was formed seven months ago as the number of road mishaps was increasing every year. We identified seven violations among 30 traffic regulations as the main reasons for mishaps - reckless driving, over speeding, drunken driving, not a carrying driving license, using mobile phone while driving, defective lights, and old vehicles that aren't in good condition. The motorists, if found violating any of these rules, were severely dealt with". And till recently, the department has collected over Rs 11.6 crores and has booked around 12 lakh cases, which is more than the total fine collected in the entire year 2004. The programme has also helped in reducing accidents by over 40 percent and fatalities by over 20 percent.

Incapacitated roads, increasing population and multiplying vehicles has taken the toll on all. Bangalore has 46,000 km of arterial and subarterial roads, 41,000 small roads (lanes and by-lanes), 38,000 junctions, and 168 traffic signal junctions. The city has a road space capacity for seven lakh vehicles only whereas the vehicular population today stands at 25 lakhs. It stood a lakh in 1976 and over the last 29 years it has gone up 25 times. With this have increased accidents alarmingly.

Further, Tagore says, "our staff are now equipped with alchometers and we are in the process of procuring specialised cameras that check speeding vehicles and print notices along with the picture of vehicle on the spot. The department has gathered data on vehicles plying on Bangalore roads for the last 10 years with name of the owner, address, type, and make, and is constantly upgrading its database. We have installed cameras in some heavy traffic areas and no parking zones. These cameras help us in booking the violators and within a couple of days we send a notice to their addresses to pay the penalty. Overall, the ETR has proved to be a successful progamme.

Every year, on an average, the city traffic police mobilise over Rs 10 crores as penalties for traffic violations. However, the penalty collected goes to the government treasury. This year, the police department has forwarded a requisition to allow the department to use the money for upgradation of the force's equipment.

Call centres and ORR
The city traffic police have deployed special teams to regulate traffic between 11 pm and 5 am in the city. The task force is being deployed to ensure call centre pick up vehicles don't involve in rash and negligent driving apart from over speeding and driving into no entry roads. "The department has welcomed the initiative of IT companies to put messages of welcoming complaints from public on rash and negligent driving of their drivers", Tagore says, and adds that more such measures can be taken through interaction with IT companies, which the department plans shortly.

Also, a taskforce to man the Outer Ring Road has been formed by the city traffic police. The ORR has registered the highest number of accidents involving fatalities over the last few years, said the senior police officer. The taskforce has been asked to put up barricades to cut the speed of vehicles at regular intervals and also check drivers for drunken driving.