Autorickshaw lanes: Drivers thumb their nose at rules

Autorickshaw lanes: Drivers thumb their nose at rules
Monday May 7 2007 12:52 IST

BANGALORE: It has been eight months since dedicated autorickshaw lanes were introduced on many city roads with a view to decongest traffic, but these lanes no longer serve the purpose.

Reason? Drivers are not adhering to the lane rules anymore. Nitin D, a motorist, said the ‘lawlessness’ of auto-drivers made driving difficult.

When speeding autorickshaws abruptly stop to take in a passenger or when they move slowly, vehicles behind them are compelled to crawl.

“In most roads there are no assigned lanes. The autorickshaw drivers show a penchant to overtake speeding vehicles but they would not reciprocate when other vehicles demand space to move on. This result in accidents and traffic snarls. The traffic police should take strict action to ensure that auto drivers follow the assigned autolane pattern,” he said.

Karthik K, another motorist, said the lane pattern was useful as the slow and fast moving vehicles did not have to share the same lane.

“If the autorickshaw drivers are forced to ride on the assigned lane, incidence of traffic jams will reduce considerably.” he said.

“The whole core city must develop dedicated auto-lanes. This will definitely help regulate the increasing traffic,” he added. Incidentally, the city police had earlier attempted to enforce bus lanes on KG Road and Bellary Road but they had to drop the idea because the buses did not stick to their lanes.

The auto-lanes are part of a comprehensive programme to streamline traffic flow in the central business district.

Traffic police to chalk out detailed plan

A senior traffic department official told this website's newspaper that implementing the autolane system was difficult because of increasing traffic congestion and the bottle-necks on many roads.

“In some parts of the City it’s just not possible because of the commencement of the Metro project, for example, MG Road and Cubbon Road,” said the official.

He also said the auto-lane system is not a blanket policy where spot penalty was possible. “The department will survey the city roads and chalk out measures to ease out traffic issues,” he said.

The official also pointed out how motorists other than autorickshaws used used the auto-lane for convenience. People should also be educated about the norms and help the department implement it.