Ride on footpath, lose your licence

ide on footpath, lose your licence

The offender's vehicle will be seized and his licence suspended

K Ramanujam. Bangalore



The city traffic police are set to crackdown on those who drive their vehicles on footpaths. Police said they will seize the offender's vehicle, besides suspending his driving licence. Motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, encroaching upon footpaths to get ahead of the traffic are a common sight in the city. This reckless driving poses danger to pedestrians, who are currently left with little space on city roads.
Police sources on Monday said the licences of those who ride on footpaths will be produced before the respective regional transport office for suspension.
Confirming this, deputy commissioner of traffic (West) Panduranga H Rane said that the traffic police have started booking cases against those who encroaches footpaths for riding their two-wheelers.
"But we are yet to seize the driving licences of these riders to initiate suspension. But we have collected Rs100 each as fine from these offenders," Rane said.
As many as 6180 cases were registered against those who were found riding on footpaths last year. During the first quarter of 2009, police have registered 2,331 cases. However, police have found that the fine do not deter motorists from driving on footpaths.
"The offenders do not bother about the fine. Hence, we are seeking severe punishment for these offenders, including the suspension of driving licence," Rane stated.
The police officer also requested the public to inform the control room of footpath riding. "The public can e-mail the complaint to dcptre@gmail.com," he said.
Besides footpath riders, police are planning to suspend the driving licences of rash and reckless drivers.