IT firms to give auto drivers traffic lessons

IT firms to give auto drivers traffic lessons
By: Chetan R Date: 2010-02-18 Place: Bangalore


Safe Wheels drive to include autos for decongestion of IT corridors

Here is some good news for techies and other Bangaloreans who use autos for their daily commute, and even those who may not be auto users but are affected by the traffic congestion caused by the three-wheelers flouting traffic discipline. The Outer Ring Road Companies' Association (ORRCA), a forum comprising over 20 companies, has decided to impart traffic lessons to auto drivers.

THREE-WHEELER MESS: Autos often break lane discipline, adding to traffic congestion. File pic

As part of the yearlong Safe Wheels programme, the association aims at inculcating traffic discipline among vehicle users, and it hopes the move to guide auto drivers in the right direction will help decongest IT corridors.

Techie initiative

Safe Wheels was initiated by techies working in several IT companies in association with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the traffic police.

S Vishwanath, secretary of ORRCA and manager of AOL, said, "There is huge number of autos in the city that contribute to the transport and traffic system. Hence, we have decided to involve auto drivers in our campaign."

He added, "We have initiated a study specific to auto service in our corridor. Along with briefing auto drivers on our initiatives to decongest roads, we will also make them participate in interactive sessions. During the sessions, we'll address issues like facilitating better auto service, shaping attitudes of both passengers and drivers."

A test project in this regard is already on at Tilak Nagar auto stand and, starting from March, a similar exercise will be carried out in the Sarjapur outer ring road stretch.

However, the auto driver union is skeptical about the success of the plan. R Somashekar, president of Bangalore Auto Drivers Union, said, "Though we appreciate and are ready to extend our cooperation to the said campaign, we believe it's difficult to succeed without state government support."