Time to infuse some sense in B’luru’s chaotic traffic

There is nothing wrong in traffic cops claiming credit for massive penalty collections. The West Division of the Bengaluru Traffic Police has for instance claimed to have collected RS. 6.79 lakh in penalties from erring drivers for traffic violations of every kind. The violations include one-way riding, triple riding, footpath parking and wrong-side parking. The traffic police have also claimed that they have nabbed many city residents for drunken driving during their night checks.

This is no doubt a good thing considering the lives lost due to people driving under the influence of alcohol and becoming a nuisance to others on the road. These special drives by the cops and penalty collections notwithstanding, many Bengalureans will admit that driving on city roads is increasingly becoming a strenuous affair. One of the factors of course cannot be blamed on the cops; the roads in every part of the city are riddled with potholes and craters and anyone chancing to drive on one of the stretches for the first time is sure to have a nervewracking experience with aching bones and frayed tempers.

The patchwork which our civic contractors have done have made the rides even more jarring with vehicles and riders equally bearing the brunt. Another crucial factor which impedes a smooth drive for a traffic law-abiding citizen is ‘lane cutting’ at one’s whims and fancies. So if you let your attention slip for a moment assuming that everyone is as careful and law-abiding as you are, you could be in for a shock with two-wheeler and even-four-wheeler drivers violating lane discipline with impunity leaving you fuming.

And if your brakes are not tough enough, you could have a couple of glaring drivers demanding that you cough out a few thousands for all the damage you have caused. It is an unsaid rule of the road that one maintains a respectable distance from the nearby vehicle so that there is always room for maneuvering. That habit seems to have disappeared from city roads and so you have the driver in the car alongside just too close for your comfort. It could be because of the choc-a-bloc traffic but even when traffic is fairly thin, drivers tend to get too close leaving you pretty uncomfortable. Helmetless riding and those doing so without a license are no doubt serious offences. It is quite obvious from the poor riding skills many youngsters exhibit on the roads as they zip past you at supersonic speed that obtaining a license is far from their minds.

The sight of a traffic cop’s uniform is enough to make them swiftly disappear into the nearest lane to remain undetected. Then comes the puzzling question why our road signs are so poorly demarcated. Most of them do not seem to have been painted for quite some time and one will need a set of very powerful glasses to decipher where the zebra crossing is. The medians have enough gaps created by ingenious motorists to enable them to slip through to the other side of the road without taking a turn at the next signal.

As for the lane markings, they are in no better state than the zebra crossings which could be why lane discipline is unheard of in Bengaluru. The next obvious question: How do we ensure better traffic movement in one of the most loved and admired metropolises in the country? A carrot and stick policy is the only solution which would work in these circumstances.

So while clamping down on traffic offences with an iron hand, the cops will also have to be proactive and make sure they do not let an errant driver pass without an earful. Widespread awareness campaigns on the need to adhere to traffic rules and some tough talk will definitely restore some semblance of normalcy to Bengaluru’s chaotic traffic.