An agenda for the new traffic police chief

Now that Bengaluru city has a new traffic police chief in Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police, one feels there are certain critical issues which have to be brought to his attention so that he can tackle them on priority.

On a trip on a city road, one could not fail noticing a phrase written on the back of a cab which read like this: ‘Not drunk, avoiding potholes’. The driver obviously wanted to convey the message that if he was swerving left and right maybe endangering the lives of others, it was only to avoid the many potholes and craters on city roads and not because he had a drink.

Potholes have been a recurrent problem in the IT City and despite regular media attempts to highlight the problems and some half-hearted efforts to fill them, they seem to return to the roads in even greater numbers. This of course, is not a subject directly concerning the traffic police but maybe, Mr Reddy could use his good offices to take up their filling on an urgent basis with the concerned BBMP officials.

After all, if vehicular movement is impeded or accidents happen because of potholes, the burden on the cops only increases. Then comes the issue of the new synchronized traffic signals-are they really helping to regulate traffic better than the old signaling system or only adding to the confusion? Are vehicle owners and drivers really aware of how these signals function and have enough awareness campaigns been launched by the cops to make sure people are familiar with the operation of the new system?

Such campaigns could be easily held at offices, colleges and similar institutions so that cops get an actual feedback on how Bengalureans are coping with the signals. Traffic rule enforcement is no easy task and one should admire the cops, who spend hours together inhaling smoke, dust and bearing the heat and rain to make sure vehicular movement is smooth and unhindered.

Underage driving, rash and negligent driving and drunken driving are offences which should be dealt with an iron hand and one hopes that the new chief will send out a message that there will be no tolerance for such acts. Violation of speed limits and driving without silencers to raise a maddening cacophony, is a nuisance one often notices on city roads.

There should be no mercy for such riders and they should be given exemplary punishment so that it serves as an effective deterrent. Does the city have enough traffic cops to ensure effective surveillance on the many roads including those in the outskirts? This is an issue which the police chief along with those in the administration will have to tackle on a war footing.

Often, the presence of a traffic cop is enough to ensure adherence to traffic rules and in their absence, things could go haywire. Discipline on the roads is a must if people have to reach their destinations on time and do not have to engage in a perpetual honking battle to outdo each other. Managing Bengaluru’s traffic is obviously a herculean task and all one can do is wish Mr Reddy and his team the best!