Mumbai: Cops to take residents' help to address traffic woes

Traffic

In order to address the growing issues related to congestion, Mumbai's Traffic department is planning a new initiative under which cops will collaborate with locals to resolve grievances related to traffic and parking in their area. Under the programme, named ‘Community Traffic Policing', Traffic police will get in touch with local residents and influential members of the community from next week to resolve traffic problems.

A police official said they are planning to conduct proper sessions that will help people follow traffic rules

"In this exercise, we will get in touch with locals, students, college-going youth, social workers as well as influential members of the society in areas where we are facing problems related to traffic. With their help, we will zero in on the source of the problem and find the most effective way to solve it. We are also planning to take help from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) units of colleges," informed Dr B K Upadhyay, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Cops will also provide basic training to residents, like the correct method to park cars, in areas like Bhendi Bazar, which mainly faces traffic snarls because of the haphazard parking on the road. They are also planning to schedule lectures in schools and colleges.

A Traffic police official said, "People park their cars on the road without following the correct technique, and even double-park, which ends up blocking the road. If people are taught the correct method to park their cars, half of the problems related to traffic congestion in the city can be solved. Our aim in collaborating with residents is to ensure that they know how to park their cars properly in congested areas. We are planning to conduct proper sessions that will help people follow traffic rules."