While several drives are being launched to nab traffic violators and new systems, such as the odd-even parking rule on MG Road, are being put in place, activists say the enforcement of the rules leaves much to be desired
With the traffic situation in the city giving the traffic police a hard time, the department has been figuring out ways to remedy the situation. And while several measures are being tried by the police, activists say the rules are not being enforced properly and there is not enough awareness.
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MG Road woes
To maintain smooth traffic flow and unclog the congested MG Road, the traffic police has implemented the odd-even parking system in this area on an experimental basis from September 16 to 30.
A 1,400-metre stretch of the road, from Try Luck Chowk to Aurora Towers Chowk, is one-way and taking a right turn here is strictly prohibited. In spite of this, motorists are seen defying the rules and doing as they please. To add to this, there are no traffic cops on duty in the area most of the time to stop or punish offenders.
Traffic experts claim that the department should decide on long-term solutions and conduct awareness drives to send a strong message that violating traffic rules will not be tolerated.
Expertspeak
Jugal Rathi, president, PMP Pravasi Manch, said, “The traffic department should put up signboards which state the rules clearly and there should be proper enforcement of these rules.”
“The signboards should be visible and readable from a distance, so that the people are informed. If all this is put into place, the number of violations will surely go down,” he added.
Officials from the traffic department, however, claim that they are taking action against traffic violators on a daily basis.
Speaking to mid-day, Pandurang Gofane, senior PI of Lashkar traffic division, said, “To save time and fuel, citizens tend to violate the traffic rules. On an average, more than 70 offenders are booked every day for violating traffic norms by going the wrong way on one-way roads and flouting the right-turn ban in some areas.”
“We have been carrying out drives to nab traffic offenders and will be intensifying them in the coming days to ensure that there is a drop in the number of traffic violations,” he added.