JOIN USThe number of two-wheeler accidents in the City has not gone down in the last three years. The Bangalore Traffic Police attribute this to bad road conditions and reckless driving. The cops say utter disregard for traffic rules is the main reason for this and people don’t seem to fear the law. Two-wheeler riders continue to park and ride on the pavement paying no attention to the pedestrians.
Most road users think two-wheeler riders unleash a lot of confusion on the road. They feel that the offenders should not be spared and dealt with in the most crude way. Abin, a professional says, “It’s scary and you don’t know when someone will ride into you when you‘re walking on the pavement. The government must make some arrangement to provide parking space in the City.”
Amritha, a medical practitioner, observes that the long traffic jams in the City render people impatient and provoke them to overtake.
“The two-wheeler riders tend to zip past on the footpath at traffic junctions. They don’t follow any lane discipline and this is what causes most accidents,” she says.
Praveen, a businessman, points out that a fine amount of Rs 100 will not deter people from committing the offence again and he feels the cops must be harsh on offenders.
“Most two-wheeler accidents take place because riders lack basic regard for the safety of fellow commuters. They must be taught basic road rules and not ride in a such a way that they mislead people,” he observes.
According to additional commissioner of police (traffic) B Dayananda, the accidents related to two-wheelers in 2011 was 1,444, it dipped to 1,321 in 2012 and further reduced to 1,202 in 2013 and stands at 967 (till August) in 2014. “We booked more than 50,000 cases for reckless driving against riders and drivers. Of this, more than 80 per cent were booked for riding on the footpath and not wearing a helmet.
Everybody wants to overtake the other and be ahead. Riding on the footpath is a common sight half way through traffic junctions. Only stringent fines will reduce rash riding which in turn will reduce the accidents,” explains Dayananda.
The two-wheeler riders who succumb to injuries are usually in their 20s and early 30s. Plain impatience to get ahead of others is the rationale behind such behaviour.
The traffic police have zeroed in on a few blackspots in the City such as Old Madras Road, Hosur Road, Kanakapura Main Road and NICE Road. “We have proposed a few road engineering works such as painting the medians and tarring bad roads on this stretch. The special drives have made a difference to reducing the accident rates,” he says.
Ramegowda, Commissioner for Transport and Road Safety, confirms that not less than three lakh two-wheelers are registered every year. There are 34,79,208 two wheelers in Bangalore City and in 2013-14 alone, there were 3,21,075 two-wheelers registered. Why can’t the transport department put a clamp on the two-wheelers registrations. “We can’t put a curb on the number of registrations. The central government has to make appropriate changes in the Motor Vehicle Act. It is not in our hands. He feels only strict laws will instill a sense of discipline in riders,” he sums up.