JOIN USFinding a solution to Bengaluru’s traffic seems like a lost cause. Nevertheless, the Bengaluru City Police is on a mission to make travel smoother in the city.
They have introduced two initiatives on the road to prevent gridlocks and ensure smooth vehicular movement — a criss-cross or yellow box junction and a zigzag lines junction.
The officials are making a conscious effort to advertise this move through social media and word-of-mouth. They are also imposing a penalty of Rs 500 on two-wheelers and Rs 700 on four-wheelers if the driver stops the vehicle inside the yellow box. One will also be booked for wrong parking, jumping signals and for dangerous and reckless driving. The Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) cameras will automatically sense violations and generate information to levy fines.
Hoping to see a change with this initiative are also Bengalureans who spend most of their time stuck in traffic. Mukund More, a professional, drives from Old Airport Road to MG Road
everyday. He says, “The traffic police is doing a great job at trying to book offenders and spreading awareness about it. This will help people understand the importance of such junctions and road signs, contribute towards better traffic management and become responsible citizens.”
“If people follow the rules, we can decongest the roads to a great extent and such acts will help understand its importance and act on it,” he adds. However, he believes that only those who have access to social media and who follow the Bengaluru Police Facebook page are aware of the initiative.
As for Ashwin Mohandas, an entrepreneur, he doesn’t believe that this initiative will make much of a difference. “Unfortunately, many of us don’t follow the basic rules so I am a little pessimistic about this move. However, there’s also a small voice in my head telling me that this move could make a difference. In order for that to happen, the cops must also take this responsibility seriously and ensure that those who break the rules are penalised. This initiative will be great if it helps manage the traffic during rush hours,” he explains.
As many motorists park or stop their vehicles near the junctions, the addition of zigzag lines will ensure pedestrian safety. This way, accidents will also reduce. Located in many junctions already, with the officials hoping to cover at least 100 junctions, concerns of its durability are being raised. Aswinlal Nair, an asset manager, says, “I usually take multiple parallel roads to reach office everyday, from Old Airport Road to Whitefield. With this new move by the traffic police, it seems like people are making an attempt to follow the rules.
It could be because they don’t want to be penalised or they actually do care! It will take a long time for everyone to come to terms with this but I believe that it will help control traffic to an extent, or at least till the lines fade away. Right now, this is a good step in the right direction — both literally and figuratively!”