JOIN USCollecting fines not our goal, happy when violations decrease: Bengaluru Traffic Police chief
The city’s infrastructure is changing with each developmental project. And so is its traffic, challenging the traffic police to work differently, which would perhaps explain the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s (BTP) digitisation plans for future traffic management.
In a conversation with DH, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B R Ravikanthe Gowda also spoke of the changes in the city traffic post the pandemic.
DH: How’s the traffic different in the city pre- and post-pandemic?
RG: The differences are varied. Before the pandemic, we insisted on using public transport more to reduce the vehicle inflow into the Central Business District (CBD) and adopted measures like carpooling. Now, people have reduced using public transport and automobile sales has increased during the lockdown. The traffic volume has also swelled by 20-25% despite many working from home.
Although we requested different departments complete the infrastructure work when traffic was thin during the lockdown, they could not do it due to labour shortage. All of these had brought pressure on the traffic department.
DH: How will traffic management change going forward, given the increasing traffic volume, a trend that’s only continuing?
RG: We have a structured plan. We have identified pressure points and have increased our deployment of officers in such spots. Contactless enforcement will be top priority with ANPR and RLVD cameras. Digitab has been downloaded to the devices of all 4,000 officers to collect evidence of violations. We will continue using FM radio announcements and Google maps to inform people about diversions and congestion on roads due to protests, construction work and other
reasons.
Along with 1,000 camera feeds which are monitored at the Traffic Management Centre’s video wall, we will also pull data from Google maps for real time corrections. Within a year or two, under the Chief Minister’s ‘Bengaluru Vision 2022’, a total of 243 signals in the CBD and other high-density corridors will be synchronised. These signals will calculate the density on each road and optimise the green light timings. This will revolutionise traffic movement in the city.
DH: Once projects like Smart City are open to the public, 35 closed roads will be free for use again. How will this impact traffic movement, especially in the CBD?
RG: I believe the opening of these projects will have a positive impact. Improvisation of footpaths might encourage more people to walk short distances, which is convenient in Bengaluru’s weather. While the traffic volume might increase, the flow would be smoother. Under the headship of the chief secretary, all infrastructure development departments in the city, including BTP, meet every month to discuss making the roads user-friendly. Traffic police alone cannot ensure the smooth flow of traffic. We receive cooperation from other departments in whichever way they can. I think Smart City, TenderSURE and white-topping projects will greatly help road users in the future and traffic movement will be smoother than how it is now.
DH: There is still the perception among the public that the traffic department only collects fines and does not do much enforcement. What do you have to say about this?
RG: We do not stop people anymore for document checking and do not stop them during peak hours either. We are only rounding them up for visible violations during the non-peak hours. Everything else is contactless and evidence-based enforcement. Violators get all data of their violation and even photographs on our website. They can challenge us if they are charged wrongly.
I urge road users not to follow traffic rules for the sake of the police, but for their own good. Though there are fines worth Rs 450 crore still pending, our intention is to not (only) collect it. We want to bring in road discipline, reduce accidents, ensure smooth traffic flow and ensure those following traffic rules are not in danger. We feel happy when violations decrease. The public should not have the impression (that we only collect fines).
DH: Has any traffic sense prevailed in people in recent times (post-Covid, post-the Sanchari Vijay accident)?
RG: I felt sad about what happened to Sanchari Vijay. He was a talented actor. In most accidents, pillion riders die since they do not wear helmets. People pay lakhs to buy bikes, but do not spare Rs 3,000 for a helmet. I see many parents riding/driving with their children without helmets/seatbelts. Kids might pick up such patterns from their parents. Citizens should obey the law of the land the same way they do when they go abroad. We also try imparting better traffic sense with our training centres (for those committing more than 10 violations), short films and student training programmes.
Training is a continuous process. People might forget incidents, but education will promote greater discipline. We may not see immediate results (with these initiatives) but will surely see a change in the long run.
DH: The CM mentioned that road accidents have reduced in the city and data from BTP also shows the same. Will the human resource now be directed towards different areas?
RG: The total stretch of roads in Bengaluru is 13,500 km. There are 44,000 junctions, out of which 1,200 are very important. There are only about 400 signalised junctions, and the rest are managed by our officers. We definitely need more manpower, but we are using whatever is available optimally. We will continue to conduct quality investigations and make sure that those who commit mistakes are punished under the law.
Our data shows nearly 60% of those who die in accidents are within the 30-50 age group, which means they are their family’s breadwinners. We also support the families.
DH: Do you think body-worn cameras are effective in traffic regulation?
RG: They have had a good impact on the roads. They bring civility to our officers and prompt civilians to be more careful since everything is recorded. They have improved transparency and, when all our officers are equipped with the cameras, corruption will definitely reduce. Documenting road rage and behavioral patterns will help us identify if the fault is with the road users or road engineers. It will help in post-situational analysis. So far, 154 officers have body-worn cameras and the government has approved a budget to provide them to all the officers.
DH: The BTP has recently allowed the public to pay their fines via the Paytm app. How effectively have people been utilising the existing digital payment systems?
RG: All our 670 PDA machines are equipped to accept digital payments and there are other options like Bangalore One, digital payments at police stations and also on our website. Shortly, vehicle owners will also receive SMS alerts on their phones when a violation is committed. Unfortunately, not many people are coming forward to pay fines on the road. The utilisation percentage is very low. We have now proposed to the Central government to connect the payment of insurance premiums
to traffic violations. Those who have committed more violations should pay more premium for renewal while those who have committed no violations should get a rebate. The policy is approved, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is now being figured out.
DH: Going forward, what are the other plans and proposals the BTP has to improve road discipline among citizens?
RG: Like the premium policy, we have also proposed that whenever vehicle owners go for emission or pollution control certifications, there should be a provision to check their violation data. The certification should only be provided after the clearing of fines. The same plan could also be followed at the transport department when people go there for registration, renewal and other documents. Only with this integrated approach will contactless enforcement be effective and have an impact on road users. Ultimately, our focus will remain on evidence-based policing, contactless enforcement and the safety of road users.