Traffic offences dip as fines pinch wallets

Traffic police officials are reining in the city’s reckless motorists, who break rules as if it is their fundamental right.

The police collected Rs 30 lakh in penalties in a little over a day following the implementation of the new rules, which brought down the number of violations from 24,000 per day to 2,978.

Police who started enforcing the new penalty from Tuesday late night saw a huge drop in the number of offenders. The number of cases booked till 1 pm on Thursday, was about 10% of the number booked on an average day.

As per data from January to July, the police booked an average of 24,000 cases per day and collected about Rs 26 lakh.

“The revised fines are mainly intended to deter traffic violations committed by two-wheeler riders,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said.

According to a report given by the traffic police, 1,518 cases of riding without a helmet were registered within 36 hours, the fine for which has been increased tenfold to Rs 1,000. The city traffic police collected Rs 15.18 lakh fine from errant riders.

Police are seeking to tighten the parking rules by penalising those parking cars on the side of main roads.

Rao said the rule also applies to school-buses that must be parked on school premises.

“We are taking several small steps towards improving vehicle movement in the city and last-mile connectivity for the common man. We are also cracking down on illegal parking,” Rao said.

The city police will also experiment with separate corridors for buses and regulating movement of heavy vehicles with a temporary gantry for height control on main streets.

Recalling the recent death of a Devanahalli Traffic Police Assistant Subinspector, who was killed by a speeding KMF van travelling on the wrong side of the road, Rao warned that they will book offenders mercilessly under the Motor Vehicle Act 2019.

He expressed concern over citizens arguing with traffic cops while they are doing their job. “The traffic cops have a difficult job and deal with several ailments to fulfill their duties,” he said.