Traffic cops rope in residents for rally on road safety

Residents of Richmond Town spent their Sunday spreading awareness on road safety, with help from the Bengaluru city traffic police.

The group of volunteers from the Residents Welfare Association of Richmond Town, including children and senior citizens, took to the roads, holding placards and reciting slogans in Ashok Nagar.

"We have also conducted a bike rally, which included 50 traffic policemen, on MG Road, Brigade Road and Richmond Circle today. Our aim is to check traffic violations and create awareness about the repercussions of violating rules," said Vijay Kumar, traffic police inspector, Ashok Nagar.

A number of citizens dedicated their lazy weekend for the same cause. "We are all residents of Richmond Circle. We have seen a lot of accidents in and around Richmond Circle as it is an area with heavy vehicular flow. We are glad that our children and elderly came forward for the rally," said Pallavi Kiran, a member of the welfare association and organiser of the event.

Naveen Fernandez (55) didn't regret dedicating his holiday for the good cause. "I am a teacher and I know the mentality of the youth these days. Several of the accidents take place due to their flightiness. I wanted to join hands in creating awareness about the issue," he said.

Sunday's event is the latest addition to a string of campaigns organised by citizen activists and the city traffic police.

From a volunteer walking around dressed as Yamaraj last week on MG Road, keeping a hawk's eye on people violating traffic rules, to volunteers stopping bikers riding on footpaths, the campaigns have successfully caught the public's attention.