Footpath driving could cost your licence

Acting on the suggestions of the traffic experts at a meeting of the Citizens’ Forum recently, the police took several decisions to improve the traffic scenario in the City.

It was resolved to impound the licences of repeated violators of traffic rules and submit them to jurisdictional courts and RTOs for cancellation/suspension. As many as 265 licences have been submitted for suspension in a short span of 10 days this month.

Easing traffic congestion

The other decisions to ease traffic congestion include: introduction of the Area Traffic Control System on a pilot basis on MG Road from December 1 and banning U-turns on Palace Road near Palace Guttahalli, Bellary Road in RT Nagar, and Indiranagar 100 Feet Road Flyover from HAL Airport side.

The entry into the 31st Main, BTM Layout, and two other entry points on KR Road between South End Circle and Rajalakshmi Junction will be closed after Metro works.

Turning right will be banned on Koramangala Inner Ring Road at Ejipura Junction, Sarjapura Road at Water Tank Junction, and Ambedkar Road at Coffee Board Junction. The conservancy lanes are opened for two-wheeler parking on Seshadripuram.

Some new traffic circulation plans are: Bellary Road Corridor between Windsor Manor Junction and Hebbal Flyover, Traffic Management interventions at KR Puram, and Local Area Traffic Management Plans for Benniganahalli and Nagapura. Also, nine corridors for signal synchronisation have been identified and will be implemented gradually.

As many as 122 bus stops located close to traffic intersections will be shifted at least 150 metres away. The “Safe Routes to School” project, which aims at reducing traffic congestion around schools, will be implemented in the next academic year.

A short-term traffic management plan has been evolved for the next six months. Police say incidents of drag racing and wheeling have dropped significantly as the offenders are being booked under Section 279 (rash driving) of the IPC and their driving licences are being seized for suspension.

A total of 5,01,559 cases, a record in the history of the City, were booked against violators of no-parking rule till date this year.

Citizens’ Forum

Every third Saturday, citizens can approach traffic police station between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm and discuss the problems with a senior officer.

The Forum is part of the community policing initiative of the department aimed at addressing traffic-related problems in various localities.

M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) said civic agencies will be involved in tackling the traffic problem in the City.