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Next meeting with Mr Sood, Sep 20, 12 noon (updated)

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Traffic

[Update Sep 18, slight change in time] Mr Praveen Sood, ACP Traffic, has confirmed Sep 20, 12 noon as the date for next meeting with Praja members. Please send in your confirmation for attendance on this event entry "2nd meeting with ...". Let us use this post to discuss what we will do in this meeting.

Some guidelines, if we may:

  • We should not go overboard and talk about tons of suggestions. We may want to pick at most 2-3 suggestions and discuss those in depth.
  • We can perhaps talk about picking a "model ward" to work on some suggestions.
  • We are sure that Mr Sood will expect some commitment from us if we want to get involved deeper, lets discuss that as well. Perhaps, we can form an engagement group of 10-12 folks, who take turns (3 out of 12 meet Mr Sood's staff every once in a while) to keep continuity on a concrete project we pick with Traffic police for tracking or helping out.

8 would be a good size to go for this meeting. As always, first come first serve, but if there are more than 8, active members get priority. Once again, if you want to attend, leave comment on the event post, not here. This one is only to plan this meeting.

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Rithesh's picture

Lets set an agenda

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Lets prepare before the meeting - shortlist the action items. Doing it online would be a good idea, but a face to face meeting of the interested people would be more effective.
 
Rithesh
Prajasevaka :)
 
silkboard's picture

My 3 suggestions to consider

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Rithesh, online meeting may be tough to organize. Let us put some things here first, and then we can try a tele-conference or a meeting (whichever is easier) of all who'd be attending or be interested in proxy participation.
Meanwhile, here are my suggestions, 3 items.
  • One-at-a-time: Solid enforcement of one thing at a time. Recently, traffic police had done an enforcement drive for high beams on a couple of roads in CBD. We can do similar drives against say "left side overtaking", or "stopping behind zebra line", or "wrong side driving" - but, only one at a time. Basically, pick one theme for 1-2 months, and send a forceful all-out message (TV, radio, hoardings, car stickers) saying you have done all this so far, but not anymore.
  • Re-branding - New uniforms for traffic police. Presenrtation matters, so does the image. If we can do some "re-branding" via several clues, we can spread a "we are back" like message. New uniform, "one at a time" campaign. media messages, repainting the police bikes and jeeps, new styled ticket/fine receipts. Of course, this will have to be coupled with action, but I think working on "image" is important.
  • Model ward: It could be a model ward, or one selected corridor. The plan would be to enforce in one area with all the gusto copuled with all the management gadgets (vehicle actuated signals, pedestrian "Walk" buttons, radar based speed indicators boards) and visual clues (lane markings, zebra lines, no parking signs, painted road kerbs). We (Praja members, all) will participate by physically spreading the messsage in that ward, and participating by way of monitoring installation/painting and all the stuff. Such a thing wll help disprove some myths people have about Bangalore having less roads, or those who bat for road widening projects over better traffic management, and to people who don't see the value of being more orderly on the roads.
These are my top 3. Others who will be attending, please do leave your top 3. Even those who won't be joining for the meeting can leave at max 3 suggestions for us to take. Lets pick 3 out of everything that people would post here.
kbsyed61's picture

Media Campaign for public awareness !

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I second SB's proposal along with 3 of his suggestions. Along with that here is my suggestion:
For public awareness, make use of media campaigns. One Page ads in all local newspapers along with daily news-bits/exclusive articles on traffic and safety, from jourallist friends. Hoping that Devesh and others would get help from BCIC for the ad sponosrships. May be BCIC can enmark a seperate fund for such public awareness campaigns.
 Syed
idontspam's picture

My top 3

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My top 3 discussion items
 
1. Introduce congestion charging in CBD. What gives? How can we help?
2. Road engineering. Uneven road widths and unclear markings. How can we help? Re designing Residency road or other roads can be proposed. We will need blue prints and dimensions from them. 
3. How can fines be increased and still retain compliance to central fines
idontspam's picture

Good men at the helm

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Praveen Sood | ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (TRAFFIC )
A majority of my workforce has studied only till Class 12. A few of them might not even understand all that we discuss here today or even the new technology for traffic, but I am happy they know how to push a vehicle that's stopped midway or open the right drain when it rains heavily.

This is really true and touching. But he needs to improve their lot. Education for the police force should top our agenda. Can we conduct classes using ASJ's material? If the app is online we can sign an MOU to allow the cops exclusive use of the app. Let us discuss & propose.

S Subramanya | BBMP COMMISSIONER
Crossing most roads in Bangalore is not just a problem for old men and pregnant women but also a mighty challenge for soldiers. Footpaths today seem to have multi-purpose utility - 'shopping malls' selling anything from footwear to coins and even providing parking facilities. But they have little or no space for pedestrians. If you happen to be on Avenue Road on a Sunday morning, God alone save you.
We are where we are because we left it to god to take care of us. I see the same situation on sanjaynagar main road. Well laid footpaths and road just recently done, but busines has returned to the footpath forcing everyone to walk on the street and to top it police station exists right on this road. All they need to do is make a couple of sorties at random everyday clearing the encroachments. Do this regularly for a quarter. Once habit forms you can reduce the frequency.
What comforts me is we have good men at the helm now. What they achieve in their tenure is very important.
psaram42's picture

Rationalization of one way Policy

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The ACP can identify which area in the city is the worst affected of traffic congestion. Praja can brainstorm for a solution collectively and present it to him for his views. This should show us a way to evolve a comprehensive Policy on one ways including pedestrian crossings at intersections.

 

Rithesh's picture

My Choices

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Technology -
Installation of "Enforcement Cameras" at all junctions covered by the surveillance cameras. What is the cost involved (indirectly how long would it take for the camera to break even - recover costs by means of fines)? Up gradation of the RTO driver and vehicle database. And automation of the fine collection system (Once a traffic offense is recorded by the cameras, automated challans should be generated by accessing the RTO database and sent to the offender). A centralized database to record all offences. Blackberry project was amazing - but i am not sure if they used it effectively. I guess they were too technical to be used by all. Could be replaced by a call center model.

Re-branding -
I second SBs proposal on this. Especially the uniform one. Traffic police especially people serving at night times should be provided with good quality reflector jackets and rain coats. I have seen man police personal standing dangerously at junctions at night times with no reflector jackets (even if they are wearing one - most of the times they are worn out ones). Also a complete image change over of the traffic force is necessary.

Heavy Vehicle Movement Restrictions -
Request for restrictions on the movement of heavy transport vehicles during peak hours on certain roads - like the ring roads, Whitefield main road, etc etc. It is being done on Hosur main road, they should consider implementing the same across Bangalore.

Rithesh

Prajasevaka :)

murali772's picture

my list

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I am not in town that day - so, I won't be able to make it. However, these are the points I would like to be included in the discussions. May be you could send a list in advance so that he can be prepared with his responses.

1) Mr Sood had claimed having fined millions of motorists. However, the general impression is that his people are not even touching the auto-rickshaws. How does he hope to discipline them? Like-wise, the BMTC buses. Between the two, they are the biggest contributors to increased entropy on Benagaluru roads.

2) We are seeing more and more vehicles, particularly autos, displaying registration numbers in Kannada only. The Police Commissioner had told me few days back, when I met him in some other connection, that at a high level meeting held on the 6th Sept, a decision had been taken to enforce conformity of registration number plates with M V Act strictly. Immediate action from Mr Sood is awaited.

3) As I understand, pedestrian walk-ways on NH7 (Hebbal to new airport) have not been provided, because NHAI does not allow advertising on structures built across its property, because of which you can't have a PPP. Why doesn't BBMP fund it on its own, when so many fatalities have been occuring on that stretch? Mr Sood should pursue this with BBMP.

4) Ambushing speed-cops - check ambushing

5) Traffic marshals - check traffic marshals

Muralidhar Rao

Muralidhar Rao
Ravi_D's picture

A broad outline

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Primary role of the Police is to maintain law and order. Everything else they do is related in some way.

To maintain law and order, rules have to be enforced. More so when the population is in some ways uneducated, unruly and self centric. But when rules themselves are not clear, unknown, or routinely bent, how do you enfore?

So here is what is needed, in some order.

Make rules clear:

  • Understand existing rules 
  • Clarify consequences of breaking the rule - in simple, understandable words
  • Simplify complex rules, so everyone can understand and follow
  • Educate everyone
  • Remove ambiguities when rules are put into practice (improving road signage etc. via BTRAC - a great example)
  • Plan and ensure existing ambiguities do not become part of new infrastructure (such as new roads or layouts for example)

Enforce rules without exception:

  • Work on 'Strict Enforcer' image. None of that 'swalpa adjust madkoli saar'
  • No one is an exception - walking pedestrians to minister's processions, bike drivers to BMTC drivers, police vehicles to auto ricks, all follow the same rules - Everyone pays for a violation
  • No occassion is an exception - no parking in front of places of worship just because it is a special holy day, no blocking of roads becuase of a political party's procession
  • Resources - Enforcement Technology
  • Resources - HR improvement, education
  • Resources - Traffic wardens (?)

If rules cannot be enforced (for some reason or the other), change the rules. Do not bend them.

So, how do we do this? This post is to put what is needed into perspective. Praja memberes have offered, and I'm sure will continue to offer many innovative ways of putting above items into practice.

How about we tweak and agree on these broad items first? Then we can take one at a time, brainstorm, analyze and suggest concrete ideas.

Saturday I suggest we start by spending a couple of minutes describing the outline first, and present other ideas related to one or two topic(s) of the outline. 

Thanks,

Ravi

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