Refer the news in papers today - "BBMP has warned residential and commercial complexes that don't allow visitor parking inside their premises. As per the byelaw, they must reserve 10% of the parking space for visitors".
Now, see this development along with an interesting news reported this week (source biz-standard): "MP Govt has created Urban Transport Authority which will make local bodies and traffic police work together ... fine collected ... will be used to raise funds for better traffic management, more parking space ... so far, the police used to deposit fines in state treasury".
When seen together, do the two developments sound interesting? You could say that there are only two ways to upgrade enforcement setup, this way (let more bodies help out traffic police) or the other way (increase police's jurisdiction and cover planning work done by local bodies - say, watching byelaw violations that lead to problems on the road).
Perhaps this is something policy makers at Bangalore would be thinking with regards to BMLTA as well. Will BMLTA have a say on traffic police's workings? Or will BMLTA distribute and coordinate traffic enforcement work across Traffic police and BBMP (like the MP govt seems to be doing)? Will the fine amount collected by the enforcer (traffic police, or BBMP) go to state treasury, or will it be used directly by that body to augment its own machinery?
There are some other ways of spreading around enforcement work, we have talked about them here earlier. Private bodies could be involved - only for reporting acts of traffic violations, job of punishment would be done by the police. Residential or commercial complexes themselves could be forced to do some policing (some of them already this today, ex: those Electronic City traffic cops on Hosur Road). This could mean that if BBMP/Police see a car parked illegally outside a commercial complex, and on the road in a no-parking zone, they would fine the commercial/residential complex as well. This, in-turn, will perhaps make them invest in some local policing methods, which may be cheaper than paying fines all the time.
Tough to think this clearly, as there are complications involved. But there certainly is scope for innovation in the current enforcement model. Keep thinking.
[Also read: vmenon's "In defence of the traffic police".
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sure
Excellent initiative
This will be good
HDFC Bank Parking saga - Photoyogi
This reminds me of an earlier thread discussing a parking sign-board put up by HDFC bank in JP Nagar informing visitors to the bank that parking was at owners' risk on the pavement adjacent to the bank, while it had responsibility as a commercial organization to provide visitor parking and prevent spill-over to public properties such as roads, footpaths.
Photoyogi had written to the concerned officers in HDFC and haven't heard from him since.
This notificaiton vindicates our stand that all commercial organizations have responsibilty towards the civic cause and cannot hold public utilities to ransom.
[Linked to earlier thread - admin]
HDFC - Akrama
Sadly as expected i confronted the front line customer support who sent me some standard reply on response to that i did get back some reply from HDFC Mumbai promising some response. after that there has been no response. I urge any one knowing officials in HDFC who can make a difference please forward the relevant threads i am keen on following this up too.
meanwhile Check this out this is from the Bangalore Traffic Police
This board says : Walk on the footpath not on the road, If there is no footpath, Walk on the Right facing the traffic." one begins to wonder how ingenious various departments can get.
-- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi
-- PhotoYogi