On the lines of Bus Day, where citizen groups and volunteers support BMTC in executing a real on-ground event, will Bengaluru Traffic Police be game to lead us for a "Traffic Enforcement Day"?
In theory, BMTC should treat every day as Bus Day, and traffic police every day as enforcement day. But we know the realities. But then, what could be special in this once a month event? Some possibilities would be:
- Heavy enforcement of one specific rule on this day. For example, June enforcement day would focus on "wrong side driving", July could focus on "parking on corners", August "Right or Left turn only lanes near signals".
- Citizens could play the police on just this one day. Pictures and videos of violations sent in by citizens could be processed on this one day by traffic police
- If citizen-sent pictures and videos can't be used as evidence (due to legal issues etc), we could do a special picture blog site where pictures from enforcement day can be posted. Don't think this would violate any privacy laws, vehicle license plates are not private subjects.
- Citizen groups and volunteers, along with few traffic cops take over one or two crowded signals, and watch for all types of violations, even the small ones for which the cops usually don't have the time. Can pull in celebrities to make this a high profile thing.
Some tricky ones, not sure if doable
- One traffic cop could be awarded the award of the month on this day. Mr Sood can himself pick out the best cop based on departmental stats like most tickets awarded. An ward like this could, besides encouraging hard working cops, also help publicize policing statistics.
- Special phone number setup just for this day where we could call in and report cases of traffic cops asking for bribes
- Live camera on a traffic cop (helmet?), for us to see things from his/her eyes. May be possible to get a TV channel to sponsor such a thing.
Think more, there certainly would be better ideas. But we do need a nice and visible citizen-police interaction thing with lot more real action and less rhetoric. Using this event to spread crisp enforcement messages, one at a time, could lead to some changes in citizen behavior. As we all know, enforcement is our own job as much as traffic police's.
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Can be held on the same day as ...
Forgot to add that this could be done on the same day as Bus Day, or combined with any existing "days" being observed by traffic police like the No-honk day.
However, this will work out only if Traffic Police would lead and drive us (like how BMTC does for Bus Day). I am sure all of us will be more than happy to start and support this tradition.
Enforcement Day - Good Idea
SB,
I think this is a great thought - honking within 100 mtrs of traffic signals must be banned, as already done in Delhi. Besides, some select areas could be targeted for severe enforcement on each enforcement day.
Actually, the traffic load is too much on all the city's roads & because of this, enforcement is extremely difficult, even while traffic keeps getting worse. Mass transport such as Metro /Mono /BRT is the only way out to guarantee sufficient teeth for effective & much needed ruthless enforcement.
It's really disappointing to see promise after promise being made by politicians whenever some elections are due. Inking any blueprint or action for all the pending proposals seems like it might never happen since the house is so divided - we seem to be caught in this "dangerously stable equilibriam", as Dr JP Narayan of Lok Satta mentioned !
Thanks Naveen
Will mail this to Mr Sood, and hope for more comments or suggestions on this.
Will also be good to meet traffic police once to get a detailed look-back and report on BTRAC. Will request for that as well, hope ACP will oblige with a meeting.
honking noise level can be toned down and controlled
Honking is something which can be controlled if people participate. To help this, maybe we should have horn settings given by the manufacturers for city and highway as in loud and normal. Needless to say you only use Normal in residential areas most of the times in the city.
I think Volunteers i.e, citizens in all areas with authority to fine would be a fantastic idea.
There should be proper media coverage to make these things taken serious.
Hurry Home
The Sage
Conveyed to Mr Sood - DriveWell Day is on, need help now.
When we met Mr Sood earlier this month, we told him about this day. He is game, and we are on to detail it.
Enforcement Day is bit geeky of a name and conveys a different meaning. Will call it Drive Well Day instead.
Did not see many hands of support for this day (going by comments on this post), but nevertheless, will create a project to make this happen. ETA by Tuesday (June 1).
I am in full support for Drivewell Day
This is a much needed one. People will think differently and may not support if it is called Enforcement Day. Even if it is called Enforcement Day and made to coincide with bus day, it will support both!
Few Things to start with for the first Drivewell day:
1. First and foremost is monitoring of rash driving and speed detection, especially yellow board vehicles which has never been done before.
2. Starting lane discipline and saying no to hapazardal driving.
Drives appear to create resistance in target group
The enforcement concept is good. Especially by responsible citizens of the area. They will make for a less corrupt and more efficient system.They do need to be protected effectively by law since most violators take violent actions like assault even on uniformed officers. A rule which says these enforcing citizens are to be considered on par as if discharging government duty, in terms of protecting their person/property.
Drives against specific target populations particularly directed against yellow board cabs, autos or buses will just get them up in arms and end up in strikes which hold the government and society to ranson.
Drives also will probably increase compliance at that period and subsequently stop soon after.
However we do need an immediate and total drive to spot destroy all musical/air/penumatic horns fitted on vehicles be they heavy vehicles, cabs, private 2 or 4 wheelers. Fine alone will not deter these demons.
Instead regular enforcement on a case to case basis irrespective of the color of the registration board or class of vehicle, should prevent such social ransom.
Marshals & Wardens
The answer perhaps lies in the Traffic Marshalls programme. But, obviously, the powers that be don't think so - check this
Hazards of camoufalge
What prevents a vengeful get-back-at-the-rowdy-who-shouted-at-me kind of people from camouflaging behind this uniform and taking law into his hands?
I would rather the professional (read no-conflict-of-interest-because-job-at-stake) policeman keep the enforcement rights to himself and the warden/marshals stick to delivering information & guidance. Maybe his persuasion will be better than the enforcement in the long run.
Number of police inadequate
When the enforcement number is inadequate, western countries do take citizens help in maintaining order and enforcing law. On part time basis of full time basis, rewarding them with 50 percent fo the fine collected for their time and effort.
I hear that traffic policemen are being rewarded with 30 percent of the the fine collected?
an old proposal along the lines of the west?
There is no vengence involved in citizens participation in enforcing traffic or other laws.
Infact, enforcement when in mufti or not in uniform is more likely to catch more violators, who are unaware that there is vigilance ahead or around.
If the wardens in or out of uniform can be given the powers to ticket and if one or two of them are proved to have issued tickets in vengence they can be removed from the job.
I am sure most of the members here if given the powers to ticket would indeed use them judiciously and not out of animosity, better than any uniformed policeman?
and we would not be induced to look the otherway by "I Promise to pay the bearer notes?
They increase the reach and spread of law. Infact uniformed policemen are too indifferent about creating ripples by efficiency and consequent wrangles and transfers.
The benefits they are likely to bring about definitely outweigh the disadvantages.
We really have no idea about the number of unreported accidents-fender benders or worse- caused by reckless violations of rules in the residential areas and smaller roads.
I lost two elderly friends to hit and run scooterists in Malleswaram area couple of years ago. and have plenty of incidents of avoidable petty damages from most of my fellow Bangaloreans who have experienced it. Vigilance has been a well known disincentive to crime and law violations.
I wish some of you could experience the dailymenace and torture we do of wheelies, racing engines, loud horns, under aged driving, oneway violations disrupting traffic and consequent honking tortures, and shouting matches that go on in "quiet neighborhoods" .
no issues there
@IDS
I would rather the professional policeman keep the enforcement rights to himself and the warden/marshals stick to delivering information & guidance.
That's indeed what I had also suggested - quoted below is an extract from 'functions' and 'responsibilities' listed here
On the authority of the ID badges, members may counsel traffic offenders. Where required, they may report the offences to the authorities for further action and records.
Members to be role models as far as their own driving habits are concerned. Also, they should be polite, and scrupulously impartial in their handling of traffic offenders.
do violating drivers deserve a special Kid Glove approach?
It's not minority
I think it's the majority that tend to intrude & jostle into others' right of way - not the minority. Watching this & not to lose out, the minority of an otherwise sane set of drivers also follow them, thus all end up behaving in the same unfriendly manner on the streets.
Irrationality is contagious!
I was going to say that. I thought many would argue with me about my pessimistic attitude about educating the on road public in India. So I contented myself with minority. Like yawning, those waiting in traffic lights start honking away at the waiting traffic, some friend they caught sight of and worst offenders are the night owls back late in the night who honk for their wives,maids,watchmen to open the gate/garage etc. How about school vans honking for the always late kids?
The myth of strict hand
The strict hand is missing in tons of fields (bylaws, garbage, sewerage, parking spots, unruly cables, encorached pavements etc etc) , is a systemic thing, and will improve with time and events like police reforms. However, our behavior on the roads is a function of 3 high level things
Yes, there is weakness on all counts. #3 is the most discussed one, #2 is prolly the hardest one to try quickfixes for, and #1 is relatively the easier one to take on (via projects like B-TRAC to put lane markings, signals etc).
We can't perhaps do much to hasten #3. I mean we can try and talk as much as we can, but is a big system thing. But #1, we can, by pushing for more projects like BTRAC. #2, only we can, by thinking of some innovative ways to spread the word.
I would do what we can, or at least try what we can.