HI
B-TRAC has been putting up a lot of signs all over the place. I was wondering a couple of things -
1. How much thought/analysis has gone in to the positioning.
While the signs are very nice and often quite clear, I dont know if much thought has gone in to their placement. I'm quite sure no analysis of neighborhood traffic patterns has been done. A case in point - based on my experience - is Malleswaram. They are just putting up `No parking signs' on 15th Cross Malleswaram, near MES college. To ban parking on one side is silly as it will simply double up on the other side. As things stand parking on both sides of the road on 15th cross causes no problems - the road is wide enough. I think they have not consulted anyone in the area on these matters.
This is of course part of a much larger problem of their being no forum for involment of the neighborhood in any infrastructure/development project. In Mumbai they have started these things called Advanced Locality Management which seems to have greatly improved certain neigborhoods.
Another case is 17th Cross and 6th main Malleswaram. They have put a `STOP' sign on 17th cross and not on 6th Main while anyone who lives here knows that 17th cross is the major road and 6th Main is relatively traffic free.
2. Is there anyone enforcing these laws. ?
They have put up a STOP sign on 18th Cross and 4th Main. In my experiece I am the ONLY person who has obeyed this sign. I dont see any point in putting up nice signs if no one is there to enforce it. This especially applies to No Parking signs. I am sure that most people violate these with abandon - in fact, I am certain most drivers do not know what a blue circle with a red line accross it means.
On the other hand, given point 1 above, perhaps its a good thing that no one obeys this sign.
B-TRAC seems to have done some good things - like putting up lights in several places and, if they are behind it - ensuring the roads are built all the way to the kerb so that no road space is wasted. But I fear that this is another of these projects which will die in a year or so after someone has milked it for several crores.
-Ramesh
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Write to them, they will respond
About point #1
Traffic Police have the best of intentions in putting up these signs, but I too have noted in the past that their efforts may not be top class.
To their credit, the signs are very visible, and these days, you can find them near almost every road hump, T junction, signals etc. Coverage is indeed good. In fact, in Whitefield, I notice them putting up lots of flashing lights (flashing yellow) at many locations.
As you said correctly, if traffic police involves the local community (via RWAs, or just the residents around the junctions and corridors they are putting up signs on), they will implement these signs better.
But, while they may not be pro-active in involving the community, I know for a fact that they respond whenever you approach them with suggestions. Write to them via their website, and I am confident they will implement any sensible changes you suggest for your area.
About point #2
Enforcing no-parking zones - they'd say they just can't be present everywhere fining wrongly parked drivers. Well, there are ways to put "fear" in people's heads, hope someday, they will enforce with "fear" and not "presence" as the main weapon.
but for now, again, if you know an important area where wrongly parked vehicles choke traffic, just call or write to them, they should help.
why is there a tag?
there is a B-TRAC printed below every sign board..is this needed!?
Understand btrac is an initiative..but then its govts and why does it need advertisements? to prove that they are doing something?
In the end, if roads become a better place to be, the initiative would have achieved its goals..afterall its public money they are spending!
Hi Its nice that they have
Hi
Its nice that they have put these signs all over the place - but, for example, in many places they would be better served by fixing the problem. For example with humps - in many places there are 2 or 3 humps where 1 would suffice. So B-TRAC puts 3 signs but doesnt fix the problem.
I think, though that traffic has improved after B-TRAC came about - and I dont know if its them but now there seems to be an initiative to build roads all the way to the kerb which has helped.
As far as No parking goes - I agree that the enforcers - whoever they might be - cannot be present everywhere - but they seem to be present nowhere. They rarely give out parking tickets - and if they do they can be thrown away without consequences. They appeal to a `better sense' which is non-existent amongst violators. And its not only parking - its driving the wrong way, not stopping at STOP signs etc.
I think they need to strictly enforce these laws for some period. In other places people obey the laws not because they are better human beings but because the consequences of violating them are quite bad. Here there are essentially none - and oftentimes you are rewarded for it - for example when people drive on the wrong side of the road to get ahead of a lot of traffic stopped at at light.
Finally - if there is a gross violation its not clear whom I can contact - the B-TRAC website no longer exists.
And as far as the no parking signs on 15th Cross are concerned - I think no-one has noticed them as yet - people are parking on that side fo the street with abandon.