Lane-jumping enters no-tolerance zone today | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Lane-jumping enters no-tolerance zone today

None | ByAbhishek Bhalla and Sidhartha Roy, New Delhi
Apr 09, 2007 06:02 AM IST

From Monday, jumping your lane while driving or using a pressure horn could cost you between Rs 600 and 1,500, report Abhishek Bhalla and Sidhartha Roy .

From Monday, jumping your lane while driving or using a pressure horn could cost you between Rs 600 and 1,500. The Delhi Traffic Police is all geared up to crack down on motorists who change their lanes dangerously and also use pressure or musical horns as per recent orders of the Delhi High Court.

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Senior traffic officials said that if a motorist changes his lane from the central verge (yellow line) or even blocks a slip road, he or she would fined Rs 600. However, the fine could go up to Rs 1,500 for dangerous driving if the motorist takes a turn from an intersection.

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“We will be on maximum deployment from Monday to check traffic violations like changing of lanes and using of pressure horns,” said H.P.S. Virk, DCP (Traffic), Northern Range.

Hindustan Times had carried out a series of reports as part of a campaign on lane driving and honking. To ensure that people stick to their lanes and don’t take turns at crossings, the court has asked authorities to mark roads with yellow and white to identify no overtaking zones.

The court has also said that bars should be fixed on roads to ensure drivers do not shift to the right lane from the middle lane.

“We will take all measures to ensure that the court order is implemented,” said Qamar Ahmed, Joint Commissioner. Delhi Traffic Police.

The laws are clearly laid out but implementation seems to be a problem. According to traffic police records, violation for not driving in proper lane increased by 5.85 per cent in 2006. According to Article 18 of Rules of Road Regulation, “Wherever any road is marked by lanes the driver of a motor vehicle shall drive within the lane and change the lane only after giving a proper signal.”

Another clause says, “Where any road is marked by a yellow line dividing it, the vehicle proceeding in the same direction trying to overtake each other shall not cross the cross the yellow line.”

According to experts, implementing lane driving is not easy in a city like Delhi, which has multiple modes of transport. “It is not possible to implement lane driving here because of mixed traffic. There should be an effort to keep a check on vehicles driving dangerously by overtaking from the wrong side and turning at crossings without giving a proper signal,” says Geetam Tewari, of Transport Research Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) of IIT Delhi.

Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education, is of the view that jumping lanes and honking are inter-related.

“It is impossible to implement it because lanes are not clearly marked. There is no segregation of fast and slow moving traffic leading to motorists jumping lanes. This leads to traffic chaos and forcing people to honk indiscriminately,” said Baluja.

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