E-Paper
Traffic police are more focused on moving vehicles than residents says Ranjit Gadgil, Pune traffic activist
Against the background of implementation of the various drives and helmet rule implementation in the city Ranjit Gadgil, traffic activist speaks to Shalaka Shinde about the matter
The traffic department is undertaking various drives in the city to control the traffic and has collected over Rs 6.7 crore in fine as compared to 2017. Also, the helmet rule will be made compulsory from January 1, 2019. Against the background of implementation of the various drives and helmet rule implementation in the city Ranjit Gadgil, traffic activist speaks to Shalaka Shinde about the matter.
The amount of fine collected and a number of traffic-rule violation cases registered has gone up. Even though that cannot be attributed to the new DCP, what is your take on it? Do you think it will show any effect on the behaviour of riders/drivers?
It is essential that the traffic police faithfully implement the law as it is there primary duty. They should focus on rules that critically impact road safety.
DCP Tejaswi Satpute is keeping a routine follow-up of the work undertaken by her department along with the Pune Municipal Corporation. The tasks include pothole repair, traffic signal repair, zebra crossing demarcation, steel bollard installation, among other things. Have you seen any change in the above mentioned areas? What are your observations about the new DCP’s regime and work?
It is good that the office of the DCP Traffic and the PMC traffic are coordinating to take steps to control traffic in the city. However, this seems to be individual steps and it would be better for there to be a formal platform on which this can happen. For this, the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) should be created.
Secondly, we still find that the traffic police are more focused on moving vehicles and not the residents. This is the exact opposite of the National Urban Transport Policy and the Comprehensive Mobility Plan of Pune. There needs to be a better understanding of the traffic police about the basic principles of transportation as currently, their ideas are outdated. Hence many of their suggestions tend to favour vehicles, and not in the interest of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport commuters.
Given the history of helmet rule imposition by the past police commissioners, how effective do you think the drive starting from January 1 against helmet will be?
This depends on the resolve and effectiveness of the traffic police. They will have to implement the helmet rule in a manner that is fair. However, as they must obey the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court, they have no option but to continue the drive.