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Traffic police - "To police traffic" or "To make money from innocent citizens"?
Written By dvsquare - 20 September, 2009
Traffic Bangalore Police Complaint Enforcement Fines Enforcement
I always follow traffic rules and also make sure that if I am pillion riding or sitting in car, the driver should also follow traffic rules. Today something happened to us which was not good -
We were in Jayanagar sunday evening, trying to look for a parking space, and we reached canara bank circle. We stopped there for the signal as it was RED, and then it turned GREEN, we started moving, with that slowly moving traffic we crossed the white line, it was still GREEN, we were turning left but due to other vehicles we got a little bit delayed(Noone follows lane discipline in bangalore, its a known fact), but it was still GREEN till we can see the signal. It must have happened that we turned left and signal must have turned RED and there was 2 police inspector standing with their motorcyle with blackberries come in front of our car, we stopped and they alleged that we have jumped signal, we should pay fine. We were shocked, as we knew that we haven't, it was GREEN, but there was no way to prove our innocence. I agree that it might be possible that the moment we would have turned left and singal were turned RED, but we were already ahead of line and almost turned left by then. How can you drive as well as look back to see what is the condition of signal now, not possible right?
We requested a lot that we didn't jump, we were already in the middle of road but they said "No arguments", pay fine for Rs. 100 and started typing in their blackberries.
Now the questions props up -
(1) What is the first responsibility of Traffic police ( that too 2 cops), To make sure that traffic is running smoothly, to check people stick to their lanes and do not obstruct other's ways and not cause any jam at the intersection or JUST SLAP FINES AT INNOCENT CITIZENS?
(2) Now, when a traffic cops alleges that one jumped signal, now what's the proof, what is the way we can prove our innocence?
(3) There has to some answer to this, otherwise its a joke on World's largest democracy. I would say Traffic Management should put cameras and cops should only fine when they can prove that one broke the signal.
The reason I am posting this blog is that I need PRAJA folks suggestion in how should I do something about it so that it shouldn't happen with other innocent citizens. I am attaching here the receipt photo also so that if we can make this complaint reach upto the higher management, the culprit cops can be tracked by the place, time, number on the reciept.
COMMENTS
I blurred the Driver's name and Vehicle number in the photo
dvsquare - 20 September, 2009 - 20:28
to protect the idenity of the person driving the car publicly.
blrsri - 21 September, 2009 - 01:18
at the Domlur signal on airport road..the cop there said I had jumped a signal..though nothing of that had happened..
I cited Mr. Sood's recent stmts in the press about documentation notices..and no harrasing policies etc and thats when the cop said they were also given strict instructions at the same time from the same 'person' to also fine at the slightest instance..!
That doesnt mean they fine even the right!
However I see overall that there are almost no stops by cops generally for the 'month end' collections where they used to make good money for themselves based on missing documentations..thats commendable though!
murali772 - 21 September, 2009 - 12:26
Yajamaanre' - Going by DVS's narration, one would like to believe that he deserved the benefit of doubt. The police have generally been giving this also. I don't know what's got into them now. Whatever, I can't accept this as fair, by any reckoning.
And, like I had stated earlier, "Enforcement can be effective only when they go after offenders, enough of whom we see day in and day out, and for which, the police have supposedly been given their vehicles. Instead, they just continue standing and enforcing, using all kinds of gadgetry, the emphasis being more on revenue generation than on traffic control. All in all, quite disappointing, even with having supposedly the right kind of people at the top" - check here.
dvsquare - 21 September, 2009 - 15:06
Otherwise this would be continue to happen.
After the order that they cannot stop vehicles for just documentation checking, it might be a new way for revenue generation.
But another question arises here is that those 2 traffic cops were there for only collecting fine or they should be regulating the traffic by making sure that people are not stopping at intersections and etc etc. I don't think basic responsibility of the traffic cops is to collect fine, but it is to police traffic, isn't it?
It always happens, everytime you see, there is literally noone handling the traffic on various huge signals, but there must be standing atleast 3 cops at some distance catching few innocent slow driving people. One cop will stop the easily catchable vehicle, second will do the negotiation and third the main will collect the fine. The real culprits anyways doesn't get caught, they are always on high speed and easily escape.
s_yajaman - 21 September, 2009 - 05:07
I think there has been a decent improvement in compliance in the last few months or it is just me getting used to the chaos!
I was driving along Bannerghatta Road last Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and people were waiting at the signal at Arakere Gate. Unheard of a year back.
QUite often I take a late night flight back from Bombay and I find people waiting at the light at 10:30 p.m. on NH7.
The other day there were cops at 12:00 a.m. at the end of Nanda Road checking for drunken driving.
I think strictness has been long overdue in Bangalore. I like the direction that fine at the slightest instance. Some intelligence also has to be used. Hopefully that will follow.
Srivathsa
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