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Municipal workers to fine traffic violators?

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Written By silkboard - 22 May, 2008

Traffic Bangalore BBMP environment BMLTA byelaws

Refer the news in papers today - "BBMP has warned residential and commercial complexes that don't allow visitor parking inside their premises. As per the byelaw, they must reserve 10% of the parking space for visitors".

Now, see this development along with an interesting news reported this week (source biz-standard): "MP Govt has created Urban Transport Authority which will make local bodies and traffic police work together ... fine collected ... will be used to raise funds for better traffic management, more parking space ... so far, the police used to deposit fines in state treasury".

When seen together, do the two developments sound interesting? You could say that there are only two ways to upgrade enforcement setup, this way (let more bodies help out traffic police) or the other way (increase police's jurisdiction and cover planning work done by local bodies - say, watching byelaw violations that lead to problems on the road).

Perhaps this is something policy makers at Bangalore would be thinking with regards to BMLTA as well. Will BMLTA have a say on traffic police's workings? Or will BMLTA distribute and coordinate traffic enforcement work across Traffic police and BBMP (like the MP govt seems to be doing)? Will the fine amount collected by the enforcer (traffic police, or BBMP) go to state treasury, or will it be used directly by that body to augment its own machinery?

There are some other ways of spreading around enforcement work, we have talked about them here earlier. Private bodies could be involved - only for reporting acts of traffic violations, job of punishment would be done by the police. Residential or commercial complexes themselves could be forced to do some policing (some of them already this today, ex: those Electronic City traffic cops on Hosur Road). This could mean that if BBMP/Police see a car parked illegally outside a commercial complex, and on the road in a no-parking zone, they would fine the commercial/residential complex as well. This, in-turn, will perhaps make them invest in some local policing methods, which may be cheaper than paying fines all the time.

Tough to think this clearly, as there are complications involved. But there certainly is scope for innovation in the current enforcement model. Keep thinking.

[Also read: vmenon's "In defence of the traffic police".

COMMENTS

sure

tsubba - 22 May, 2008 - 05:10

sure as hell that is interesting. on a tangential note, i on the question of decongestion, parking is an obvious angle and on this angle i would like to see something like a commerce chamber take a more active role. sure, govt. enforcement is the fundamental driver, but in an ideal case, and the way most of the world works, i would like to see setting up businesses in violation of laws, including bylaws, be a social taboo. these things are temporal, nothing civilizational about them. if 10 people and a chamber take to posturing about violation of laws, hen it will become taboo.

Excellent initiative

cnkumar - 22 May, 2008 - 07:12

The drive by BBMP to ensure parking for visitors vehicles in commercial and residential buildings by implementing the rules is laudable and timely. Developers of properties, in order to maximise their returns, ensured that every bit of parking space within their premises was sold. This problem is compounded in commercial areas where basements meant for parking are occupied by shops. This meant, especially in the surroundings of large complexes, that visitors had no alternative but to park on the adjacent roads. This resulted in reduction of carriageways in already congested roads seriously hampering smooth flow of traffic as well as avoidable noise pollution besides being a nuisance to property owners in the neighbourhood. In the gated communities all roads have to be handed over to the local body after the completion of the project and in effect become public roads. Having now given notice, the Commissioner and his team of officers, should now enforce the law. This will go a long way in improving the flow of traffic in the city.

This will be good

namma_nadu - 22 May, 2008 - 07:55

One interesting note that i read was removing the roadblocks set up by gated communities -- for instance the IAS colony in BTM - which is closed for thoroughfare. As many senior IAS/IPS wallahs stay there - i will be keenly following this. The other one on basements - on MG Road - a famous jeweller operates out of a basement and on brigade road - none of the establishments that have basements allow parking inside. Wonder if this will be lifted and there will be more space on brigade road for vehicles. Finally kudos to Dr Subramanya and his team for this very bold move and i hope the people of bangalore (us) back him and get this implemented. Let us dwell on this here at Praja and if there is any action - the team thinks we can do - i am game for it. As a start, maybe we can start putting photographs of such violations ( though it should become a personal attack). Do comment.

HDFC Bank Parking saga - Photoyogi

Bengloorappa - 22 May, 2008 - 08:38

This reminds me of an earlier thread discussing a parking sign-board put up by HDFC bank in JP Nagar informing visitors to the bank that parking was at owners' risk on the pavement adjacent to the bank, while it had responsibility as a commercial organization to provide visitor parking and prevent spill-over to public properties such as roads, footpaths.

Photoyogi had written to the concerned officers in HDFC and haven't heard from him since.

This notificaiton vindicates our stand that all commercial organizations have responsibilty towards the civic cause and cannot hold public utilities to ransom.

[Linked to earlier thread - admin] 

HDFC - Akrama

Photoyogi - 22 May, 2008 - 10:38

Sadly as expected i confronted the front line customer support who sent me some standard reply on response to that i did get back some reply from HDFC Mumbai promising some response. after that there has been no response. I urge any one knowing officials in HDFC who can make a difference please forward the relevant threads i am keen on following this up too.

meanwhile Check this out this is from the Bangalore Traffic Police
[flickr-photo:id=2513704330,size=m]
This board says : Walk on the footpath not on the road, If there is no footpath, Walk on the Right facing the traffic." one begins to wonder how ingenious various departments can get.

-- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi

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