By Prof Govind Singh Rajwar
Before entering the Chandigarh Union Territory, why does a driver check everything about his vehicle and the measures to be followed per the Motor Vehicles Act? Everybody knows that the Chandigarh administration and the Police are highly sensitive about the traffic rules and safety of people. Vehicle drivers from the adjacent states of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh get very scared of the punishments for not obeying the rules of traffic and safety in Chandigarh. Almost all drivers drive their vehicles in a disciplined manner in this city, following the traffic rules. Some other states are also strict in regulating traffic for the safety of people on the roads. The duty of the administration and the police is to ensure the safety of people. Some metropolitan towns in the country have better traffic discipline. In terms of best traffic discipline, Aizawl and other cities of Mizoram stand among the top cities and states; here, traffic has no honking, no rash driving, and a single-lane drive, and the vehicles, even two-wheelers, are inside the white line on their lane. In some cities of the country, we see better traffic discipline and management, where the administration and police are known for this kind of traffic management policy.
When a driver comes to Uttarakhand, why is he or she not scared of the Mitra Police of the state? Cars in Dehradun and other bigger towns of the state can be frequently seen racing, rash driving, multiple-lane standing along railway crossings and red lights, red light jumping, free left lane blocking and continuous honking and speeding. Such traffic-related crimes have caused the loss of many lives in Dehradun and other cities in recent days and months. Why don’t we learn from such negligent driving hazards? A disciplined citizen can’t teach negligent drivers to rectify their negligent driving. The responsibility lies absolutely with the administration and the police. Now it is high time for the state to learn from such traffic hazards and regulate the traffic rules. Why should the state of Uttarakhand not be made traffic-obedient like Mizoram and Chandigarh? Bigger towns should be declared as no honk towns. Strich actions and penalties need to be imposed on all kinds of negligent activity and crimes along with the challans through cameras. Penalty should be imposed on all people of the state and tourists coming from other states, who violate the traffic rules. Traffic rule violators should be dealt with severely using the law. Tourists violating traffic rules are not “Atithis” for the state. Dehradun and the whole state of Uttarakhand are gaining a reputation of no-penalty state for traffic-related crime. The following measures are required to improve the degrading traffic situation in Dehradun and other towns of the state:
- CCTVs need to be installed at all crossings and important places for monitoring vehicles and the traffic.
- Challans should mainly be issued with advanced cameras. Traffic can be monitored with fewer number of traffic personnel, if most of the traffic violations are challaned using cameras.
- CC Speed breakers should be made with flat tops as in use in Bangalore, Pune and other towns. These reduce vehicle speed and do not cause slips and other types of accidents. Plastic speed breakers should not be installed as these usually break with heavy vehicles and then the exposed bolts damage the tyres of vehicles.
- Dehradun and some other towns should be made honk-free.
- The use of high beam and laser lights should be banned within the town.
- Single-lane practice should be used when vehicles stop at railway crossings and red lights. Penalties should be imposed for such violations. Left lanes should be left for free movement towards left side. Vehicles blocking such lanes should be issued challans. We find such discipline in many cities like Bangalore, where people do not overtake other vehicles in case of standing at red light or traffic jams.
- Focus should not be mainly on important roads but on all roads.
- One-way traffic hoardings or boards are not displayed at the turns, where one-way traffic is implemented, such as at all corners of Parade Ground, Dharampur-Araghar, Saharanpur Chowk, etc.
- A strange situation is seen on the Lachhiwala Flyover, where a Red Light has been installed at the point where Doiwala traffic joins the main highway. At such merger points, only a yellow blinking light should be installed. There is no use of red light there.
- On Haridwar Road and many other main roads and highways, small cuts have been made for the passage of two-wheelers, which invite accidents on such busy roads. Such illegal cuts should be closed permanently.
- Other state vehicles at borders with other states need to be monitored and checked.
- Triple riding should be strictly penalised.
- In all four-wheelers, children should not be allowed to sit in the lap of guardians or on the seats in the front row, and the fuel tank or front side of two-wheelers.
- On all four-lane roads, cars should not be allowed to be parked on left lanes of both sides of the roads.
The Auhor is Fellow, Linnean Society of London; Asia Representative, International Society of Ethnobiology; Former Professor of Botany & Principal, Government Post Graduate College, Agatyamuni, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, India
