Keep The Heat On The Offenders- Citizens Applaud Traffic Police Action

Traffic - Zero Tolerance Drive
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Pune Traffic Police has now started on what seems like an effective mechanism to manage the traffic menace in the city and a majority from the force has been deployed for this drive.

‘No tolerance zone’ drives are being carried out in many areas around the city to ensure that all commuters are following traffic rules.

The drive majorly focusses on curbing traffic violations including riding two-wheelers without a helmet, triple seat riding, driving without necessary documents, stopping on Zebra crossings, driving without seat belts, talking on the mobile phone while driving and driving without a license.

The traffic police have now published a list of 100 top offenders who have not paid their fines and this list has uploaded on social media as well as a deterrent. Pune city police has put 92 passport verifications on hold as violators have refused or made no effort to pay the fine.

Several policemen and government officials have also been fined for violating traffic rules.

Applauding the recent enforcement drives by the Pune Traffic Department, active citizens speaking to Pune365 believe that these efforts are a good start, though there is lot more to be done and on a consistent basis.

Jaya Banerjee, Social Activist opines, Pune’s traffic is one of the biggest issues in the city today and I personally think that the authorities are trying their best to manage traffic woes and punish or fine offenders.

The department certainly needs to come up with effective means that actually deter unruly traffic behaviour and offenders. Some citizens have argued that those who cause these issues should attend traffic violator schools for refresher courses on road safety.

Citizens should also behave responsibly on roads and follow the traffic rules, and I don’t think, we as citizens are doing enough. Everyone is in a hurry and frustrated by traffic and this is clearly evident in the daily traffic scenario.

Banerjee further adds, I think the department is implementing good deterrents, and this seems like a sensible move, yet again the implementation is where the issue remains. Most often, offenders get away easily given the number of people on the roads in relation to the number of traffic policemen on duty.

Also, it is important to ensure that the CCTV cameras are all in good working condition to enable effective monitoring at signals and main junctions.

The current action may not seem an ideal move for a lot of people, however, it can deter most from consistent disregard for traffic rules.

Nikhil Kadam, Social Activist says, The drive is definitely a successful attempt, however holding back the passport cannot be the only solution, if the violator has applied for a passport. What if he already has a passport?

In my opinion, everything is linked to aadhar now, why not debit the fine money directly from their bank account and every bank has made it compulsory to have a minimum balance in the account.

Another option to get people to follow traffic rules is to embarrass them with tasks they have to do like cleaning public areas, roads and assisting traffic personnel in handling signals. Follow this up with posting their videos on social media and tag them. This will work very well since no one wants to cut a sorry figure on social media nowadays.

Traffic Police should also ensure that they follow the traffic rules. In PCMC it is seen that traffic police don’t adhere to the traffic rules very often, and allegedly have been seen accepting money in lieu of fines many. With a challan machine what is the need to take money in cash without giving a ticket.

People violate traffic rules so confidently in areas like Kalewadi, Wakad, Pimpri, so much so, that even the drivers who are following the rules get confused!

Subodh Kulkarni, Active citizen, echoes Kadam’s sentiments and believes, holding up passport verification will not ensure citizens follow the traffic rules. Once they pay the fine, their verification will be cleared and many will continue to violate rules thereafter.

The other important concern is the increase in number of taxis. In these cases, often the drivers are not the owners but the owner will get fined if they are seen violating a rule on CCTV cameras. In such instance, they should suspend the driving license of the driver instead of taking a note of the number of the vehicle.

Hitesh Satpute, The city police have rightly adopted no tolerance zone drives in the city to ensure that people don’t spend half their lives in traffic.

Yet, there are many things which need their urgent attention like smart footpaths turning into parking spots for visitors on JM road and Aundh.

People driving on footpaths is very common now, as is the case with underage driving and the indiscriminate use of the horn

City police need to keep up with these drives and not restrict it to some areas in the city. And yes, passport should be held back.

Traffic policemen should promote the use of public transport once the public transport system is improved from the current state in the city.

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Ankita Malekar