Police drive pays off

Believe it or not, Delhiites seem to be turning better drivers at last. According to the traffic police, the first seven months of the year witnessed a 10.4% reduction in the number of fatal accidents, which in real terms translates to 131 fewer deaths on Delhi roads. The ������killer������ Bluelines too seem to have become more tame as they have been involved in 64 fatal accidents till July 31 this year, as against 87 for the same period in 2007.
As the traffic police are evidently becoming more visible on the roads and the fact that they have become mobile on flashy new bikes for the first time since we can recall, the fear of getting challaned anywhere, anytime seems to be growing.As Gautam Pandey, a engineer, puts it: ������Earlier, I would follow traffic rules only at signals. But now the police seem to be all over the place. I have been flagged down by cops on bikes and challaned thrice in the last two weeks for talking on the cellphone or not wearing seat belt.������
Several others like Pandey have become more law abiding, as the fear of getting caught is increasing, despite the recent reduction in fines after an SC stay order. The rise in the number of prosecutions by traffic police this year is indicative of this. Data compiled by traffic police have shown an increase of 86% in the number of vehicles caught for dangerous driving, 78% for drunken driving, 76% for jumping red lights and 62% for improper parking.
Delhi Police commissioner Y S Dadwal, for whom traffic has been a focus area from the day he assumed office, said the change is visible. ������I realised the number of victims of road deaths in Delhi is four times that of murder, so management of traffic had to be an area of concern. Several measures have been initiated to make a difference, but importantly, we have moved from quantity of prosecution, to quality. I don���t care about the numbers of challans being put before me. It is more important for my staff to check offences which endanger the life of other road users, like drunken driving or dangerous driving,������ he told Times City.
Another major initiative has been making the traffic policeman mobile. The commissioner says he noticed the traffic police were seen to be a static force and their vehicles were being used as mere modes of transport from one point to another. Dadwal wanted to make the force more visible. The first step towards this was closure of all TI offices. Following that, the traffic patrol scheme was started and 200 bikes were added to the traffic fleet and officers were instructed to chase violators rather than stand helplessly at fixed points.
The officials for the scheme have been handpicked. ������I didn���t want riders who were not committed to the task, so I got 220 graduates from the force who were excited about doing this and volunteered. The bikes were also chosen with care,������ he added. The initiative has worked well as more than 2.85 lakh vehicles have been prosecuted by the ������mobile������ traffic policemen in a span of about six months. The commissioner is now looking at adding 100 more bikes to the fleet.
With a similar aim, zonal officers (ZOs) were attached to 50 PCR vans of the same areas to prosecute offenders while the vans were not attending calls or just patrolling in the area.
The commissioner said he used to call the traffic police ������prime time traffic police������ as they were only seen on the roads during rush hours. ������I wanted to make officers more visible, especially at night when drivers have no fear of the law. Night prosecution was started in which numerous trucks were booked for violation of traffic rules,������ he said. And to tide over the manpower crunch, additional force has been made available from the armed police to augment the area traffic police staff during special drives.
Reigning in the ������killer������ Blueline buses has also been a huge challenge. A number of initiatives have been taken, like deploying policemen in plainclothes to take rides in buses. The buses were also videographed and about 13,329 prosecutions against Blueline buses had been recorded till July 31.
Before the Games, about 87 traffic corridors spanning 210 km ��� including 302 signalised intersections ��� are to be covered by state-of-the-art gadgetry including intelligent signals, video cameras, prosecution cameras and VMS boards so that the flow of traffic and violators can all be monitored from a centralised control room. A traffic monitoring centre is also going to come up at Malviya Nagar. More than 1,000 posts have been sanctioned to augment staff strength. The traffic helpline has been revived to provide information about roadblocks and jams.
But Dadwal feels no amount of modernisation or prosecution can change driver behaviour. ������I strongly feel that people need to realise that it is important to follow rules so that the capacity of the existing road network can be maximised. People need to understand that we all need to cooperate and follow rules,������ the officer said.
The focus areas: Accidents by heavy vehicles remains an area of concern. Reigning in autorickshaws drivers and making them more law abiding is also on the cards. ������The first person a tourist comes into contact is an auto/taxi driver. Before tha Games, I will ensure that their response is what it should be,������ he said.
megha.suri@timesgroup.com