manoj

Backed by high court’s directives, which come into force on Monday(9Apr'07), will Delhi be able to drive home the point that driving is not kidstuff? You see every other motorist smoking or talking on the . That mindset clearly can’t change with the wave of a wand.


Some of the directions issued by Delhi HC

Stringent licence tests for drivers

• Licence of a fifth-time traffic offender to be cancelled
• No smoking, use of s while driving. Seat belts mandatory
• Pressure, musical horns banned. Authorities told to remove these horns on the spot
• Uniforms sporting nameplate and employment number mandatory for all bus drivers, DTC and private
• Employment of young boys in public buses banned
• Training and refresher courses must for bus drivers
• Class 12 matriculation and two-year probation must for bus, truck drivers

**Head constables given right to challan traffic offenders

Speed Limits

Competent authorities told to notify proper speed limits for different roads. Till then, it has specified certain limits

Four-lane roads

• 55 to 60 km/hr for light vehicles
• 35 to 40 km/hr for heavy vehicles

Two- to three-lane roads

• 45 to 50 km/hr

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 07-Apr-07

__________________
Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.

manoj

Blowing smoke rings and chatting on the cell while rushing through traffic can set you back by a couple of hundred bucks from Monday. As an advertisement put out by the transport department warns, the slew of directions issued by the high court on March 27 to restore discipline on roads, would come into force from April 9. Interestingly though, the onus of enforcing these rules has been left on ‘‘competent authorities’’.

So though the court has ordered that those breaking traffic rules will now have to pay Rs 500 over the normal fine, the question remains if that’s enough to talk some sense into Delhi drivers, most of who have a devil-maycare attitude. They sincerely believe — and their experience on road endorses that — that whether you are talking on a cell, not wearing your seatbelt or jumping a traffic light, you can get away with it if you have that hundred rupee note handy. Weaving in and out at dangerous speeds is common, and so is overspeeding, and use of wrong lanes. And people are in such a hurry, that they try to squeeze past you even at traffic lights!

Now, jumping a traffic light will cost you Rs 600. And for every challan, you’ll have to pay Rs 500 as fine, plus the composition fee payable under Section 200 of Motor Vehicles Act. Your license will be punched for every offence committed, and if it’s punched five times, it will be retained for cancellation.
You can’t smoke while driving, talk on the cell — not even using a handsfree — or have tinted glasses. And of course, don’t forget to wear your seat-belt.

But will this traffic utopia become a reality soon?


‘‘I doubt it,’’ says Naresh Walia, a garment exporter. ‘‘Rash driving has become an integral part of Delhi’s road culture. Drivers don’t adhere to the existing rules, what’s the guarantee they are going to adhere to them now,’’ asks Walia

‘‘You see every other motorist using a or smoking. There isn’t going to be a miracle overnight. Either the traffic police will have to start a serious crackdown or the mindset of the people has to change,’’ says sales executive Prakash Bhalla.

But is it just the mindset of Delhi that makes roads a traffic nightmare? Sociologist Dipankar Gupta begs to differ. ‘‘Delhiites are known to be aggressive but aggression doesn’t promote a culture which encourages defying laws. Americans are known to be quite aggressive but are still the most law-abiding people in the world,’’ says Gupta. Poor enforcement of laws, he says, is to be blamed for the chaos. ‘‘Flouting of rules begins at the top. First the people in power break the rules and then the rest follow. People in Delhi get away with breaking traffic rules because they are allowed to get away,’’ adds Gupta.

It’s the herd instinct that often comes into play while jumping traffic lights or breaking speed barriers. As a 20-year-old student of Delhi University admits: ‘‘If other people are changing lanes and jumping traffic signals then even I feel confident and sometimes compelled to do it.’’ The new rules prescribe different speed limits for different regions. For now, 45-50 km\hr will be the speed limit inside Delhi, which can exceed up to 55-60 km\hr on roads having three- to fourlanes. And the traffic police has been asked to ensure lane driving and no overtaking in prohibited zones.

The favourite pastime of Delhi drivers — using shrill horns to get their way on road — is also on the way out. Vehicles using pressure horns, musical horns and beacon lights (except when approved by the government) will be impounded.

Making Lutyens’ Delhi a no-parking zone hasn’t gone down well with most people. ‘‘It’s ridiculous to expect us to park at India Gate. I don’t know why Lutyens’ Delhi gets preferential treatment. There are parking problems in all residential colonies causing inconvenience to drivers and residents alike. No one comes to our rescue,’’ says Sameer Kapoor, a resident of GK.

That Delhi needs to do much more to make its roads safer is amply clear. ‘‘Delhiites should be made to go through a comprehensive training before they hold a steering wheel and the traffic police needs to do its job more honestly. Otherwise, laws are of little use,’’ says Seema Bhan, a primary school teacher.

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 07-Apr-07

__________________
Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.

manoj

From Monday, a bus driver in Delhi must be a higher secondary pass-out and wear a badge carrying his name. While only time will tell how far raising the education bar will stop reckless drivers from maiming and killing hundreds on the city’s roads, illeducated drivers, on their part, are already an anxious lot.

Many drivers are not certain of what the future holds out for them following the high court’s directions, which will come into force from April 9. Says Rajender Singh, a driver on route 851, ‘‘I am a Class IX pass-out but have an experience of 15 years in driving. It’s unfair if they wake up one day and say that they would revise our licenses on the basis of educational qualifications. Which school would enroll people like me and what good is my experience then?’’

It’s not even possible to find so many drivers who have studied till Class XII to fill the vacancies, they point out. ‘‘We work 14-16 hours on an average everyday for seven days a week. Where would they find Class XII pass-outs as drivers and Class X pass-outs as cleaners so as to reduce our burden to just eight hours daily? Why would a Class XII pass-out drive a bus,’’ asks Sanjay Manocha of West Patel Nagar, who works as cleaner-cumdriver in a private bus.

The court also wants bus drivers, DTC and private, to wear uniforms sporting nameplate and employment number. Employment of young boys in public buses has been banned. The court says that these boys sit on the steps of the vehicle, while loudly banging the side with their hands, annoying other road users. Training and refresher courses have also been made mandatory for bus drivers.

The bus operators’ associations are now thinking of moving a review petition as it would be difficult to implement all the rules at ground level. ‘‘It is good that they have thought of introducing uniforms for drivers and helpers, which would be followed stringently. What we are opposed to is the revision of licences which makes no sense for experienced drivers,’’ said J S Arora, president, Federation of Transport Union Congress.

‘‘We would request a review petition in court because though the norms are for making Delhi safer, it will take a while before they can be implemented. The availability of drivers and cleaners who are Class XII and Class X pass-outs is a big concern. Even the manufacturers may not be able to provide over 3,000 buses as per the requirement overnight,’’ added M Murli, secretary-general, All India Motor Transport Congress.

The commuters and traffic police, on the other hand, are happy with the high court directives. ‘‘Bus drivers continue to smoke at the wheel and talk on the . Anything that distracts a driver behind the wheels is dangerous. They not only invite trouble for themselves but for others too. The rules would not only bring relief to us but also ensure a safer drive for others with no overspeeding and lane changing,’’ said a traffic constable at the busy ITO crossing: ‘‘

Some are however sceptical of how far the regulations will come into force. ‘‘The rules sound good but lets hope their implementation is better. Else, we might end up seeing a rise in cases of bribing,’’ said a sales executive, Sumeet Virdhi.

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 07-Apr-07

__________________
Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.

pawan

Wait & Watch..

manoj

TRAVELING IN a private blueline bus is nothing short of a nightmare, as any regular bus commuter would tell you. The buses are a menace to road users as welL Car and scooter drivers prefer to keep a safe distance from these marauders on the road.

The single biggest reason why bus drivers, both of blueline buses and Delhi Transport Corporation buses, do not follow rules and misbehave with passengers is that only a fraction of them are properly educated. According to the recent orders of the Delhi High Court, all bus drivers in the capital should have passed Class 12 at least; bus conductors should be matriculates. Existing rules allow bus drivers and conductors to obtain licences from the Delhi Transport Department if they are just able to read and write.

The court also said that the drivers and conductors should be taken on a two-year probation first and bus owners should not shall not depute young boys who beat on the sides of the bus with hand and keep on whistling, which generates loud noise and distracts the driver.

"Usually, we induct drivers who are just about literate but recently we have been trying to take drivers who are at least ma- triculates," said a top DTC official on condition of anonymity. "DTC would take many more drivers in the next induction drive, but it would be difficult to get 12th pass drivers in Delhi," he added.

Owners and operators of private blueline buses say that it is the duty of the transport department to give licences to only 12th pass drivers. "We also want to have only educated and wellmannered drivers, but licences are given by the transport department. They should only allow educated people to get driving licences," said Shyam Lal Gola, spokesman of the Delhi Bus Ekta Manch.

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 09-Apr-07

__________________
Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.

manoj

50 Lakh Vehicles on Road...

THE RECENT Delhi High Court order on traffic enforcement in the city ramps up fines by Rs 500 from today Jumping a red light will not cost errant drivers a paltry Rs 100 now; even lighting a cigarette while driving will now be a punishable offence.

For traffic authorities to enforce the High Court's directions, however, is easier said than done. An understaffed traffic police has its task cut out. At present, the strength of traffic police is around 4,000. Of these, not more than 2,500 traffic police personnel are employed in the field on any given day.

"Enforcement is not easy because of a lack of manpower At present we are short by at least 700-800 employees. With over fifty lakh vehicles in the city, enforcement is not easy," said a senior traffic police officer.

Even motorists in the city seem to have a similar view. "Making rules is fine but they should be properly enforced as well. It is common for people to talk on a but it has hardly been enforced, "Geetika Khosla, an insurance executive, said.

The traffic police aren't shrinking from the task at hand. "We will draw maximum force to make sure violators are caught. If needed, we will also take assistance from the local police and try to keep a strict vigil on any violations. Apart from that, our traffic monitoring system fitted with cameras should also be helpful," said Qamar Ahmed, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

Former joint commissioner, Delhi traffic police, Maxwell Pereira agreed. "A radical change in traffic infrastructure is needed including more manpower. Traffic police is understaffed because of which many violations go unnoticed. More hands would mean more violators getting caught," said Pereira.

The Delhi traffic police are now planning to lean on technology and not just traffic personnel in the field for better enforcement. In their submission to the court, the traffic police had said 36 cameras have been installed in the city and soon they plan to install 500 cameras; every violation would be caught on camera.

The court had also stated that the money collected through additional fines should be used to improving traffic infrastructure.

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com (Delhi Edition)
Date Of Publish: 09-Apr-07

__________________
Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.