Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

Traffic rules continue to be thrown to the wind

Staff Correspondent

After road safety week, the traffic situation is as bad as earlier in Hibli-Dharwad

CHAOS: Vehicle users and pedestrians in Hubli hardly observe any traffic rules. A scene at Kittur Channamma Circle.

HUBLI: For a week, roads in Hubli-Dharwad seemed to pose less danger. Traffic police conducted a drive against traffic rule violators and launched an awareness programme as part of road safety week. It helped in bringing about some degree of discipline among vehicle users.

But now, the situation is the same as earlier. And in many instances, traffic police personnel seem to be "negligent" in cracking down on erring drivers.

The Police Commissionerate has said that it will continue the drive against offenders. But it has allegedly failed to penalise them or to tow away vehicles parked haphazardly. Work on zebra crossings has been initiated in a bid to help pedestrians. But drivers of many vehicles do not observe the rule, and pedestrians are forced to cross the road amidst the vehicles.

Another major problem in the twin cities is jaywalking. Although spacious footpaths have come up on several roads in Hubli-Dharwad after the demolition drive, pedestrians walk leisurely on the roads and cross whenever they want to.

Shopkeepers around junctions in the twin cities said the police fined vehicle owners mainly for lack of documents and for driving without helmets.

They alleged they had rarely seen anyone getting punished for jumping signals or stopping vehicles on zebra crossings.

"In Bangalore, I have seen tpedestrians on Mahatma Gandhi Road being fined for crossing the road at random. I think it should be done here also so that people will at least use foot overbridges," said P.S. Satish, a businessman in Hubli.

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