Kerala - Kochi   

Private buses slowing down traffic?

— Photo: Vipinchandran

Slowest camel: Traffic congestion arises when private buses stop on the middle of the road. A scene from near the Ernakulam Town Hall.

KOCHI: The crew of over 100 buses operating on the Ernakulam-Chittoor-Cheranallore route went on a surprise strike on Friday afternoon, alleging that a police officer verbally abused a driver for blocking traffic near Chittoor with his bus. The police say the bus driver refused to move the vehicle from the road, despite warnings.

This is not the first time that bus crews have gone on flash strikes in the city. A few years ago, the whole city was brought to a standstill for hours, after the crews stationed buses on the middle of the road and walked away, following a brawl with some college students.

A common complaint is that drivers stop their buses in such a way that other buses do not overtake them and collect more passengers. Other vehicles are caught in this snarl, a major reason for the slowing down of traffic in the city. Sometimes, buses are parked at stops even after passengers board them, holding up traffic. Delay by the police, the Motor Vehicles Department and civic agencies in relocating bus stops from junctions and absence of bus bays have compounded the problem.

Another grouse is that drivers apply brakes abruptly without any signal whenever a passenger motions them to stop. Other motorists are caught off-guard, some even ramming their vehicles into the rear of the buses. “The police must ensure that buses halt only at the stops earmarked for them and that too by not blocking other vehicles. Every stop must be widened, so that it can hold at least three or four buses at a time, without slowing down traffic,” says Binoy Jose, a commuter.

A private-bus driver, who attended a training programme organised by the Motor Vehicles Department, says to prevent speeding, punching cabins should be opened every few kilometres to ensure that buses stick to their schedules.

An extensive training programme on good driving skills and road ethics will bring considerable change in driving habits.

The police say that passengers become restive when buses are detained for a few minutes to book drivers for rash driving. “The passengers too must prevail on the workers against speeding,” says a department official.

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