Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

City Police to have modern gadgets to crackdown on traffic rule violations

Photos: K. Ananthan

On saving lives:J.G. Shanmuganathan, Chairman, Ganga Hospital, posing a question at an interface on ‘Police -Public Role in Creating a Safe Coimbatore' organised by The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore and ‘The Hindu' , as part of the Glow Coimbatore series on Saturday. (right) Commissioner of Police C. Sylendra Babu speaking at the interface. —

COIMBATORE: The city police would spend around Rs. 50 lakh to acquire modern gadgets, including speed radar guns, that would capture the image of the violating vehicle, the registration number and even the face of the driver, City Police Commissioner C. Sylendra Babu said at an interface with the public organised as part of the Glow Coimbatore initiative of The Hindu and The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore.

He also said that the police would come up with pedestrian pathway at 10 places in the city and 50 more later to enable pedestrians cross the road without the risk of getting hit by vehicles. This would be on the lines of the one at Gandhipuram junction. At those pedestrian pathways even free left would be blocked.

The third edition of Glow Coimbatore saw the city's residents and the police share serious concern about the state of traffic and exchanged ideas on how to improve the safety of road users.

The police had acquired the details of vehicles registered at all the regional transport offices in the State and also at border districts of neighbouring states to ensure that the offenders were penalised.

Mr. Babu said safety was a serious concern on the city's road as 293 people had been killed in accidents while only 20 persons were murdered in 2010.

Loss of lives was more on the roads. To safe lives, people should take up responsibility and rescue the victims rather than indulging in blame game.

People need not fear visiting the police station or the courts in the event of their helping accident victims. Times had changed. In fact, they should volunteer and help the victims, which was their democratic duty.

During the course of the interaction, participants suggested various steps the police could take to reduce accidents and also traffic congestion.

Chamber president M. Krishnan said the police could come up with a sticker for vehicles that represented all the necessary documents that should be furnished during a vehicle check.

The sticker would obviate the need to show these documents and thereby save time for the motorist and the traffic policeman. In addition to this suggestion, Mr. Babu also promised to consider favourably another for a mobile phone number to which the public could SMS the police on violations.

Control room

Rajkumar, a participant, suggested that police constables should be empowered to charge offenders without waiting for sergeants as they were the policemen on the spot; police should provide more numbers for the public to reach the control room, particularly from mobile phones and the officers should often drive their vehicles as they would be in a better position to understand the difficulties on the road.

Participants came up with details of bus shelters that were a hindrance to the free flow of traffic, places where the bus drivers stopped vehicles right on the middle of the road, and stretches where either policing or traffic islands were required.

Ananthapadmanabhan of Kalveerampalayam said the bus stop on Lawley Road and at Chinthamani, near North Coimbatore, were classic examples of their location choking traffic.

A few participants also highlighted the disturbances caused due to the presence of TASMAC liquor outlets at residential areas.

Another participant said women should take the rear portion of the bus and men should be moved to the front as a few drivers' distraction led to accidents.

K.V. Prasad, Chief of Bureau, spoke on the Glow Coimbatore initiative. D. Nandakumar, Secretary, The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, proposed a vote of thanks.

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