I live
near a road junction, that remains extremely busy during working
hours. Two important arterial roads, carrying heavy traffic, cross
here with the result that traffic jams occur very frequently. My home
town Pune, has grown from a sleepy town known as an educational
center and a pensioner’s abode of 200000 people, to an industrial
metropolis of 5 million inhabitants, just during my lifetime. The
city has developed its own peculiarities or fault lines because of
this rapid unplanned growth.
The
roads are narrow, not designed to carry heavy traffic loads and no
proper public transportation system was ever thought off and launched
in the city. What we have is a patchwork of bus services that are
totally inadequate for the number of commuters travelling in the city
on any working day. This and the phenomenal rise in the affluence of
people, has led to an impossible ratio of motorised vehicles (both 2
and 4 wheelers) to city inhabitants. There is a motorised vehicle for
every alternate city inhabitant.
Few
decades ago, Pune, then known as bicycle city, was a disciplined
place. In spite of huge number of bicycle commuters, the traffic
police kept a tight leash on traffic offenders and traffic
miscreants. I remember that simple traffic offences like riding a
bicycle without a head light during night or not fixing a light
reflector on rear mud guard were punishable offenses and people used
to be fined. More than two bicyclists were not allowed to ride
sideways. Even carrying another person on the bicycle, known locally
as double seat, was not allowed.
Things
have changed for the worst during these decades. The common traffic
offences like jumping a signal, travelling in wrong direction on a
one way street, parking the vehicles in no-parking zones, not wearing
helmet or seat belt, have become so common on roads that one might be
fooled to consider that these are no longer valid traffic offences.
Drivers in the city have become notorious for not following traffic
rules, habitually ignoring red lights and weaving dangerously through
heavy traffic without giving proper signals. During last decade, in
spite of phenomenal rise in number of vehicles, number of traffic
police personnel has remained stagnant. Even when police personnel
are present, they can hardly do anything to control the traffic,
because the nouveau rich think that everything can be purchased with
their wealth and behave with extreme rudeness with police, sometimes
even manhandle them.
Besides
this new found arrogance of youth, another important reason for this
indiscipline on roads happens to be almost non deterrent nature of
fines currently imposed. A paltry sum of 100 rupees (US$1.4) is
imposed as fine for most of the traffic rule violations. Added to
this are the problems related with lax enforcement of rules by
authorities and the ever present corruption. Traffic control
personnel are frequently bribed to overlook an offence, even learning
licenses can be obtained cheaply without any pre-qualification or
screening. Many roads in Pune do not have footpaths or any road signs
indicating speed limits. Vehicles are not tested for road worthiness,
even when there are two federal Government laboratories in the city,
that are concerned about roadworthiness of vehicles and road safety.
Yet there is no government agency in Pune , in charge of overall road
safety.
Though,
it can no way be considered as a consolation, my home town Pune is
not unique or can not be singled out as far as this new found
lawlessness is concerned. According to my understanding, more or less
same situation prevails throughout the country exactly for the same
reasons that I have outlined above. The net result of this road
anarchy is that there are large ( 130,000 last year) road fatalities
and an economic loss of an estimated US$20 billion a year. The World
Health Organisation has estimated that road accidents cost India
about 3 per cent of its economic growth every year.
To
remedify the situation, India's federal Government has just published
a new legislation on its web site and says that it would go
parliament approval in coming winter. According to this legislation;
“ It
will enable the establishment of a national Road Regulation and
Safety Authority to oversee issues including vehicle design,
maintenance and safety, the promotion of new technology such as
electric cars and effective management of traffic to ensure
pedestrian safety.
It
will introduce a demerit-point system similar to the one in
Singapore, where every offence adds up. Drivers will be slapped with
a one-year suspension if they accumulate 12 demerit points.
The
suspension period will be raised to five years if a driver
accumulates another 12 demerit points. Fines, will now start at 5,000
rupees (US$ 82) and go up to 50,000 rupees (US$ 822).
Jail
terms will also be increased, with the stiffest sentence running up
to seven years in prison and a fine of 300,000 rupees or more for
causing the death of a child. The government hopes the measures will
force motorists to toe the line, but experts say they will work only
if accompanied by strict enforcement.”
India's
minister in-charge says that the legislation has been drafted after
thorough research of existing practices in countries like the US,
Canada, Japan, Germany, the UK, Singapore and Australia. There is no
question in my mind that this new law would certainly bring in more
deterrent punishments for habitual and first time offenders alike.
But some feel that the changes would only lead to higher levels of
corruption.
There
is also a feeling that better infrastructure and mechanisms, like
setting up of surveillance cameras will be required to track
offences and curb violations. It should not be left only to the
traffic police and enforcement officials, otherwise things will
continue to be anarchic. No doubt, there is sense in this logic, but
the country needs a strong deterrent in any case.
I
personally feel and hope that the new legislation becomes a law at earliest
and first few offenders are fined as soon as possible. The new law
might be just what the country needs.
26th
September 2014
