[Ranger747]

All,

Hope I'm posting in the correct sub-forum. Lately there is widespread police checking on Bangalore roads. Just around tin-factory area, I could see a few police stops. They randomly stop any vehicle. There was a news in the newspaper about targets set for traffic cases to be filed every month. I got stopped couple of times and they took money for the 3m film I had on the window glass. It is barely noticeable, but they will make you roll down the window and try scratching with thumb to see any film. I am worried to take car outside these days. Already the running has reduced considerably due to covid situation.

I was wondering if anyone has any insight into this situation. How long is this going to go, I'm not sure.

cheers

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Ranger747

I was wondering if anyone has any insight into this situation. How long is this going to go, I'm not sure.

Noticed a lot of cops out yesterday at a couple of places in and around Indiranagar and CV Raman Nagar.

The optimist in me hopes this will continue actually and they crack down on the really serious offenses like wrong side driving/riding.

The pessimist in me thinks that they are just making up for lost 'revenue' over the past few low-traffic months and all they'll do is catch soft targets like 'sun film' and 'no helmet'.

[Jaggu]

It has been almost a month since these drives had started, first they were after the loud bullets and other bikes with aftermarket silencers. Then they started with enforcing helmets and violations at signal (signal jump, white line crossing). Signals either manual checking or they would be walking around clicking pictures to issue echallans (my guess). Next phase started targeting 4 wheeler and even autorickshaws. So yes the enforcement drive is full on.

No guesses why it is being done, more than enforcing law it is for revenue i guess. The States are in bad shape with regards to revenue since covid and related issues. The GST backlog has added to misery and I think there is no choice but to collect revenue wherever they can.

Similar enforcement has started by electricity board also, if you do not pay bill on time, chances are the folks will turn up and cut the supply to your house/apartment. They were lenient and did not bother for up to a month previously.

Having said that, I have mixed feeling. I ride and drive daily and fortunately never been stopped, but have seen scores of folks being pullled up and some getting into fights etc. As long as they are not harassing on road and issuing e challans, it is great. For a change it is very nice to see all the vehicles including bikes staying behind those white line. Just like a derby line up lol

[itwasntme]

Beware the BTRAC cameras too!

Paid 1000 bucks for a speed violation ticket snapped by such a camera. Really ironic because it was at 0730 on a sleepy Saturday morning. :-(

[BANDHAV]

Same case here in Delhi, the deployment of the traffic cops is substantially higher than usual, working hours also seems to be longer, you can find them standing at odd locations at late hours.

They seems to be on a revenue collecting spree of both kind.

Plus side is you can see vehicles stopping well before the zebra crossings, following red lights etc.

I have added 20 mins to my daily commute to ensure that I stay well within the speed limits. As there have been numerous instances of getting challaned for doing 61 in 60 KMPH zone. It is better safe (literally & figuratively) than sorry.

I hope this is not seasonal in nature and this would continue, this strictness is the need of the hour, as there is a severe decline in the quality of how people are driving after the unlock.

[NPV]

Yes it been a month or so since these drives started, just hope it brings some semblance of discipline on the roads. For a few months now, city traffic has been crazy with all kinds of violators roaming freely.

However, I just hope they focus on the dangerous violations like wrong side driving/riding, signal jumping, wheelie maniacs etc. On New Thippasandra main road for example, many times the wrong side heroes are let go and the focus is only on helmets

I'd posted about this earlier as well here (Rants on Bangalore's traffic situation) on the Bangalore traffic thread.

[redCherry]

Apparently the RTO has been given a target of 26,000 vehicles a month and they fell short by 3,000 in August. So, probably we are seeing even more inspections this month. ...

[am1m]

Originally Posted by NPV

On New Thippasandra main road for example, many times the wrong side heroes are let go and the focus is only on helmets

Haha, that's one of the roads I was thinking of when I posted the 'pessimistic' opinion! (If you remember, that road was actually a 2-way road a long time ago, late 90s-early 2000s. I learned to drive on that and on Suranjan Das road.) Every once in a while the cops will make some half-hearted/half-day attempt there to catch people going the wrong way. But it's become a regular feature there and now even cars and autos regularly go down that road the wrong way. In that whole area- Indiranagar-Tippasandra-BEML-Malleshpalaya, wrong side driving/riding has just increased and it's become a regular thing now. Folks will honk at you to get out of the way and they actually get angry if you point out that they are on the wrong side!

Yesterday I saw a bunch of cops stopping people for helmet-less riding at BEML Gate junction, while right in front of their eyes an idiot on a bike cut across from the wrong side of the road to get past a red light! Of course they didn't care, they had fines to collect from the less serious offenders who had stopped!

They should just start seizing autos, bikes and cars caught for wrong side driving. It's a serious menace and these idiots won't realize otherwise.

[adityak7]

Yep, it has definitely increased in the past month. I think the government is trying to make up for the lost tax revenues in one way or the other.

The problem is they're setting themselves up in the smaller lanes where we typically end up going without a helmet to run an errand within a km or so. I have seen at least 10-12 vehicles stopped for helmet reasons in a bylane near my home everyday for the past week.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by adityak7

The problem is they're setting themselves up in the smaller lanes where we typically end up going without a helmet to run an errand within a km or so.

This is another one of those reasons people find, errand at a nearby place, don't need helmet! The fines aside, we don't realise we're compromising our own safety. Please wear a helmet not to avoid fines, but to protect yourself. An accident doesn't announce itself so better be safe than sorry.

I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone not wearing a helmet when riding a two wheeler anywhere. Same with anyone driving a four wheeler without the seat belt fastened.

[dailydriver]

On one hand we have a thread asking * (Bangalore Traffic Police - What's Wrong?) and on the other we end up questioning their motives when they start doing what they are actually supposed to do.

A law abiding driver/rider has nothing to lose from encountering a traffic cop on the road - besides a few minutes of his time.

I have had my share of bad apples in the form of ill-intentioned cops, but they are a vital cog in the running of the system.

Let them do their duties and let us do ours.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by redCherry

Apparently the RTO has been given a target of 26,000 vehicles a month and they fell short by 3,000 in August. So, probably we are seeing even more inspections this month. ...

In Bangalore the greatest loss of revenue for the State RTO is due to no road tax collections from the hordes of outside state vehicles plying for years in Karnataka. Partially this is attributed to the dynamic job market and higher road taxes in Karnataka.

Per hearsay, its cheaper to get out with even higher than regular spot settlements than to do a formal RTO transfer when the tenure of stay is not certain.

Probably considering cities like Bangalore which are major job destinations there should be a more flexible option like yearly or lesser which are easier on pockets and does not require longer term commitments.

[d3mon]

A while ago, it was deemed illegal for traffic police to stop anyone without any reason for just 'checking of documents'. Of course cops are allowed to stop you if they spot any violation.

Has that changed?

[paragsachania]

It is official :

RTO staff scramble to meet new targets

Squads of RTO staff are stopping and fining motorists for overloading, drunk driving, and driving without helmet, licence and seat belts. “We also focus on tax violations and check for air and noise pollution,” Shivakumar told Metrolife

The government has given the RTO a target of 26,000 vehicles a month. “Our inspectors achieved 80 per cent in August with 22,906 cases, higher than 21,470 in the same month last year,” explains Shivakumar.

And they are talking help from the traffic police too although it says RTO staff!!

[GrandTourer]

Wow this is a new low for the RTO.

Fortunately, I have had good experience with this drive. I see a lot less rash driving on the service road on the ORR in Bellandur. Wrong side driving has reduced and bikers do wear helmets and not just as a bicep ornament.

Personally, I'm not too annoyed about it. In my two stops, there was no money involved. One time the cop asked me about the film. I opened the door and let him have a look from both sides, inside and outside. Convinced that there was no film, he let me go. The next day when his colleague signaled me to stop, this guy told me to proceed (apparently he remembered).