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Old 27th July 2021, 12:03   #16
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

I have driven around in quite a few states/UTs and have had a wide range of experiences. A small gist from each for a quick peruse.

Delhi NCR
Being my home state I have driven across it as a student and an adult.
The student was always stopped at the traffic crossings to check on my MCWOG license but on presenting the said valid document was let go in a matter of minutes.
The adult has been stopped only once till now *touches wood* that too for a routine checkup during election time. Just a thorough search of the vehicle for any violating materials and was let go when none were found.

Punjab
Have crossed a lot of traffic crossings and speed traps but have been fined only once between the Ludhiana-Jalandhar stretch.
The cop was very courteous and helped clear the Challan payment in a matter of 10minutes.

Chandigarh
Having an out-of-state registered vehicle is always a pain in this part of India. Have been stopped countless times but have been greeted with a warm and patient explanation of any offence/would be offence.

Jaipur
Visiting from Delhi is a matter of 4-5 hours and makes for a quick weekend getaway.
On one such very occasion was presented with a Speeding ticket just as I entered Jaipur from the main highway.
On a little talking with the cop was let go with a reduced amount of Challan.

Kerala
Another state where my HR registered vehicle has been a huge admirer by the state police. They are generally more curious about how the vehicle has come to be there rather than any offence done.
Found them to be very enthusiastic about a car driven all the way from HR to KL.

Tamil Nadu
More often than not you find yourself travelling to the very exquisite and close by places of tourism (pre covid) from BLR.
The officers are always courteous and ready to help with directions (when Google goes bonkers).

Karnataka
Apart from the occasional election checking in relation to an out-of-state vehicle have been fined only once.
I got lost in the super notorious one-way streets of Indiranagar and was obliged with a challan for wrong side driving by a good natured cop.

Telangana
The state where I had to retire my trusted steed owing to its old age and how it gave up on me in the middle of the highway.
Was lucky to have encountered a local traffic policeman who not only helped me arrange for a tow truck but also got me some snacks while I waited for the truck to arrive.

I believe people respond in the way they are approached. Simple courtesy and patient temper allows for things to proceed and conclude without any brain or nerver wrecking.
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Old 27th July 2021, 12:09   #17
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

I have a very wonderful experience to share that I had encountered with traffic police in Mumbai.

Incident 1 -
This incident was few years back. My friend's daughter was getting late for her SSC exams and considering the Mumbai traffic conditions in peak morning hours, we predicted that she might not reach on time in my car. So, I took my bike out to drop her at her examination centre.
As luck would have it, there was a nakabandi on the highway (maybe police got some tip of criminals moving around). They were stopping and checking each and every bikers passing through.
I requested them to please let us pass quickly and promised to show my vehicle documents later when I return back, as checking documents would waste crucial 10 to 15 minutes.
The concerned officer immediately signalled other officers to let us go through as quickly as possible.
While returning back, I met the officer again to thank him and wanted to show the documents as promised.
He smiled and let me go through without checking my documents.

Incident 2 -
My car was used by my father throughout the initial lockdown in March 2020 to transport my doctor brother and his colleagues to and fro from the hospital as other mode of transportation for them was difficult. My father isn't a doctor and he actually wasn't allowed to drive (as per law) during lockdown.
Everytime the traffic police use to stop him during nakabandi. But, they will immediately let him go considering the ongoing situation in the country during those times.

We always have negative feelings for our traffic police officers when they keep fining citizens like us. But I would bet that 9/10 times they will fine you for the errors that one have committed. They too are humans and are flexible enough to understand the situation and let you go through for genuine reasons.

Just imagine the situation they are facing while standing on the roads for 12 hours exposed to poor environmental conditions, glaring sounds from the vehicles and still looking to enforce discipline amongst the motorists out there on the roads.
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Old 27th July 2021, 12:15   #18
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Traffic in Mumbai has by and large been a regulated and disciplined affair, save for some errant bikers. 4 wheelers breaking signals would be an occasional affair and that too during odd hours. Of course, there are still some stretches where traffic has shown no signs of discipline (Mohammed Ali Road, from JJ Hospital till Crawford Mkt is a prime example).

Since around 2019 however, with the advent of traffic cams and speed guns on major roads and traffic junctions, there's an unsaid fear of a challan popping up on the phone. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link used to be a speedlover's delight, but with speeds now capped at 80 kmh, we can now see 99% people driving sedately. I have been challaned twice on the stretch, once for 85 kmh and the other for 83 kmh!
Since then, either I avoid the route completely or maintain speeds around 60 kmh, just to be safe!

Speaking to Mumbai Traffic Cops in Marathi always helps, 9/10 times (shouldn't be the case ideally, but that's the way it is as per what I have observed in my travels across a number of states). Ofcourse, there are some absolute buffons who will harass you by quoting some random rule, especially if it's an out-of-state car. One should know when to stand firm and not give-in to nonsense; there are still many of them looking to earn some easy money and even nudge you to pay up. Best thing is to always tell them straight upfront that you're ready to pay whatever official fine, in case you know you've actually jumped the light or changed the lane suddenly. Always make sure to appear firm, but polite and not create a ruckus.

At the end of the day, even the police personnel are humans. Having to stand for long hours through all kinds of weather and encounter high levels of air and noise pollution is not an easy task. For every 1 cop who ruins the image of the department, there are 10 more who pitch-in beyond their call of duty to make sure traffic moves smoothly and citizens face minimal inconvenience. Attaching below an image of 2 traffic cops filling potholes on a busy stretch in Mumbai, as the municipal staff did not pay heed to their calls for help. Kudos to these guys!
Attached Thumbnails
Experience with traffic police in different cities!-screenshot_20210727_122159.jpg  


Last edited by IamNikhil : 27th July 2021 at 12:23.
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Old 27th July 2021, 12:23   #19
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Quote:
Originally Posted by warrioraks View Post
Have been stopped by traffic cops in Delhi, Hyderbad, Gurgaon. In none of the situations, did they come across as unreasonable or unprofessional. It is hard to believe but I have never been asked for a bribe. I was either challaned or let go with some advice on traffic rules.
This is a surprise. Traffic cops in Delhi have never been professional whenever they stopped me. This experience is spread over a decade and I would have to accept that on one of the occasions I did jump a pedestrians red light which was basically hidden behind a tree with the cops hiding behind the next tree and as soon as I crossed the light the cops jumped out right in front causing me to brake abruptly. A ten minute discussion ended with some costly chai pani.

Another incident that happened last week was when I stopped at a red light - no jumping this time. My fault was that I slipped the mask below my nose as I was a little suffocated and bang - a cop comes up and clicks a photo. He then told me that wearing mask in the car is compulsory and there is a hefty fine for it. I argued that I was alone in the car to which he rudely replied - did I make the rule? Another 10 minute discussion ending with another costly chai pani.

I have been in Kerala and saw bribe being accepted easily, though the cops are much more polite than in Delhi.

Fast forward to Noida and the cop behavior totally depends on the car you drive and the cast symbol you have on it. If you are a govt. employee or a political party affiliate, traffic rules do not apply to you and you can drive your car the way you please - wrong side, on the divider, even scare away the cops if you are in the mood .
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Old 27th July 2021, 12:38   #20
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

In my personal experience, in Kolkata, the traffic police plays with the rules and creates situations for payoffs a lot more as compared to Bangalore. Often this can be at a larger scale. About 3 weeks back, I was travelling on Vidyasagar setu with my family in an out of state car. At the end of the bridge, there are toll gates which eventually leads either Kona expressway or Howrah, however a criss-cross after the toll booth is not possible. I was supposed to go to Howrah, but to see a half a km line on that section of the toll booth, I took a barricaded lane assuming it’s a diversion to Kona expressway toll both which was on immediate left. Little did I know, it was an entry to the VIP lane, barricaded from about 300-400 meters back. However, before the VIP toll lane, there was a barricade as in not to enter the toll and an diversion to the Kona expressway. I took the diversion and was promptly stopped by a cop.

I didn’t know if there were signs showing that the barricaded lane was for VIP, so arguing was futile. I was promptly told that I entered the VIP lane (note: I didn’t cross the toll booth) and have to submit my license and appear in the court (cops smelled blood with out of state car). The only option was to cough up Rs 500 to them, which reluctantly I was about to pay. But then, I saw my wife, stepping down from the car and joining our conversation. She was already fuming and started blasting the cop, and been the loyal husband I am, I had to follow her footsteps. On the other hand, since two wheelers are not supposed to pay toll, they were freely using the VIP lane. Out came my mobile on recording mode, and I rounded up 5 two wheelers in next 10 sec. Our argument was - they are not VIP and cannot use the VIP lane even if they don’t have to pay the toll. I was ready to submit my driving license , but I was recording to make sure that the same treatment is given to the motorcyclists too. Most of the poor fellows on the motorcycle were shaking, since they didn’t knew what was happening and some livid folks have cornered them against the cops. A senior officer to talk, but neither our voice came down, nor were we backing out. By the meantime, few more two wheelers were rounded up by us. We demanded the same treatment for everyone, i.e. to submit the license for using VIP lane since the law is same for all. Suddenly after few minutes, police’s attitude changed and we were asked to go. I walked to the car head high for coming out of the situation; and drove the rest of the way with my head down, continuously taunted by my spouse for having too much money to throw away in form of bribe.

What didn’t played on my mind was I wasn’t even given an option for on-spot fine. It was either submit the license or do the payoff.

I don’t know if I was wrong as I don’t remember anywhere mentioned that the barricaded lane was for VIPs. The toll booth was too far to make sense of it. This whole situation seemed to be a co-ordinated nexus to meet police’s monthly target immediately after lockdown. However, this is purely my point of view and I may be wrong for not following the signs.

This was my first encounter with the police in such a manner. I should have showed him the digital copy of my license from mParivahan, instead of acknowledging I have the original license. It will be good to know under what circumstances a traffic police can withhold the licence? Under what situations one can pay a spot fine vs when one has to go to court? Lastly, it’s never the senior officers who are present in the situation asks for bribe, but the lower rank one. Are there scope/liabilities where one can complain to the senior officers under certain sections on Indian penal code that the subordinates are asking for bribe and have them register a complain on spot without going to the police station?
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Old 27th July 2021, 14:44   #21
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Traffic cops in Vadodara used to be very fair and even helpful over a decade ago. I remember I was in college and was riding my CBZ when a car ahead of me slammed its brakes. I reacted accordingly and was rear ended by another motorcycle ridden by an elderly person. While I was still reeling from the shock, the traffic police appeared out of thin air and helped us both up, gave us water, asked us if we needed medical assistance and one of them also commended me on the fact that I was wearing a helmet. We did not face any harassment or questions.

Fast forward to last year and I have been stopped twice because I was wearing riding gear and doing the speed limit. I was threatened once that my bike would be impounded because it was a sportsbike and I was riding on a particular road. Again they blamed me for over speeding and when I asked for the speed gun reading they denied it. Again I was doing the speed limit. At this point they threatened to impound the bike because they had received reports of over speeding on that stretch of road and they simply said that since I had a sportsbike, I had to be fined. Of course I was subjected to questions like how much I earn, how much the bike costs and how I can afford it. You know, typical run of the mill questions which you ask your tax paying citizens.

Again last year at the same spot I was riding my Dominar and someone broke a signal and hit me, causing a low speed spill. That man stopped ahead of the traffic light waiting for me. The traffic cops (5 of them) saw this and none of them came to my aid. When I walked to them and asked if they saw what just happened they feigned ignorance. I wonder if the case would be the same if the car was expensive or if I was on a sportsbike.

Basically if you look like you are well to do and on a nice clean bike with a full face helmet you get stopped and all your documents are checked and if you are without a helmet on a rickety bike which is blowing black fumes all across the road and have a tik tok style chapri haircut, no one will stop you.

I have absolutely no faith or respect for these people. I follow the traffic rules to stay safe and yes so that I don't have to interact with them.
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Old 27th July 2021, 16:24   #22
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

In New Delhi, I think the traffic cops serve two primary duties:

- Earn revenue for the State by finding the most innocuous and easy-to-miss traffic violation spots, for e.g. drivers who casually stray across the yellow-line road divider on W-I-D-E and E-M-P-T-Y Lutyen's Delhi roads or at strategic turns where the 'Left turn not free' sign is defaced/hard to see.

- Waste public time by holding up traffic for 10 or minutes at peak hours so that VIPs can zip through.

Have never really seen Delhi Traffic Police make any effort to curb dangerous traffic violations (such as reversing cars/buses/trucks on flyovers and roundabouts). They also turn a blind eye to DTC buses and Autorickshaws breaking the Traffic signal with full abandon.

Last edited by moralfibre : 27th July 2021 at 16:40. Reason: Please do not make political posts on team-bhp.
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Old 27th July 2021, 18:04   #23
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

I have been a victim of many 'routine checking' by Bangalore police since my college days. And, almost always they have been courteous. (and over courteous when expecting a bribe!)

One incident that I remember is - back in the days when driving my mom's Maruti Omni (think it was 96-97), had parked the car in the busy market area where I found a fully free spot (in hindsight - there were vehicles all over the place and only this spot was free, and it was free for a reason - a half bent 'NO PARKING' board which I obviously missed to notice).

Anyways, when I came back, the car was missing. Came to know from the street vendors that 'TIGER' (towing vehicles in Bangalore were called so) had taken the car. Rushed to the police station which was at the end of the road. Saw my car parked safely in an open area next to police station, in the shade of a tree, and no people/police around.
Since I had the key, I quietly sneaked in, turn the engine on and, in first gear (like one of those movie scenes) tried to VROOM away - there was VROOM sound and dance and everything like in the movie but I was still there, did not move an inch.
Hearing the VROOM a constable came out and, with a 'wicked' smile, showed me the chain used to tie the rear wheels of the car to the same tree which I thought was there to provide shade to my car. He welcomed me into the station, literally like - Banni Sir, Banni ('please come in' in Kannada) where all his colleagues were having a hearty laugh at my flopped movie sequence.

A red faced me paid the fine, had them unlock the chain, and drove the car (no VROOM this time) home.

The parting shot by the inspector was - Don't think you can always fool mamas (police). Follow rules.
I was like
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Old 27th July 2021, 21:00   #24
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Having lived across several cities since 2000, the mumbai and calcutta cops were more decent(actually had a connected cousin whose name helped me get away in mumbai).

Been I Mangalore since 2013 and honestly I feel sorry for anyone who is rude to the cops here. In fact one can get away atleast 80percent of the times without a bribe or fine unless there is a blatant disregard for rules. The inspectors too are considerate and very polite even when on the rounds to check for alcohol consumption. So has been my experience I am pretty sure not too many from the city would disagree with me
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Old 27th July 2021, 22:06   #25
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sridhar C E View Post
Most of my initial years of driving was in Mumbai. This was from the late seventies to late nineties.

The traffic cops were trim and usually operated in groups. If you skipped a red light you were bound to be stopped immediately after crossing it or at the next junction by another set of cops, alerted by their counterparts. Mumbai traffic cops were feared and respected. If you were in the rightmost lane, you HAD to turn right, period.
Mumbai traffic discipline and motoring culture was much better in the 1980s until the early 1990s. It has worsened since then although still better than other cities.
Back then both the police and most regular motorists including taxi drivers and two wheeler drivers had some sense of pride in the urbane and cosmopolitan nature of the city roads and its culture. As car/scooter ownership has democratized (a good thing indeed) a different type of motorist and traffic cop is being seen more often. The cop is either uninterested in disciplining the traffic or is plain helpless with the former more content with harassing people. Still there are helpful and considerate cops.
The motorist is less urbane and mostly has has a weaker connection to the culture of the past or doesn't care about such niceties.

Last edited by GTO : 28th July 2021 at 06:55. Reason: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers. Thanks for the support & understanding
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Old 28th July 2021, 06:36   #26
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Greetings,
Nice to read and learn about fellow members experiences.
So, this happened way back in 1998 and I still remember this incident very clearly.

I was in chennai pursuing my UG degree and had my first bike.
On that particular day I was travelling from Devi theatre towards Guindy on the famous Mount road, which had marked lanes for specific traffic. Those were the days of lane discipline even in the city. Unlike now.

Just as I approached the LIC/Spencer's signal, it was Amber and a government city bus was zooming to avoid the red.
So did I. But, as I crossed the signal, I saw cops on the MEDIAN and as well as on the left side of the road right opposite Spencer's.

I moved to the left of the road to make a quick dash and it was the designated buse lane!
I was promptly stopped by a young constable. On showing my papers, i was told I jumped signal.

In my broken tamil, I told a bus was crossing on amber and i did too. There was a language barrier here. He asked me where i was from and in broken English tried to explain my mistake. I was arguing that signal was Amber. It went on for few minutes. An experienced constable came and put an end to the saga.

I was asked to cough up Rs.100 for not following lane discipline.
Bikes are supposed to be towards right most lane and here I was in the BUS LANE!

Me and the newbie cop were taken back! In a second, I was mute! And had no option but to pay! Guess experience matters!

Cops:1 Me:0.

It was the first and the last time I paid anything to cops till now. And that's the reason it's etched in my memory.

Ofcourse, now a days we are all victims of infamous speed guns strategically placed to fill government coffers!
Stay Safe.

Last edited by matchvan : 28th July 2021 at 06:42.
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Old 28th July 2021, 10:13   #27
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

This happened sometime in 2007. I had just purchased my Innova and had decided to drive down to the Kabini resort via Mysore. At that time I also owned a Baleno.

My cousin had come down with his family and so we set out for Kabini in both my cars. As we approached Mysore city outskirts, I was leading and we were approaching the defunct K R Mills. I fleetingly observed that the speed limit signpost read 50 kmph. We were doing almost 70. A little distance ahead I got flagged down by an interceptor squad armed with radar. As I stopped sheepishly and got down the inspector pointed to his monitor and said, " you were doing 70". I was caught fair and square . He proceeded to raise a challan. Just then , to my horror, I saw my cousin driving my Baleno, approach with a near identical speed!

Immediately the squad pounced upon the Baleno and stopped it too. I told the inspector that the Baleno also belonged to me.
A devilish sense of humor crept into me and I asked him, " Sir, do you offer a bulk discount?"

Needless to say , there was no such offer.

Last edited by Sridhar C E : 28th July 2021 at 10:14.
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Old 28th July 2021, 11:56   #28
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Well I have experiences with cops in two cities. Mumbai and Pune.

In Mumbai rains, when I am in doubt if there is flooding on my route, I'll pull over near any traffic cop I notice and ask them for it and almost always I have gotten an informative answer from them. And has saved me hassle of getting stuck into traffic or doing unnecessary reverses or u-turns that my friends and colleagues have had to suffer.
Another incidence I am reminded of is when the cops thought I'd broken a red light and asked me to stop. When he arrived I asked him politely "What happened Sir?" and he too said very politely "Child, you crossed the single at red". I just explained him that I had refuelled my car a the petrol pump right next to the signal and since I wanted to take the immediate right and due to signal the road was open, I quickly changed to the rightmost lane. Showed him the card receipt and he chuckled saying "You're the first one here that we have stopped but are not fining". We parted with a laugh.

In Pune, being an outsider and not very familiar with the roads but aware of the fact that there are a lot of one ways, no entries and go arounds put in place, if needed I look for a cop and ask him for directions. They too realise that it is an outside city vehicle and help out with the direction and routes.

Being a 25 year old it is expected that cops will try to squeeze money out of me. But no matter when or where, either on a bike or in car, being alone, with friends or with girlfriend, never have I faced the wrath or bad mood or unnecessary harassment that others talk about.
May be I'm just lucky. Or maybe you just have to be good with them and they respond in kind. They, too, are humans after all, mostly with a good heart!!
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Old 28th July 2021, 12:27   #29
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Been only stopped about 7 times in 20 years, and have always had a fantastic experience. Your past and present matters.

Past - How many infractions have you had in the past ? How serious ?

Present - Key is approach with respect and simplicity. Have soft conversations - COVID, weather, where are you from etc, put them at ease.
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Old 28th July 2021, 20:50   #30
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Re: Experience with traffic police in different cities!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sridhar C E View Post
Most of my initial years of driving was in Mumbai. This was from the late seventies to late nineties.

The traffic cops were trim and usually operated in groups. If you skipped a red light you were bound to be stopped immediately after crossing it or at the next junction by another set of cops, alerted by their counterparts. Mumbai traffic cops were feared and respected. If you were in the rightmost lane, you HAD to turn right, period.

Once I parked in a market area, where you were supposed to park on even days on one side of the road and on the other side, on odd days. I made sure I parked right under the no parking on even dates sign, supremely confident of my knowing which day it was.

Well, when I returned to my car ten minutes later, it was in the process of getting towed away. I remonstrated with the cops, only to be made to realize that I was parked on the prohibited side of the road that day! After paying the fine from that day onwards I recheck the date and time of the day whenever I park!

Dr P.S. Pasricha was the head of traffic police for a few years, during which time he opened the dialog with road users. It was he who popularised the sentence, " the traffic discipline on our roads is a reflection of the culture of our society".

BEST buses follow traffic rules and stop at their designated stops. Taxis too stick to rules and by and large driving is a predictable experience.

The road users were generally disciplined and feared the Mumbai Traffic police. I don't know the situation now.

Cut to Namma Bengaluru. I've been driving here from the late nineties.

The traffic cops here are a much hassled lot, dealing with a variety of traffic mainly 2/3 wheelers who think that they can turn 360 degrees and drive in whichever direction they want to.

The cops here were generally more user friendly and when they see someone break a traffic light, they just wrung their hands in despair.

People have no sense of lane discipline and the cops benignly watch as the auto in the leftmost lane does an acrobatic right turn at a traffic junction, narrowly missing several vehicles throttling to go straight!

One sight i remember is that of a fool hardy traffic cop trying to flag down an errant motorist by standing in his path, almost committing harakiri! Typically it is one policeman against the vile traffic, with no back up, no wireless messages going out to the next junction cop.
Another difference between the cops in Mumbai and in Bengaluru is that most Mumbai cops are equipped with motorcycles - if they need to pursue a particularly unlucky motorist.

Things are slowly changing in Bengaluru too. Fines based on traffic camera captured violations are happening. Traffic cops now work in groups, though at times one sees them lounging around rather than watching the traffic.

The friendly ( and benevolent,) nature of the Bengaluru cop revealed itself to me yesterday. As I was driving on Sarjapur road towards Decathlon, a posse of traffic cops flagged me down at 11 am. I could see some 2 wheelers and a truck stopped, too. I stopped and lowered my window. " Do you have all the relevant documents, Sir" asked the cop, in Kannada. " Yes, I do. What particular document do you want to see?" I asked. By now a senior cop had joined the first one. " He says he has all the documents, Sir " , said the first cop. The senior cop peered towards me. " Oh, Senior citizen, aa? Hogi saar (Go, Sir)"he said, " senior citizens will always follow rules and have all the documents", he said, as if explaining to his colleague.
" we shouldn't have stopped you."

So with a smile, I carried on.

Wonder how the traffic cops come across, in other cities?
Hi Sridhar,

My interactions with traffic cops in Bangalore has always been a mixed bag. Some have been pleasant, some very neutral and some very very frustrating. I'm going to talk about a few instances that I'd consider to stand out from the other normal interactions.

1. This happened about 3 years ago. I ride with a group consisting of 99% superbikes. We typically ride to Kolar on Sunday mornings. On my way back from one such outing, I had gone ahead of the team in order to capture a "fly by". I was on my modest 2008 RE Electra 350. The plan was to go about 3km ahead and set up my camera to capture pics as the team came by. Just as I cleared a bend which was 500m away from my intended stop point, I see a highway patrol vehicle which immediately flagged me down. I had no plans of running from them (which I tend to see happen quite often), I indicate and pull over. The constable came running along side and tried to grab my keys. I "politely" smacked his hand away and told him sternly that I have complied so far and have no intention to ride off. So I got off the bike, grabbed all my documents and made my way to their vehicle. The inspector immediately told me that he doesn't care about my docs and I need to pay a fine of Rs.8000 for over speeding/reckless driving. I immediately told him that I haven't broken the speed limit nor ridden erratically and demanded proof. His response made me laugh out loud. He said "You were doing close to 200kmph, you're wearing riding gear and your headlight was on and only "racing bikes" ride with their headlamps on! I looked at him and then pointed to my bike and said "Sir, that is a Bullet and it would probably do 110 on a good day going downhill and with some tail wind. So I don't know the basis of your assessment here. He replied saying that I need not teach him the rules and that I can pay the fine or else have the bike impounded. I told him I will not pay until he showed me evidence of having tracked me at the aforementioned 200kmph. At that point he looked at me again and noticed my GoPro mount and asked "Are you media? Why do you have a camera?". I just bluffed and answered yes. They immediately turned respectful and asked if I were recording. I said yes. He immediately said "Sir you may go. We are just doing our duty and making sure the rules are withheld. He added that a villager on the route heard a Superbike flyby and died of a heart attack and so they're being vigilant. The best part is that I'm neither a media person nor did I have my GoPro on. It was just the mount on my helmet. Have always made sure I never take the GoPro mount off ever since.

2. A friend and I were heading to our usual hangout near the DRDO area. There was a long snaking line of vehicles jammed up near the DRDO gate. As we overtook all the vehicles, a man appeared out of nowhere and jumped in front of us with his hands stuck out. We were doing about 25-35kmph and had no time to even brake as he'd appeared from in between the cars on our left. We ran into him and ended up crashing. Turned out to be a traffic cop. The scene was hilarious as the chap barely landed on his derriere but started screaming "attempt to murder" at the top of his voice. The two of us on the bike too had taken a tumble. He got up angrily and charged at us saying "See what I'm going to do with you". We got back on our feet and he attempted to slap my friend who was riding the bike. My friend, who happens to be a lawyer, blocked the incoming slap and told the cop that as per the directive given to cops they aren't supposed to jump in front of a moving vehicle especially the way this cop did and asked him to call his superior to the spot. He told the cop that he's a lawyer and will ensure that he's going to have his badge and this will be his last day working as a cop. The tables immediately turned and the cop started pleading not to create a scene. My friend demanded the cop pay for the damage to our bike. The guy actually handed us 1200 bucks and told us this is all he had and please let bygones be bygones.

On the other side, I currently own a Tiger 800 XRx and haven't experienced too many hassles. In fact I've had very pleasant interactions with traffic cops on the Triumph. They're usually curious of what it is and have had multiple instances where in they ask if they can sit on the bike and take a picture and I oblige. One other thing I've noticed is that the likelihood of getting off without too much of a hassle is high if you speak at least a little bit of Kannada. I'm originally from Kerala and scrape through with the language.
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