[Spitfire]

Time: 0920 hours.

Place: Old Airport Road. Gap in median before Total Mall right upto Pizza Hut/NAL Gate Junction.

Today I took the bike instead of the bus.

After reaching the lane right infront of the Old Airport, I see that there is a jam.

Slowly the traffic starts moving. Its normally so everyday. But today it was a bit too slow.

So as we were slowly inching towards the PizzaHut/NAL Gate Junction, I see a Traffic Policeman on his Pulsar going down the wrong way on the opposite lane. With the headlight on he startles a lot of people coming up the main road towards HAL side.

When I get closer to the Vishveswarya School where there is a gap in median. I see the same policaman advising all of us to get on the opposite lane and drive into the oncoming traffic. Some of us are surprised and confused as to what this man of huge wisdom is asking us to do.

But all the cab drivers, buses, and all others do as he says and drive onto the wrong side.

I am wondering whats wrong and I remember the Carlton Fire. By the time my turn comes up to take the wrong side, the same cop stops us and asks us to proceed normally.

Duh!!!

Ok so I got straight, pass the Total Mall and see a punctured Big10 Bus just before the turn at Pizza Hut. So this was the problem with the traffic.

Thinking all is good now, we wait for our signal to go green. But then, they are suddenly turned off and now another cop stops our lane.

And then this happens:

YouTube - Crazy Bangalore

Whats the issue with the cops in Bangalore. No wonder people in Bangalore drive/ride up a wrong way.

[Captain Slow]

Like the saying goes - It happens only in India!

Most of the traffic cops are nothing more than Auto drivers in a police uniform. They have the same senses and think like the auto drivers. What else can we expect from them ?

Sad situation, A nice city like Bangalore ruined thanks to acts like this.

[nkrishnap]

This is the most stupid job a policeman can do. They indeed screw up the traffic bottlenecks by turning off the signals and letting go each lane for a long long time, due to this the all lanes leading to that particular signal is choked.

God knows when these guys learn to manage the traffic properly

[Rahulkool]

Same thing happen in chennai, mostly i have seen if there is no traffic police on the junction, traffic flows smoothly. If there some cop comes and things hes smarter than the timer light, he screws everything.

I have also seen they give wrong signal. like if the light is red and there is no traffic on the green side they will ask the traffic to move. This gives wrong message to the people and they start breaking the rules when cops are not around. I have seen many such a things in chennai.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

Same thing happen in chennai, mostly i have seen if there is no traffic police on the junction, traffic flows smoothly. If there some cop comes and things hes smarter than the timer light, he screws everything.

Man, this is more than true & couldn't stop ; very hilarious.

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

I have also seen they give wrong signal. like if the light is red and there is no traffic on the green side they will ask the traffic to move. This gives wrong message to the people and they start breaking the rules when cops are not around.

Very true Rahul, but no way this can be compared with the Bangalore incident that Spitfire says. This incident is height of madness with the traffic cops. Sad state of this country. Several weeks back, I saw a cop without his uniform jumping signal & I wanted to chase & give my piece of mind, but then, had to let it go.

[finneyp]

Don't know what training is given to these traffic cops?
Traffic management is no rocket science, if you have seen those volunteer traffic wardens, they do a much better job than these cops!
The SI and cops with stars are interested only in collecting fines from helmet-less bike riders & no-free-left violaters, hardly bothered with the traffic management.
As Rahul said, junctions without cops are well regulated, compared to the chaos caused by these white-uniformed traffic enforcers.

[rohanjf]

Well said Finney!

Just yesterday I saw an autorickshaw driver taking a left turn when the light was red, and being stopped by the hiding cops. He slid a note (I could not see the denomination) into the inspector's trousers' pocket and went his way. I wish I had the guts to go there and make a fuss :-(

[black12rr]

You/we are fools , we should go with the wind ...err the traffic . .
I have seen - Never stop at red light stops post 10 Pm ,you are sure to be just mowed/rear ended down by some truck or bus or cab.Just be smart ,slow down and zip out . Cant help .I want to live .

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by black12rr

You/we are fool

I agree. I felt like an idiot waiting there when people who were much behind in the line got to get past everyone else who were in the right.

[pypkmsrikanth]

OT: I counted 4 Volvo's in the span of the time the video runs (1 minute) Bangalore seem to have an overkill of Volvo city buses, no wonder the Volvos' are drain for BMTC

[raghu230506]

While driving back home in the afternoon for some work, I saw a crawling traffic near VW showroom on Hosur road, I was wondering what was the reason, to my surprise it was caused due to SpeedGun/Interceptor by our great traffic police the worst part was this interceptor was on the complete right of the road (I don't know how he got the job).

Two lanes were occupied one for the interceptor and good discipled drivers (parking behind and in front of the patrol van) caught. Everyone had to squeeze through the left lane and pass on.

Hawaldar stopping the violated vehicles almost where ever he wants. It was a mess, no they made it a mess.

Can't they just capture and send the tickets home (I agree there might be many not staying at the address where car is registered) but still they can avoid all the chaos they create on the road.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by raghu230506

While driving back home in the afternoon for some work, I saw a crawling traffic near VW showroom on Hosur road, I was wondering what was the reason, to my surprise it was caused due to SpeedGun/Interceptor by our great traffic police the worst part was this interceptor was on the complete right of the road (I don't know how he got the job).

Two lanes were occupied one for the interceptor and good discipled drivers (parking behind and in front of the patrol van) caught. Everyone had to squeeze through the left lane and pass on.

A speedgun, supposed to catch high speeding vehicles, end up causing a traffic jam?

In the end, did they catch anyone speeding?

[benbsb29]

First and foremost, let me crosslink this thread which i had created about cops in Bangalore. Link

Now, let me narrate another fine example of how they make a mess of traffic with different rules which apply to different strata of society.

Bellandur junction, time 10AM, last Friday. My wife is unwell, and i am taking her to see the doc at Apollo clinic @ Bellandur. I am on way from the Marathalli side and as i approch the junction, take the right most lane, turn on my indicator and wait for my turn. The moronic cops at the junction start hurling abuses at me saying i cant take a right there. Huh?! Whats the junction for then, i ask them.. i get more abuses in return. I am ordered to get my car outta there, and go to the Iblur junction to take the U turn and come back. I relate this to wanting to scratch my nose but instead of directly reaching out to it, i wind my hand all around my head, and then try to reach it.

Fine, i go to the Iblur junction, and take the U turn, and get back to Bellandur junction. I now need to get to the service road to go to the clinic. They refuse to let me. Why?! i question them. Again, they utter some nonsense in Kannada. My wife shouts at them in English saying, i need to get to the hospital, goddamit! Cop gets more angry for being shouted at by a lady, but let us go.

While this is happening, i see the cops allow an autorickshaw to take the same U turn which i wanted to. I ask why, he is allowed, and not me.. again abuses and screaming at me from the cop.

Seriously, these guys are dim-witted.. and as someone said, it doesnt need rocket science to control traffic efficiently.. just common sense.

Question is, when will they learn?!

[aargee]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Question is, when will they learn?!

Ben, just one suggestion, although I haven't tried this on the Bangalore traffic cops, it works for me most of the times. Instead of questioning the cops, just request them, if you can take a right; if he yells saying you're in a wrong place or anything, say sorry several times. If you're not a native (or have a non KA vehicle), ask them if a certain path (already the shorter route) is shortest route (pretending to be an outsider). I've noticed that if you question anyone in govt, we're the worst enemies than our neighbourhood country.

PS - Are the cops in Bangalore so worse? I recently see many people bashing Bangalore cops or is it that no one is bashing Chennai cops?

[Captain Slow]

I feel for you! Like I said 90% of the cops are nothing more than Auto drivers in a police uniform. Thats another reason why they don't stop autos or give them special preference.