Bengaluru City Traffic Police

Vijay Kundaji didn't really figure in my list of friends, though we met at regular intervals during Citizens for Bengaluru meetings. He seemed reticent and a man of few words who liked a comfortable corner—very unlike me. But when we began work on the Beku Beda Santhe, I realised his shy nature was a sham. He turned into a one-man army, whose stoic confidence was what kept most of us calm during the run up to the event. Murphy's Law would not meet a more determined adversary. Our shared moments over absolute disasters and accomplishment also saw us become friends.…

It's not an uncommon fact anymore that Bengaluru suffers from one of the worst traffic conditions in the whole country, where it can surprisingly take an hour to travel a distance as short as a few kilometres. While the daily victims of this grim state of affairs unsparingly blame the administration for the poor metro coverage, insufficient flyovers, dilapidated roads, and unprepared public transportation; here we propagate a specific issue which has seldom been discussed. Bengaluru's red lights at the traffic signals usually last for exorbitantly long durations that can be up to 5 minutes. Go to Koramangala sony signal…

On any normal weekday morning, if you take a peek into Google maps with Traffic on, and zoom into the East of Bengaluru, you can see some dark lines forming around Tin Factory. This gets input from two green lines – the Old Madras Road and the Outer Ring Road from Kalyan Nagar. The ORR from Kalyan Nagar used to be a mess, but these days things seem to be in some sort of control. This dark line extends all the way till the KR Puram Railway station, becoming green again as traffic rushes out from that point, like kids…

The Bengaluru City Traffic Police has definitely made best use of technology, to make their task of enforcing rules and collecting fines easier, with the 'Enforcement Automation Centre', which issues/delivers traffic violation notices to ones doorstep. However there seem to be some aspects where improvement is possible, which will help an offender to understand their offence and pay up for it. First, the notice provides no information on the police station which has issued this notice. So, if the offender needs more information about the offence, they will first have to visit the closest traffic police station and enquire, during…

File pic: Mayur Channagere A press release issued by the Karnataka Department of Information and Public Relations on July 30th about Bengaluru Vision Group sub-committee’s traffic related decisions related to Bengaluru has ruffled feathers. A section of citizens have questioned the sub-committee for taking unilateral decisions for Bengaluru, instead of remaining just an advisory group, as noted by the government during the formation of the Vision Group (Bengaluru Blueprint Action Group or BBPAG). A lot of information has been floating around about the decisions taken by the sub-committee: starting with their declaration of 12 roads as high density roadsto their intent of…

On a bright Friday afternoon when office goers on Outer Ring Road - the Bellandur-Marathahalli stretch that houses many IT firms, are wrapping up work and planning their weekend, a young man in his early 30s clad in a crisp white shirt and khakhi trousers arrives at the Varthur traffic signal to man the traffic. His duty starts at 2 pm sharp and would go on till 10. Fridays are heavy traffic days, specially on the Outer Ring Road which is infamous for its endless traffic jams. But he is all prepared for his day’s work. He knows how miserable…

Bengaluru is the IT hub of India, and most people here are becoming tech-savvy.  Bengaluru is today a global name, and with the changing stature of the city, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) too is striving to do its best.  Given the widespread use of technology, BTP has decided to use technology to serve citizens better. BTP frequently receives many complaints against auto drivers from the public—refusal to go on hire, demanding excess fare, misbehaving and other issues—through its various communication channels. In order to address citizens’ problems effectively, BTP has designed, developed and launched a mobile application called bSafe…

A file picture from an earlier edition of Traffic Police Day. Despite the growing vehicular population, Bengaluru is kept on the move thanks to its traffic police. Battling the harsh sun, rain, pollution, the indignant citizen and many civic woes, the service of the Traffic Police goes unnoticed. With the aim of urging young people to recognise their tireless contribution and to empathise with the hardships they face, (Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness) CMCA organises 'Traffic Police Day'. Traffic Police Day is dedicated to thanking one of the city’s unacclaimed heroes – the traffic police. 2016 marks the 11th annual celebration…

Traffic management and parking arrangements. Pic: facebook.com/BangaloreTrafficPolice The annual Independence Day Ceremonial Parade will be held at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Grounds, Cubbon road on August 15th at 9 am. The Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka will receive the salute.  The Bangalore Traffic Police has made the following parking and traffic arrangements in and around the area. Parking arrangements  Invitees with yellow car passes are to come on to Cubbon road and enter Gate 1 facing the northern side of the Manekshaw Parade Ground, and park their vehicles on the western side of the ground. Invitees with white car passes,…

A few days ago we decided to take a break at a home-stay in Coorg, and so had to take the Mysore Road out of Bangalore to Coorg. To avoid getting caught in a traffic jam, we always get out early in the day and that day was no different. The road was in an excellent condition which was a happy surprise for us, as most roads in Bangalore are in a mess, and we are used to pot holes remaining for even a decade. The only worry we had was the road humps, because we had hit one the…