Date:21/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/21/stories/2007112160750300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Road rage is just round the corner

Raghava M.

BANGALORE: “What can we do? We are short-staffed and there are too many motorists. We just cannot keep pace with the number of violations. If a traffic constable is not present at a traffic junction even for a few minutes, motorists script a whole new dimension to traffic rules.” This is the view of a senior traffic police officer in Bangalore.

Given this situation, motorists frequently resort to taking the law into their own hands to settle traffic-related disputes. The traffic police’s helplessness has also emboldened countless motorists to break rules at will.

While deaths due to road rage like in New Delhi have not yet happened in Bangalore, police officers fear it is only a matter of time before they occur here.

Recently, during a demonstration by two groups over an ideological issue near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Cubbon Park, many vehicles were parked on either side of the lane adjacent to the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, inconveniencing motorists.

A driver looking to park his car blocked the exit of an elderly man who was trying to remove his four-wheeler. Tempers flared, words exchanged and a fracas ensued with the elderly man being roughed up. The incident stopped the traffic entirely, worsening the situation before the traffic police intervened to restore order.

Lack of discipline

“People go straight to Webbs Petrol bunk and then proceed on the wrong side of M.G. Road riding on the footpath. Police are unable to prevent it,” said K. Ravi Kumar, who fractured his hand after he was knocked down by a speeding motorcyclist.

Riding on the pavement has become a habit for two-wheelers trying to get round traffic jams. Recently, one of this paper’s reporters was beaten up by two software engineers when she objected to them illegally riding on the pavement. Moreover, they taunted her saying they would get away with it with a fine. It is another matter that they were traced and cases booked against them.

Adding to the stress levels of road users is the constant honking even in banned areas.