I received a call from Vinayak Kumar Verma, who is a resident of Hari Nagar and has just returned from Boston where he is studying music. He met with an accident and is peeved with the way Delhiites drive and the Traffic cops behave.

He says, “I was standing at South Ex Part II when a scooterist hit me at full speed and I was badly injured. I took the scooterist to the traffic cops and was stunned to see the way they reacted. They very casually told me that ‘it is a normal thing in Delhi and they can’t help me.’ They just asked the name of the company where the scooterist was working and let him go away. The traffic police here needs to be friendly with citizen. When we talk to them they look away. They don’t look at your face when you talk to them. They aren’t attentive and don’t want to help you. The way Delhiites drive and the way traffic is managed, it’s simply madness!”

Generally when I meet people who are coming to India after a long gap, they only whine about the traffic problem in Delhi and most of them are shit scared about driving on Delhi roads. The same roads where they once learnt driving. However, after a stint abroad, they become wiser and their road behaviour becomes excellent. They are so refined drivers that they don’t venture out on the streets of Delhi without a driver.

Most of the foreigners I interview, the first think they remark about Delhi is the traffic scenario and the way Delhi drivers drive. In fact I met Dave Parry once, who is the guy behind the light and sound system and the Buttkicker Bodysonic Dance floor of Elevate at Noida. He is from UK and out of the two hours I spent with him, half an hour conversation was on the traffic scene and Delhi’s errant drivers. He was staying in Moti Bagh and for him driving everyday to Noida was a complete adventure full of stories.

I remember another classmate of mine Lokesh. He stays in Karol Bagh and was born and brought up there only. He was a typical Delhi driver ten years back and was an expert in zig-zag driving. I met him this February once and there’s a sea change in him. He was a guy who never had a habit of walking. Even to go from Khalsa College till SRCC, he used to always take his car. I met him in Karol Bagh market and he was on his way to a bank in Old Rajinder Nagar. I thought as usual he’d take out his car. But I was taken aback when he started a long discourse on the way Delhiites drive and how difficult it is for him now to drive on these roads again. He didn’t forget to remind me of how mad he was the way he used to drive earlier. He preferred walking the entire one-and-a-half kilometre stretch. How I just wish all Delhiites were like Lokesh.

I received a mail from Ankush Bansal who says that; “We had sent a request on July 7 to Jt CP (Traffic) regarding removal of red light and close the cut of the road divider at Sultanpuri crossing on NH-10 in order to ease traffic flow at NH 10 in Nangloi. Still no action has been taken until now.”

According to him the crossing serves no useful purpose on a National Highway. His reasons are -:

1. DTC buses no longer use this cut on the road divider anymore. All bus routes going to and fro from the Sultanpuri road have been closed. Thus this cut serves no purpose now.

2. There is no use of having two traffic signals within 90 metres on a National Highway. One major traffic signal is at the Najafgarh crossing and one small signal is just 90 metres away at Sultanpuri chowk. The Sultanpuri Chowk traffic signal causes unnecessary traffic congestion and thus should be closed.

3. The volume of the traffic on the crossing is very little. Primarily cycle rickshaws, push carts and two-wheelers use the crossing. They dont follow traffic rules and thus contribute towards traffic congestion and also are a danger to the vehicles plying on the National Highway.

4. With the closure of the cut, this traffic can easily use Najafgarh crossing on one side and the U-turn 150 metres down the road on the other side towards Peeragarhi crossing.

5. The closure of the cut will ease traffic congestion at Nangloi and result in better and controlled traffic movement.

The application says, “It is further suggested to close the existing verge near the LCD garbage bin 150 metres from Sultanpuri crossing (towards Peeragarhi) and a broad U-turn may be provided on the Central Verge further 100 metres down in front of Surajmal Stadium where the road is broader. This would smoothen the traffic flow and result in further decongestion of the area.”

Well, Ankush the procedure of closing these cuts and removing signals is a long one and takes a bit of time. I have again forwarded your application to Joint CP (Traffic). The closure of cuts takes political colour also sometimes as the local MLAs and MPs intervene. I remember on New Rohtak Road a cut had to be opened after it was closed since the area residents objected to it and asked their area MLA to intervene on this matter although just a hundred metres away there was another cut. So the cops take all these decisions judiciously and carefully.

I received a mail from MM Lal who writes, “The road leading towards Green park T-point (opposite UPHAAR Cinema) from Siri Fort red light crossing has three to four intersections. One immediately after the redlight of Siri Fort which is one of the entry point to enter GULMOHAR PARK and second one is a left turn towards Hauz Khas and immediately after there is right turn towards Gulmohar enclave/Gulmohar park/Gautam Nagar/Niti Bagh/Uday Park, etc. (This point is a bone of contention) When people negotiate the right turn from this point they simply come on the left hand side of the road which usually creates a traffic jam and I think personally this is the tendency of every body in Delhi that they don’t bother about their lane and simply try to jump the lane and come to the wrong lane which creates a traffic jam.

“The reason behind this jam is that the divider on this road is slightly too short which makes people take a right turn too early. I would suggest that this divider is extended at least five to ten yards more so that people taking right turn do not get into the traffic jam and vice versa the people coming from other side also can take left or right turn without any problem.

“I made this suggestions to the various traffic policemen standing on this intersection but to no avail. I hope this message will be of some help. Generally it is the tendency of every motorist in Delhi to overtake from the wrong side that too with continuos use of pressure horns till they get the side. Although we drive on the left side of the road but we observe the laws as if we drive on the right side of the road. In these circumstances those who want to drive correctly as per the rules of driving look like jokers.

“As per the ruling from the Delhi High Court recently that all the speed breakers should be removed from Delhi Roads. But unfortunately what has happened is that the speed breakers are being removed but what is left behind is a big pit, which is more dangerous than the speed breaker. Moreover, not all the speed breakers have been removed there are some which are still there in the Gulmohar Park area.”

The problem is Delhi drivers drive according to their convenience. They are the ones who will shout at others when they get struck due to some other person’s fault but won’t think twice when they themselves commit traffic offence. I have been constantly advocating that Delhi drivers should imbibe some civility into them. Only then we’ll free flowing traffic. Regarding speed breakers, I think it is temporary and the civic authorities will smoothen it with passage of time.

I received a letter from Sat Paul Arora who is a resident of Ashok Vihar. He writes, “I read the sad state of affairs in Janpath Lane and such things happen in many parts of Delhi. Take for example Ashok Vihar. I wonder sometimes that people sitting at the helm of affairs do not foresee such bottlenecks even in long-term point of view. The planners are not visionary enough. Take for example the entry road to Ashok Vihar from Mont Forte School. Right from Mont Forte School till the school at D block, this road is a mess. All the schools are located on this road and during the morning and afternoon, road gets blocked. Traffic is simply worse here as school buses are parked on both sides of the road. The presence of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cycle-rickshaws, vans and taxis make this road a deadly zone where mishaps happen frequently. None from Traffic Police goes there to control and regulate traffic here, as jams are a common sight. I just request traffic police to depute traffic personnel to regulate traffic during the opening and closing of the schools to avoid major mishap as without them situation is worse.”

The problem with schools in residential locality is a big problem. I think the traffic police should ask the schools to have staggered timings so that the dispersal of students is in a way, which doesn’t affect the residents.

Meanwhile, long time back Avinash Rajput had given a traffic suggestion to either remove median/partition or provide speed breaker or yellow line on both sides of the Shakurbasti overhead Railway Bridge in between Britannia and Punjabi Bagh Flyovers. He sent me a mail again saying, “This hasn’t been done although the traffic inspector met me and took the suggestion from me. This was covered by you last year in July. I just request the traffic police to do something about it.” I just hope the traffic cops help resolve this issue.

I received a mail from Roy Manohar who writes, “It was nice to read your article on suggestion that road safety to be taught to kids. I would like to elaborate a bit more on this subject and I hope this would be read by some of the big brass our esteemed police force.

“Taking a positive view of the traffic situation, I would recommend the Traffic Department organize a Traffic Awareness Month. This method is adopted in foreign countries. During this whole month, police force is deployed in most of the signals and behaves very friendly.

“They inform the offenders very politely on the mistakes that are done and give them necessary inputs how to avoid them in the future.

“Adding a bit more activity during this awareness month, I would like to put a few more things that they can follow:
1. TV media can be used to graphically depict the traffic rules
2. Schools/Institutes to be provided with lectures and demonstrations of how to stick to disciplined traffic regulations. Also, teach how students can be morals to their parents by asking their parents to follow traffic rules.
School bus drivers (who are the frequent rule breakers) to be advised how they should be an example to the students who travel in their vehicles.
3. All Govt and Private companies or organizations need to be educated on traffic rules by giving lectures and demonstrations. Respective companies HRD department should be given all information to emphasize strict discipline by their employees (including their big bosses).

“Once, this is completed, the cops can go on spree of catching the offenders. But, all well said and done, unless the very basic attitude of our fellow citizens is changed by their internal conscience, it is very difficult.”

I fully agree with you Manohar regarding educating people with basic traffic rules. The Delhi Traffic Police does celebrate Road Safety Week, but your suggestion regarding celebrating Traffic Awareness Month is good. I think for one month the cops should go on a drive to teach all road users including the pedestrians to follow traffic rules and the rest eleven months go on filling up Home Ministry’s coffers without any guilt feeling. I also would like to add that the transport department should be very strict in issuing driving licence. The schools should encourage in teaching children traffic awareness. They should have books on traffic education in the library. One of the few books available in the market is “Safe Driving” by Hubert Ebner (011-30961359-60). This is the best available manual on traffic and rules of the road. Regarding understanding rules of transport department, the best book is “The Perfect Motoring” by Anil Chhikara (Published by Satya Prakashan – 25725679/25720653).