Traffic efforts pay off

The new rule has reduced the waiting time for vehicle riders at traffic signals though they have to cover more distance to reach their destination

Traffic on city roads seems to be more disciplined of late; thanks to the initiatives taken by the Vijayawada Police Commissionerate. City Police Commissioner AB Venkateswara Rao has successfully implemented several new traffic initiatives utilising the advanced technology in the last eight months in the fast emerging metropolis of Andhra Pradesh.

Traffic bottlenecks at busy road junctions have been cleared. Awareness has been created among road users, including pedestrians, vehicle riders and motorists, about the need to abide by traffic rules to prevent accidents and promote safety. The movement of vehicular traffic on major arteries which used to be at a snail’s pace, has been put on fast track with the increase in VVIP visits to the city post bifurcation. Smooth passage of VVIP convoys at any time without causing any inconvenience to common people has been ensured.

Traffic rule violators have been dealt with sternly to make them strictly abide by the norms. e-Challan system introduced by the Police has proved to be effective in curbing traffic rule violations by two-wheeler riders and auto drivers despite a few cases of public resentment against it. ‘No Right Turn’ at some busy road junctions in the city is another initiative taken by the police to avoid traffic jams during peak hours.

The initiative implemented on Mahatma Gandhi Road has yielded good results in ensuring smooth flow of traffic. Buoyed by its success, it has also been introduced on Nirmala Convent Road. The new rule has reduced the waiting time for vehicle riders at traffic signals though they have to cover more distance to reach their destination on other side of the road. Initially, the new restriction drew the anger of some vehicle riders and motorists. Later, they realised its advantages. The safety of pedestrians has also been taken care of by clearing the encroachments on footpaths.

Traffic cops manning the road junctions have been armed with digital cameras to check the rule violations by vehicle riders. Light batons have also been given to traffic cops to regulate vehicular movement effectively during night time. e-Pass, a new software to detect fake driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, has also been developed by the Vijayawada Police Commissionerate, in association with the Road Transport Authority. It is very useful to police to curb theft of vehicles and keep a strict vigil on the movements of anti-social elements.

Now, the police are set to introduce a smartphone application which enables users to get regular updates on vehicular traffic. In the first week of this month, Venkateswara Rao announced that they would develop a mobile application soon for Android, Windows and iOS smartphone users, which provides them access to get traffic updates from police. Earlier, the police launched `Abhayam’ application for women’s safety.

It has also been decided to set up a committee with police officials and software professionals to come up with new innovations and ensure the effective functioning of its initiatives, besides maintenance of the police website. The people’s friendly police have taken another step forward to reach out to netizens through Facebook social networking site. They are posting all their plans and achievements on the social networking site seeking feedback and support from people for better policing.

By Ch Sowmya Sruthi