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Inspector Kishorsinh Ghelda of the Planning Cell said: “We had a meeting today in Gandhinagar to discuss the issue. We had also conducted a traffic survey in January. As the city has expanded, we need more safety equipment.”
The traffic department needs more delineators, road safety icons, road studs, spring posts, route markers and other road signage. At present, there are 600 delineators, 500 barricades and a few road safety icons. There are only 1,250 road signs in the entire city, when the Planning Cell’s survey has found a requirement of another 1,300-1,400 more.
Sub-Inspector O S Tiwari (Traffic) said: “Only the major traffic junctions like S G Highway, C G Road, Ashram Road and Relief Road are fully equipped with all road signs and route markers. The smaller streets and other roads do not have proper signs.”
Safety equipment like helmets, batons, reflectors and safety lights are also essential. The traffic department in Ahmedabad, according to the Planning Cell, has only 50 light batons and 400 jackets. “When they don’t function, replacements take a lot of time,” said Yogesh, a constable.
U M Joshi, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said: “The entire responsibility of sign boards and route markings lie with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). We have been speaking to the authorities for signboards but we don’t have enough cooperation from the AMC.”
Although the traffic department claims to be low on budget, the logbooks of 2008 show that it had collected Rs 5, 88, 19, 710 on fines. Another Rs 8,09,2,455 had been collected through towing.
Deputy Commissioner of Police M M Anarwala said: “There is certainly a need of sign boards, especially for buses, parking and important public places. We still need road dividers, barricades and traffic cons. Important road markings like zebra crossing, crossroads, turns are also missing at many places. As per law, 50 per cent of the money from fines is used for betterment of traffic and we are trying to use that fund. In two to three months, we will be getting thermoplastic sign boards and markings.”
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HAS ANY ROAD SIGN PREVENTED A VEHICLE DRIVER FROM FLOUTING THE NORMS? ANY ROAD SIGN MEANS NOTHING UNLESS THERE IS A POLICEMAN PRESENT. EVEN THEN THE OBEYING OF THE SIGN IS NOT GUARANTEED. MOST OF OUR PEOPLE FLOUT THE ROAD SIGN WITH IMPUNITY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THE POLICEMAN CAN BE 'TAKEN CARE OF' OR THE ACTUAL FINES ARE SO LOW THAT IT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING. UNLESS THE FINES FOR DEFYING ANY ROAD RULES ARE INCREASED CONSIDERABLY AND IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT ANY EXCUSES AND EXCEPTIONS, MILLIONS OF ROAD SIGNS WON'T MEAN A THING!