“We fined 528 persons for jumping lanes at major chowks on Thursday. The drive is aimed at ensuring lane discipline,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manoj Patil said on Friday. The fine for lane cutting is Rs 100.

Former DCP (Traffic) Ravindra Sengaonkar had launched a similar drive in 2002. He had divided roads into three lanes in each direction. The drive, however, failed because most vehicles used the extreme right lane that provided them with a quick turn. This resulted in traffic jams.

Patil said it was not possible for the traffic police to man all roads. “We will cover all major chowks. We appeal to the people to be disciplined and avoid police action,” he said, adding, “We expect traffic jams and road accidents to come down if lane rules are followed properly.”

Small and congested chowks, such as Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk on Fergusson College Road, have been excluded from the drive. “The drive against lane-jumped is being carried out at major chowks on an experimental basis. We will study the traffic situation at these chowks and sort out problems, if any,” he said.

In another initiative, the traffic control branch has once again appealed to schools to create their own parking lots and help reduce congestion on roads outside their premises.

According to data with the traffic control branch, routes near schools and colleges saw as many as 115 road accidents last year, with 14 persons killed and 37 suffering major injuries.

Patil said the city has around 300 schools, of which around 100 have ample space on their premises for parking. “Pick-up-and-drop vehicles and two-wheelers of students and parents are not allowed on the premises of many schools. Besides parking, pick-up and drop vehicles crowd the main road and cause jams. Schools should utilise their grounds and open spaces for parking of such vehicles. With the help of Road Safety Patrol (RSP) students, teachers and non-teaching staff can plan their parking arrangements. The traffic police are ready to help the schools in this respect” the DCP (Traffic) said.

The traffic police will also install three traffic signals for pedestrians on J M Road and F C Road. Patil said signals for pedestrians will be installed at the Tukaram Paduka Chowk on Fergusson College Road and near Hotel Kamat and Natraj Chowk on Jungli Maharaj Road.

He said Jungli Maharaj Road and Fergusson College Road will become one-way by March 5.

“Once the one-way system is in place, pedestrian signals will be installed.” Once this happens, pedestrians will be allowed to cross the J M Road and F C Road only at selected spots.