Training motorists

Friday, 5 May 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The police yesterday began a “special traffic program” to apprehend drivers violating traffic and lane regulations within the Colombo city limit. The program, which was being done with the support of the Ceylon Motor Trading Company (CMTC), saw the police travel around Colombo in 10 vehicles provided by the CMTC to identify any vehicles breaking the law.

However, in a change from similar initiatives in the past, this time around drivers violating road rules would only learn about their misconduct at a later date after police had filed cases against the drivers concerned.

Now of course on the face of it this seems like a fine idea, but like with any form of corrective behaviour the key component is consistency. As alluded to earlier, initiatives such as this have been put in place in the past, yet none have made even a dent in the frequency with which drivers blatantly disregard road rules. This is not surprising in the least though as anecdotal evidence will reveal how rarely motorists are pulled aside and reprimanded for traffic violations (apart from at traffic hubs such as junctions, where police wait eagerly to nab even the mildest of miscreants).

In Rajagiriya recently a bus lane was put in to effect, where for the first week police dutifully ensured that motorists were not allowed to use the lane. This resulted in a marginal easing of traffic. A couple of weeks later though and the bus lane is now the bus/three-wheeler/van/small car lane, and there isn’t a policeman in sight to stop it.

On other occasions signs have been placed on busy intersections urging motorists to stick to their respective lanes and not crossover beyond a certain point. Again, police upheld the laws initially but after a few weeks the signs remained but the implementation did not.

As far as solutions go, it’s both simple and not. The police for one need to continually reprimand those seen blatantly disregarding road rules, not just at the start of a particular traffic initiative. This is a fairly simple request to adhere to and there is honestly no good reason why traffic police allow so many everyday violations to slide.

Nevertheless, the police can only observe so much; they need assistance. This is where the Government comes in. If money is being spent on construction projects, luxury vehicles for parliamentarians and other necessities, surely money can be spared for cameras to be installed at junctions and traffic lights. This would not cover all areas but it will enable traffic police to identify unruly motorists more easily; especially if it meant that they wouldn’t have to stop their duties just to hand out a ticket. A simple notation of the time at which the violation happened would be enough to root out the traffic deviant at a later date.

In this vein, the initiative to nab drivers and file cases against them is a progressive one only if it is the start of a more vigilant traffic police force. If it goes the way of previous similar initiatives though, any hope of change will be nothing but a pipedream.