With the New Delhi Municipal Council experimenting with different colours to spruce up dividers and kerbs under its jurisdiction, the Delhi Police have agreed to give it a go-ahead if a reflective strip is placed over it to help avoid accidents.
Moving away from the conventional ‘black and white’ or ‘black and yellow’ combination seen across the city, the civic body tried a combination of pink and green on Ferozeshah Road in Central Delhi.
“We just wanted to try some vibrant colours for the kerbs. We did an experiment on Vinay Marg and for a year observed the public’s reactions. We had also informally consulted several agencies and no one had raised an objection,” said an NDMC official.
“In several parts of NDMC area the kerbs have a single shade and we have not observed any spike in accidents due to this,” the official added.
The NDMC official, however, admitted that the Delhi Police had informally expressed concerns over the change in colours.
A senior traffic police officer told The Hindu : “We took up this issue with the NDMC on Saturday and they have agreed to put a reflective strip on the kerb for safety reasons.”
While the two agencies have reached a compromise among themselves, commuters complained that this was a wrong move and it would reveal its inherent flaws during the foggy winter days when the visibility drops to near zero and the motorists find it hard to keep their bearings.
“The colour contrast between black and white or black and yellow makes the kerbs more clearly visible under dark conditions. When the contrast level is lower, it is an invitation to danger,” said an office-goer working in New Delhi District.
