Drivers stopping on zebra crossings to be fined

The move by the traffic police comes following action taken last week against those using ‘tints’ in vehicles

A fresh coat of paint was applied on zebra crossings at Lalbagh and other prominent junctions across Mangaluru on Monday.

The city traffic police will take action against drivers who stop vehicles on zebra crossings when red signals are on.

Following action on use of ‘tints’ in cars and towing vehicles parked in no parking zones, the traffic police have turned their attention on those jumping zebra crossings. Since Sunday evening, they have been putting fresh coats of paint on zebra crossings at prominent junctions, including Lalbagh Junction, PVS Junction, Bunts Hostel Junction, Ambedkar Circle, Balmatta Junction, Karavali Circle and Hampankatta Circle.

In a tweet on the handle @compolmlr, Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil said, “To make roads pedestrian friendly, zebra crossings have been marked in important circles. Vehicles stopping on this when red signal lights are on will be fined. Give way to pedestrians.”

Mr. Patil said a new agency has been asked to do the work. It was directed to ensure that the white paint does not wear out quickly. The work of the agency began Sunday evening.

Good response

Mr. Patil’s tweet saw a good response. While appreciating the initiative, Madhusudhan Upadya said, “It’s really heartening... but enforcement of law needs effort... and all the offenders may be booked. And then Mangalore becomes safe to drive.”

While Nagesh Prabhu asked whether buses would follow the rule, Ganesh asked Mr. Patil to check the menace of riders driving in the opposite direction on roads declared as one-way especially in Bejai Kapikad and on GHS Cross Road.

Durga Ramdas Kateel shed light on the problem of pedestrians not getting enough time to cross roads and expressed the need for traffic signals during peak hours at the KSRTC junction where traffic gets jammed on weekends.

While pointing to the need to educate pedestrians on the use of zebra crossings, Graiden75693857 listed six points for the police to act. He sought action against motorists using mobile phones while riding and those not following lane discipline. He sought action against bus drivers who use shrill horns and those who hinder traffic movement by stopping their vehicles on free right/left lanes.