BENGALURU: In a city with 66.31 lakh vehicles, Bengaluru Traffic Police recorded 91.79 lakh cases in 2016, a spike of 15 lakh cases when compared to 2015.
Among the top violations, wrong parking cases constitute a whopping 22.01 lakh followed by riding without helmet (18.86 lakh cases), pillion rider without helmet (17.34 lakh cases) and jumping traffic signal (7.22 lakh cases).
Statistics sourced from Bengaluru Traffic Police show that violations have increased from 76.24 lakh cases in 2015 to 91.79 lakh in 2016. One reason for the spike in number of cases could be traffic police booking pillion riders without helmet from January 2016. This had not been done in previous years.
Interestingly, despite the increase in number of violations booked, the total fine collected dropped from Rs 70.42 crore in 2015 to Rs 66.96 crore in 2016. Demonetisation could be a reason for the dip in collection in the last two months of 2016.
Experts say cases of wrong parking topping the list of traffic violations is a cause for worry. “The biggest challenge in Bengaluru now is the shortage of parking space. It’s not possible to allow parking on narrow and congested stretches in the city. Most commercial and residential buildings in the city don’t have parking spaces, forcing motorists to park on road sides leading to traffic congestion,” says Prof M N Srihari, a traffic expert.
Accidents too on the rise
Bengaluru Traffic Police records show that accidents too have gone up. In 2016, 7,508 accidents were recorded, the highest since 2009. The number of people who died in accidents in 2016 touched a five-year high, at 793 deaths.
Stringent checks and recommending suspension of licences may be attributed to the decrease in number of drunk driving cases. The number came down from 62,576 in 2015 to 59,028 in 2016. This is despite the extension of nightlife in the city till 1am.
“Most of them are now taking cabs instead of driving themselves after drinking because of increased awareness,” said a senior traffic police official. Data also revealed that the number of cases booked through automated system, mostly CCTV cameras, increased from 40 per cent in 2015 to 53 per cent in 2016.
“Traffic police should not flag down vehicles merely to verify documents unless they have committed a traffic violation,” said City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood.