Tall talk aside, sensible driving key to road safety

Road accidents can be prevented through education, road management, strict enforcement of traffic rules and on site monitoring of the action plan. Short videographed programmes on correct road use, focusing on avoiding accidents should be regularly held in schools and public places to make an impact. Police personnel should be posted at vulnerable points for traffic rule enforcement, management and monitoring, focusing on correction rather than issuing challans. 

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Roads should be designed for safety

A safe road system does not just require users who obey the traffic rules. It is equally necessary to have authorities who provide roads designed for safety. The authorities should again start the programme of building new and safe roads which will not have accident black spots or dangerous junctions. Construction of short pedestrian crossings, wider sidewalks and footpaths will prove to be beneficial for commuters. Traffic signals must be installed at all T-points.

Dr Shruti K Chawla, Chandigarh

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Encourage car pooling, eco-friendly public transport

Chandigarh has been tagged as City Beautiful and the residents must work for the improvement of this tagline. However, traffic congestion on roads has become the bane of City Beautiful. Undoubtedly, car pooling and strengthening of environment-friendly public transportation is the need of hour to tackle chaos on city roads. The government must evolve a policy that declares pooling of vehicles mandatory for government employees and private commuters. The public too plays a pivotal role along with the authorities in managing traffic.

Tejaswini, Ambala City

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Flyovers, underpasses to ease congestion on roads

If a well -devised public transport system is not introduced, the problem of traffic congestion is likely to loom large in the coming days. The existence of flyovers and underpasses will definitely ease traffic congestion. City roads should be widened to accommodate the flow of traffic.  Parking hurdles can be overcome by constructing multi-storey parking lots. IT and communication industry should provide transport facility to its officers and staff to reduce single-person driving.

Neelam Pandwar, Ambala

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Clamp down on restless and rash drivers

Provide bypasses so that speeding heavy vehicles don’t enter Chandigarh. It will reduce accidents. The citizens who drive are required to follow traffic rules. Restless and rash drivers should be tamed. Traffic rules and laws should be enforced strictly. The slow moving traffic should use tracks provided for them. The rights of pedestrians should be respected. Speed limits should be imposed and strictly implemented. Restraint and tolerance on the part of drivers is the need of the hour.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

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Citizens should adhere to safety norms

To reduce road mishaps, authorities and citizens should shoulder the responsibility. On the one hand, authorities should work for the maintenance of roads, proper functioning of traffic lights and CCTVs, deployment of sufficient traffic police personnel and penalising the defaulters without discrimination.  On the other, citizens also have the responsibility of driving safely as they are the end users.  They should follow traffic rules, not jump traffic lights, wear helmets and seat belts.

Rashi Srivastava, Chandigarh

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Speed governors, speed humps required

Rash and negligent driving is a big attraction for the younger generation in view of the wide roads in the city leading to frequent accidents. To check it, there should be speed-breakers near every rotary. Speed governors should be a must for every commercial vehicle, roadside sign-boards should be displayed indicating the speed limits and high-definition surveillance cameras should be added. The administration should enforce rules and regulations without any laxity

Nikita Kapur, Chandigarh

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Need to check mishaps

Despite wide roads, two accidents occur every day on an average. Usually, the victim is the sole breadwinner or a student riding a motorcycle or a pedestrian crossing the road. The adage, “speed thrills but kills “ holds true. The menace can be checked. However, it is difficult to wipe it out. CCTV cameras should be installed at every vulnerable point. Perhaps more stringent measures are the need of the hour.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

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Sensitise drivers

With growing urbanisation and need for vehicular traffic, the issue of safety on roads also keeps growing. Since it is the driver’s fault that is found to be responsible for about 80 per cent of road accidents, it is important to make them aware and realise that they are the 'killers on roads' when they violate the laws. The budget for road safety needs to be enhanced and safety plans and mechanism have to be put in place in the tricity.

Akash Kumar

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Construct subways and flyovers

Despite the best road infrastructure in the city, the corresponding results are among the worst, mostly due to irresponsible and reckless driving habits of a few that has earned the tagline of  ‘killer roads’ to the decent roads of City Beautiful. It is the need of the hour to construct subways and flyovers at crossings identified for the purpose at the earliest before the city faces the loss.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali 

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Traffic control system should be functional

The Chandigarh Administration should consider the issue seriously and take all possible steps to ensure that road accidents are prevented. Traffic rule violators should be heavily penalised. It should be ensured that traffic control systems always remain in working condition. Roads should be inspected from time to time and any required repair should be attended to immediately. Underage children driving vehicles without licence need intensive checking and in such cases, the children concerned should be debarred.

HBS Batra, Mohali

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Segregate traffic flow

It is best to take preventive measures like segregating the flow of traffic. A stern message should serve as a lesson for drunk drivers as fines alone do not have much deterrent effect. The city has already achieved many firsts. Now, let us work to make the city free of crime and accidents.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

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Take precautions for road safety

The ever growing number of vehicles and traffic rule violations are a major cause of road accidents in Chandigarh. Modernising the road infrastructure by building overbridges, underpasses, installation of high powered functional CCTVs, speed meters on vulnerable routes, proper maintenance of cycle tracks and showing zero tolerance against traffic rule violators besides controlling stray cattle on roads would certainly lessen the accidents. Besides, sensitising the citizens against traffic norm violations would go a long way.

RC Verma, Chandigarh

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Go strict on renewing driving licences

Most road accidents are caused by human errors. Vehicles driven recklessly, use of mobile phones either by way of talking or texting while driving, overtaking without abiding to road rules and  jumping red lights are some of the major causes of accidents. Roads are not unsafe for driving but unsafe driving is the cause of many an accident. Even parked vehicles are often hit. There should be strictness on the renewal of driving licence of road offenders.

Kamalpreet Kaur, Mohali

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Identify roads prone to mishaps

It is really painful to know the rate of accidents in Chandigarh. To curb this, the Administration should identify the roads that are prone to accidents, roads that have heavy traffic congestion and roads that need immediate repairs. Proper control should be ensured either by traffic control signal lights or by traffic cops in such areas. The roads that need repairs should be on priority list. 

Balbir Singh Batra, Mohali

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Take steps to check mishaps

Road mishaps are on the rise. The Administration should wake up and formulate a policy in this regard. First, the thrust should be on traffic management instead of regulation. Using IT tools and mobile apps, the flow of traffic can be managed throughout the city. Secondly, accident-prone spots within the city should be earmarked. Special nakas and police deployment at these spots should be done to ensure that mishaps do not happen.

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

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Strict laws needed

We require a comprehensive legislation to deal with the daily tragedy on our roads. Strict laws and better enforcement is the key to reducing crashes. Massive awareness campaigns must be organised in the tricity to sensitise the people about road rules. Corruption in transport department which provides driving licences even to non-learners should be checked. Exclusive roads for pedestrians, maintaining them periodically and timely covering of pits are also of utmost importance.

Nikhil Chopra

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Residents need to show maturity

It’s not just the authorities! Public ego and undue aggression are also responsible for the traffic mess in tricity. Contrary to general perception, people in general have adequate resources to ply vehicles, most of the time without safeguards, which only contributes to the chaos on roads.  Speeding and undesired rush lead to nowhere and have crippled the road culture. Behavioural maturity among the citizens is the only remedy to this problem. 

MPS Chadha, Mohali

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Provisions of law should be strictly implemented

I would suggest that parents be called and advised to take care of their children or the next time, serious action shall be taken and a record maintained for such violation in the first stage. If again they are caught,   action should be taken according to the provisions of law. It has also been observed that unless the Administration and the traffic police take action as per law, such accidents will keep taking place like this.

Tarlok Singh, Manimajra

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Prune wild growth at traffic intersections

Traffic cops should be deployed at places that are prone to accidents. Moreover, the administration should cut the wild growth of trees and bushes which are a hindrance in getting a clear vision at traffic intersections. Many past accidents have happened because of this wild growth of trees and bushes.

Pradyumn Gupta, Chandigarh

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Drunk & rash driving behind most deaths

I fully agree with the question for this week’s column that not a day passes when there is no news of death on Chandigarh roads. Most deaths are due to drunk and rash driving. The Chandigarh Traffic police never wake up from their slumber to check the menace of drunk and rash driving. There is no night patrolling by the traffic police on city roads.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

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Promote better road culture

With the rise in the volume of traffic taking a toll on the residents and their vehicles, it is imperative to address the issue of road safety appropriately. There is a need for stringent testing mechanisms, better implementation of traffic rules and the assimilation of better road culture in the minds of all those who take the wheel. Better public transport is an added plus.

Guragam Singh, Chandigarh

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Link road near Kalagram needed

High density traffic emanating from Panchkula and Himachal towns and converging near the Modern Housing Complex, clogs the  stretch between Kalagram and railway signal crossings and makes it bumper to bumper even in four lanes with the  traffic moving  at  a snail’s pace during any time of  the day,  rendering  it  a  killer  stretch for drivers who are impatient. The remedy lies in providing a link road for vehicles headed to northern sectors and the secretariat.

SC Luthra, Manimajra

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Jumping red light can prove fatal

Fatal accidents take place in Chandigarh mostly because drivers of speeding vehicles jump red light, especially late at night or in the wee hours. If speed-breakers are constructed where zebra crossings are marked, it may help a lot in reducing the number of fatal accidents.

Ashok Juneja, Zirakpur

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Drivers need to be disciplined

Road accidents take place all over the world and chances of bringing them to a zero level are remote. The reason behind the increase in the number of such accidents is indiscipline among the drivers. Violations like jumping traffic signal, over speeding, unnecessary overtaking and driving in an inebriated condition are the major factors responsible for road accidents, which need to be controlled. Life is precious and everyone should take care of oneself as well as of others.

Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali