The Times of India      22.12.2010

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday invited tenders from private agencies to monitor and manage its Integrated Traffic System (ITS), which has been ready for use for the last one year, even though the standing committee is yet to approve the move.

The PMC has been delaying the implementation of the ITS, developed at a cost of Rs 15 crore, which is being touted as a system that will improve traffic management in Pune. Although the standing committee had rejected a proposal to appoint a private agency to monitor and manage the system this February, PMC's standing committee chairman Arvind Shinde said earlier this month that the project is necessary for the city and the standing committee would approve it soon.

Civic officials said that besides reining in traffic offenders, the infrastructure would be useful to integrate the traffic system, monitor critical public areas, PMC offices, bus rapid transit system (BRTS) routes, octroi posts, vehicle depots as well as water works.

Once the ITS is in place, challans will be delivered on a citizen's doorstep for a traffic violation. The proof of the offence would be captured in the form of video clippings and pictures by various cameras installed, and uploaded on a dedicated website as proof along with information about the traffic violators or the vehicles involved. In addition to the stipulated fine (compounding fees) of the traffic police, a special charge Rs 200 for two-wheelers and Rs 500 for four-wheelers would also be charged.

The agency, finalised and appointed by the PMC, would deliver the challan at the traffic violator's address, which the traffic branch can access directly from the computerised records of the regional transport office. One challan would be processed in 30 seconds under the ITS. The PMC is expected to impart initial training to the staff of the private agency to process the challans and would specify a certain monthly target to the agency for delivering challans and collecting fines. Civic officials said the challan will would have to be dispatched within three days of the traffic offence. The video clippings/ pictures of traffic violations would be stored for a period of three months.

While there are at least 13 types of common traffic violations like jumping red lights, violating speed limit, stopping on the zebra crossing, violating no-parking rules, rash driving, using mobile phones while driving, riding triple seat, vehicles entering BRTS lanes and driving on the wrong side the municipal commissioner would have the right to add, delete or modify the list of violations.

Incidentally, the basic information details such as vehicle number, type of violation, special charges and compounding charges, previous history of traffic violations, would be posted on the website. The PMC, the traffic police, regional transport office and even the insurance companies would be able to retrieve these details.

Meanwhile, traffic offenders would have the option to pay the fine and the special charges through cheques, credit cards and cash at the traffic offices, the PMC ward offices, kiosks, or other arrangements made by the private agency. Civic officials said if the fine is not paid within the first week, the violator will get reminders from the private agency via phone calls or SMS. Incidentally, if the special charges are not paid within a certain period, the vehicle would be towed away after taking digital photographs. The traffic police would initiate court proceedings against violators who refuse to pay the fines. The PMC would reimburse a share of special charges to the private agency. 

The Deccan Herald   14.12.2010

‘Govt keen on BRT corridor’

Bangalore, Dec 13, DHNS:

BMTC in talks with Palike for its bus rapid transport project

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is making an all-out effort to woo more people to use public transport even as it continues to transport more than 50 per cent of City’s population everyday.

To tide over the BMTC’s biggest problem of its buses being forced to compete for the same space as that of cars, Transport and Road Safety Commissioner Bhaskar Rao says the State government is actively pursuing the proposal to create a bus rapid transport (BRT) corridor between Hebbal and Silk Board junction.

“Earlier, the problem of who would bear the expenditure had caused the proposal of such corridors to be stalled. But now, government agencies are arriving at a consensus and soon we will have the first corridor,” he said.

While the first of the BRT corridor is said to come up from Hebbal to Silk Board junction, BMTC managing director Syed Zameer Pasha said the BDA had given its nod to offer one lane to BMTC buses on all of its flyovers and elevated roads. The Corporation is in talks with the Palike to get a dedicated space from the latter’s road-widening projects.

Pasha said the Corporation would have in place the common mobility card, offering seamless travel, in about eight months’ time and it would also have an intelligent transport system, featuring global positioning system and electronic ticketing machines.

The intelligent transport system, Pasha said was the need of the hour for Bangalore, which unlike other metros, depends only on one means of public transport.

“This will help the Corporation to streamline operations and offer more facilities,” he said, adding that the BMTC would soon enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IL & FS Trust Company Ltd for the technology of mobility card.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood said the City as a whole should encourage travel by bus as the BMTC has been doing a great job.

He pointed out that road widening was not the solution to the increasing traffic problem in the City. Instead, the solution lies in effective usage of public transport. “We need to reduce the number of private vehicles in the City and not to increase the space they need to move around,” Sood said pointing out that a population of eight million people has 40 lakh private vehicles, which is not a healthy statistics.