M A I N   N E W S

Lane driving to be a reality in Punjab, Haryana soon
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 22
“Lane driving is safe driving” may soon be the new mantra for the traffic police in Punjab and Haryana. For, the Punjab and Haryana High Court is all set to order the introduction of lane driving for applying brakes to accidents in the two states.

Driving at road safety, Justice Rajive Bhalla of the High Court has already asked Punjab and Haryana governments “to ensure the presence of officers concerned as well as experts in road safety” to work out the modalities for the introduction of lane driving. The issue is scheduled to be discussed at length on February 21, when Justice Bhalla takes up the traffic regulation case, once again.

Lane driving is practiced in cities all over the world. It has already been introduced on select roads in Chandigarh on the High Court directions, though with initial hiccups. As of now the men in white in Chandigarh are permitting buses and other transport vehicles to travel in the middle lane, though extreme left lane has been devoted to them.

The concept, in fact, involves dedicating lanes to different categories of vehicles not just to prevent crashes, but also to provide free access to emergency vehicles. Research carried out by the University of Leeds also shows mid-lane driving helps older adults stay safe.

Generally, extreme left lane is for heavy and emergency vehicles. In crisis, an ambulance or fire tender can move about freely in the dedicated lane without encountering traffic snarls. The middle lane is for two wheelers and four wheelers, while extreme right lane is for overtaking.

The development is significant as available information suggests Punjab has the second highest road fatality rate in the country, after Nagaland. Estimates suggest, 4,000 lives on an average are lost every year in road accidents in the state.

The “Road Accidents in India” report prepared by the transport research wing of the road ministry last year claimed that deaths per 100 mishaps in Punjab have been rising during the past few years. It increased to 76 per cent in 2012, from 65.9 per cent in 2009. The situation is hardly better in Haryana.

The issue has already attained political hues in Punjab, with the Congress party slamming the ruling SAD-BJP alliance for its alleged failure to curb road accidents in the State.

The directions on lane driving came after Justice Bhalla was informed by petitioner Vikram Sharda that the orders passed by the High Court and the Supreme Court, and the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, were being violated with impunity. Travelling through the states of Punjab and Haryana for more than a month, he found that the police were not taking “active interest”, except from cities of Gurgaon and Faridabad. He told the Court that the police merely “flags down vehicles and issues traffic challans, but no effort is being made to ensure policing”.

Taking cognizance of the assertion, Justice Bhalla asserted: “It is made clear to the respondents (States of Punjab and Haryana) that in case there is no perceptible change towards compliance/enforcement of provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and orders passed by the Supreme Court and this Court, the punishment would be imposed upon the senior most officers of each commissionerate/district responsible….

“In view of repeated failure of the respondents to comply with the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, an affidavit be filed by the officer concerned of the meetings, held by the District Road Safety Committees and the State Level Road Safety Committee constituted under Section 215 of the Motor Vehicles Act, over the last one year and whether decisions taken therein have reached fruition”.

Curbing accidents

* The Punjab and Haryana HC is set to order the introduction of lane driving to curb accidents

* The concept involves dedicating lanes for different categories of vehicles to prevent crashes and provide free access to emergency vehicles

* The concept has already been introduced on select roads in Chandigarh on the HC directions

Mind your lane

* The extreme left lane is for heavy and emergency vehicles; ambulances or fire tenders can use the lane without encountering traffic snarls

* The middle lane is for two-wheelers and four-wheelers

* The extreme right lane is for overtaking