Spotlight on islands of greenery
By Amar Chandel

IT pains one to see one majestic roundabout after the other being demolished, to make way for the monstrous traffic lights. In a city like Chandigarh where the upkeep of the roundabouts has been taken up by industrial houses, these circles look fabulous with their manicured grass-patches and colourful flower beds. Each one of them — like the one near the Rose Garden — has an identity of its own and gives a character and personality to the city. But several, like those at the transport chowk and the Sector 18 Government Press chowk, have already made way for the traffic lights. Work is now going on at the roundabout dividing the markets of Sectors 27 and 28.

The excuse given is that the roundabouts become the site of far too many accidents. There are even complaints from some that the concept of roundabouts has failed miserably. Actually, what has failed is traffic management. Nobody has taken the trouble of educating the public as to how to negotiate a roundabout. The result is that not one out of the thousands of drivers gives the right of the way to one who should get it.

The rule is very simple. Someone who has entered the roundabout first should get the chance to come out first. In other words, the driver on the right has the right of the way. But nobody, just nobody, seems to know this law and everybody rushes into the roundabout unmindful of others. In place of slowing down or stopping before reaching the roundabout, most drivers tend to speed up there. The result is total confusion, traffic jams and fatal accidents. And yet, nobody seems to be bothered. Why, it is not unusual to see policemen merrily emulating other errant drivers. One wonders whether they even know what the rule is.

A few years back, the traffic police had started a campaign under which triangular stop signs were put up at all spots where a side road met a busy road. Every driver was made to stop before joining the fast-flowing traffic. This rule was enforced with characteristic mindlessness and drivers were forced to stop even if there was no vehicle coming from the road to their right. There was a hue and cry and the arrangement was given an unsung burial.

Surprisingly, no such campaign has been started about the roundabouts. Only one or two signboards in this regard were once put up at some places but the figures were so badly drawn that few could decipher as to what they meant.

At times, one finds policemen with loudspeakers at various traffic junctions educating drivers about the traffic rules. But how to negotiate a roundabout is rarely on their agenda. Hence the confusion.

The problems caused by traffic lights can be well imagined. The biggest is that the flow of traffic is hampered. The light has to turn green only after a certain period, even if there is not even one vehicle on the other side. So, one ends up stopping at every traffic light, which results in delays and wastage of fuel. Then there is the issue of the expenditure itself, both in installing the lights and maintaining them. And with power shutdown becoming more and more common, they become worse than roundabouts during the trippings.

If only a little care is taken to educate the drivers, the roundabouts can be a great boon. They are not only pleasing to the eye but also act as welcome islands of greenery in a concrete jungle. Above all, they facilitate a better flow of traffic. Just imagine how orderly and convenient it would be to negotiate a roundabout if one were not all the time worried about someone coming from the road to the left and banging into your vehicle.

Even if the awareness of the drivers about the rule grows, it does not mean that all of them will start following it. But if just a decent proportion of people start obeying it, it will bring about a sea change. Right now, even responsible, law-abiding people turn into maniacs at the roundabouts because they just do not know what is expected of them. Tell them that they have broken a rule and they will be stunned. It is for the administration to help them out. That will be much simpler and better than breaking the roundabouts and installing traffic lights.