On 3/8, at around 11 am, at ESI Junction on way to ITPL, I was stopped by a traffic policeman for what he claimed to be a "Jumping Traffic Signal" offense. To the best of my knowledge, it did not qualify to be one; however, it was possible that the signal could have changed whilst I was making the turn. Anyone who drives a car should be able to understand that whilst making the turn, one concentrates on the vehicles ahead and not on the the traffic signal. It was the policeman's word against mine; since I did not want to get drawn to a debate and thereby get late to my office, I paid up Rs.100/- on spot. However, I had enough time to stand and watch the next drama unfold. Upon the next signal change, the police man stopped a two wheeler driver for wearing a "half helmet", with his 3-4 accompanying policemen nodding in agreement that it was a Rs.600/- offence.
My complaint here is that the concerned policemen seemed to be more interested in catching marginal cases to increase their collection and not interested in actual prevention of traffic problems. Mind you, the policemen were not present at the junction to prevent the "jumps" as per their definition, but at a strategic distance away from the junction to catch unsuspecting marginal cases, just to increase their collection. With about 5 traffic policemen manning a problem-free ESI junction with the sole intention of fleecing folks working for various IT companies, it is no wonder that they are not be seen in areas where the real traffic congestion is present. Such instances do not bode well for the traffic police, but only helps bolsters their image as being part of the bigger traffic menace. Also, is it really hard for Bangalore Traffic police to find employees who can excercise common sense...?
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