Traffic cops enjoy a Sunday too

Come weekend and the city of Nawabs switches gear into lazy Sunday mode. Big brunches and siestas are expected, however, even traffic signals are switched off and traffic police can be seen idling on street corners. From having siestas of their own or chatting with colleagues as traffic around them goes haywire, anarchy rules the city traffic on Sundays with no lights and no cops to guide them.

Nathan Akshith, an engineer says, “On Sundays, it’s the same story across city traffic junctions. Crossroads where there are only supposed to be four directions for vehicular movement suddenly become a scene of chaos as six-seven new directions crop up. Even if the signals are working, motorists conveniently ignore them. And all the while, traffic cops lounge around lazily with not a care in the world.”

Aadesh Kothari, national head for a website is bemused. “It’s funny to watch cops take it easy and permit errant motorists to ride as they please. It’s literally a ‘free-for-all’ on weekends at traffic signals. Ironically when there’s a VIP convoy, cops snap to attention. What about us?”

The lax attitude makes negotiating through these junctions on the weekend a nightmare. “One Sunday as I rode my two-wheeler near the YMCA cross-roads, I saw a hapless pedestrian struggling to cross the road, thanks to traffic coming from all directions. The cops however, watched the drama ensconced in their cosy corner under the shade of a tree,” says Radhika P., an IT employee.

The traffic police too can’t help but admit that there is a lapse in manning vehicular movement on weekends and public holidays. P.V. Anand, ACP (traffic) admits, “I have noticed that cops don’t man the traffic as stringently as they should,” continuing with an assurance, “We are taking steps to ensure that they regulate traffic well even on holidays. We are also planning to install umbrellas at traffic kiosks to provide shade for cops to enable them to work better.”