Enforce traffic laws

New brooms sweep well. An certainly after the new Inspector General of Police, Mr. Lakdasa Kodituwakku took office, we see visible improvements in the police force. Newspapers have begun reporting of the police successfully apprehending criminals such as the arrest of a gang of robbers looting archaeological sites. In Colombo we see visible improvements in traffic control. We do hope Mr. Kodituwakku keeps sweeping well. And he will have to do it for a considerable period of time because there is much to be swept away in the Police Department.

On this page, a reader comments on the law of the jungle that prevails on our highways. This is an aspect which the IGP has to act on immediately. Traffic control and road laws are violated with impunity to such an extent that we suggest that the entire police traffic department,including the top brass, be sent back to the Police Training School.

We have said it before, and we say it again, that traffic laws are violated before the eyes of traffic policemen who either do know the traffic laws or just don't give a damn.

The rot begins from that hell hole of corruption, the Motor Commissioners Department.It is plain obvious that licences are issued to persons who don't have the foggiest idea of the Highway Code. Some may know it but think that they need not be followed and the traffic police are not worried except to apprehend motorists for only certain offences. Riding without helmets or jumping the traffic lights even by a fraction of a second in the eyes of the traffic policemen are the most heinous of offences. These are 'easy cops'. But graver offences such as overloading of buses, extremely reckless driving, failing to stop at pedestrian crossings, overtaking on the wrong side, jumping traffic lanes and the like do not seem to attract the attention of the enforcers of the law.

The traffic police cannot be short the required cadre, if we are to go by the number of policemen with white Sam Browne belts and helmets seen on the streets. This lack of concern by the policemen has resulted in motorists openly flouting the law while the law abiding motorists suffer.A good example is where at traffic lights signals only one lane of traffic is permitted. While the law abiding drivers queue up one behind the other, the road thugs form a parallel lane on the left, before the eyes of traffic policemen who just stands by idly. This could be seen daily at Thimbirigasyaya Junction. The offenders just crash through to Havelock road within seconds while the law abiding driver spends five to ten minutes in queue.

Swinging in and out of traffic lanes and other offences committed while on the move cannot be detected by policemen on static duty. The traffic police got to have mobile patrols to apprehend the maniacal drivers. Perhaps one way to put a stop to maniacs behind the wheel of private buses would be to have plain clothes policemen traveling in such buses. We are aware that this method was tried out once but the powerful private bus lobby saw an end to it.

The public is sick and fed up with overloading of buses where perverts and pickpockets have a free run. It is time the police enforce prevention of overloading laws to the letter.President Kumaratunga should know that one factor that makes a government unpopular is the harassed and abused commuter.

Perhaps the only positive development in recent times was the installation of traffic lights at important junctions. This has resulted in a better flow of traffic but there are many other intersections which are without traffic signals and have to be manned by policemen. This is particularly so on Galle Road. The chaos at the Galle Road- Templars Road junction is unbelievable but there is not one policemen stationed there.

Containers, we understand are supposed to ply on the roads only after 6pm. But how come they are seen on all hours of the day and even on only 12 foot wide lanes ?

New laws were introduced to prevent air pollution which has now reached unbearable limits. Today, during daylight hours smog is clearly visible on Colombo's main roads but this law is not implemented at all. Recently we published a report of a reader who lives by a busy highway lamenting that his house is covered by soot. This appears to be another way in which this nation is committing suicide.

Mr. Kodituwakku has tremendous task ahead of him and we wish him well.