Jaideep Shenoy/The Hindu

• It should be immediately experimented with, says police official
• The system is suitable for Mangalore’s topography: official
• Lack of uniformity in width of roads seen as a deterrant

Mangalore, Apr 2: The police top brass here is keen on decongesting select roads in the city by trying out lane driving system. The measure is also billed to bring about better traffic discipline.

The authorities have identified the stretch from the Old Clock Tower to Collector’s Gate Junction at Balmatta. Under the proposed system, private buses in the city will have to ply on the left side of the road and other vehicles on the right.

Ashit Mohan Prasad, Inspector General of Police (Western Range), who has mooted the system, said it should be immediately tried out. Regulators could extend or modify the system to suit the conditions in other places, he said.

Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, member, Kannada Development Authority, has supported the idea. He said that the topography of Mangalore was similar to that of Chennai, where such a system had been introduced and added that the authorities should first ensure that the roads were kept free to facilitate smooth flow of traffic. “Parking of all types of vehicles should be banned on such roads,” he said. Mr. Kalkura said that buses, cars and heavy vehicles should be allowed to operate on one lane and two-wheelers and autorickshaws on another. Violation of lane system should be sternly dealt with by the traffic police, he said.

G.V. Subrahmanya, Circle Inspector of Police (Traffic) said: “Lane driving can be effective only when the authorities identify separate parking zones for vehicles.”

D. Sadashiva, Regional Transport Officer, said that the idea of lane driving system was good per se. But, he expressed concern over lack of uniform width among roads to permit such a system in the city. “When the Transport Department tried it out in Bangalore, it was introduced on broader roads such as Kempe Gowda Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road,” he said. The Transport and Police departments are contemplating on enforcing the system on the stretch between SBI terminus and Lady Goschen Hospital by laying road dividers.

This suggestion had come up during the “Janaspandana” programme, organised by the District Administration here, recently.