Novel way to enforce zebra crossing awareness

Vadodara: In a bid to enforce traffic rules on the city’s busy roads, police department recently tried an innovative way.
The traffic cops prepared a rope with reflective tapes to enforce the zebra crossing rule among the commuters. They stood with the rope near the Bird Circle on the Old Padra Road. “Whenever the signal turned red, two cops held the rope with reflector tapes on both ends of the road to stop the vehicles just before the zebra crossing. When the signal turned green, the rope was removed, allowing the vehicles to move ahead,” said Amita Vanani, assistant commissioner of police (traffic).

“The idea was to educate commuters and make them stop their vehicles before the zebra crossing. People don’t follow simple rules too and therefore such initiatives bring awareness that they shouldn’t stop their vehicles on the zebra crossing that is meant for pedestrians. It is about traffic discipline,” Vanani told TOI. The initiative got good response and the police plan to replicate it in other busy areas.

Last month, the city police had prepared a zebra mascot and displayed it at the traffic signals to educate citizens about the importance of zebra crossings.