Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SHS)
Mangalore, Jul 19: Having faced stiff opposition from the public to the imposition new one-way traffic rules at Balmatta-Bendorewell, the city traffic police department from Saturday July 19 decided to revert to the old traffic regulations.
The route has now been cleared for two-way flow of traffic, which means the vehicles are not required to take a roundabout to commute in these places.
Speaking to daijiworld, assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Uday N Nayak said the department had introduced the rule as an experiment to study its feasibility and check traffic snarls.
"We have now found that the one-way rule is not feasible for the route and it has created a few problems," he said.
The ACP refused to comment when asked to reveal the prime reasons for reverting to the old rules and said he would not like to speak on the reviewed decision.
The department earlier had been criticized by auto drivers and hoteliers as they suffered huge loss in their profit due to the new rule. In the recent KDP (Karnataka Development Programme) meeting, MLC Ivan D'Souza also took a jibe at the traffic department for imposing the rule which he said had affected daily commuters.
The auto drivers, hoteliers and a few residents along with doctors of a hospital located in the area had sent a memorandum to the traffic department and to the district administration. Corporators led by Azeez Kudroli too had submitted a memorandum demanding a review of the traffic rule. This apart, the new route had also witnessed a number of accidents and traffic jams, particularly near Colaco hospital.