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Police have decided to use recorded instructions to help pedestrians cross roads and instil a sense of discipline in them after failing to rein in jaywalkers.
The speakers that will broadcast the recorded voice will be attached to traffic signal posts near zebra crossings. Every time the light turns green, the voice will instruct pedestrians in Bengali to look at the light and then walk across to the other side of the road.
Recorded instructions in English may also be introduced later.
To start with, the system will be tried out at the intersection of Mayo Road and Dufferin Road from early next month. The speakers will later be installed at 23 major intersections across the city.
“The idea is to make pedestrians aware of the traffic signal system and instil a sense of discipline in them so that they don’t try to cross the road while traffic is on the move. Many jaywalkers are simply ignorant of traffic rules,” said M. Harirajan, the additional police commissioner.
On an average, three people are hit by vehicles daily while crossing the road unmindfully, said traffic officers. On April 12, for instance, 18-year-old Tarun Baidya died after being run over by a minibus at the intersection of Dufferin Road and Mayo Road. Tarun’s friends reportedly told the police that they were chatting among themselves while crossing the road.
“We could not crack down on jaywalkers because of various considerations. Besides, the fine for jaywalking is too light — from Rs 20 to Rs 50. We have sought more stringent penal measures. But till stricter punishment comes into effect, we need to find a way to curb jaywalking,” said a senior traffic officer.
Most pedestrians at the Dufferin Road-Mayo Road crossing feel that recorded instructions are not the way to make roads safer.
“The footbridges are constructed in such a way that few people use them. The stairs are so steep that the elderly cannot use them. Just slapping fines or using recorded voices will be useless in curbing accidents,” said Tarun Mitra, an officer in an FMCG company.
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