Strict imposition of traffic rules at Hartali Mor has made rush-hour motorists disciplined more than ever.

Patna superintendent of police (traffic) Prantosh Kumar Das claimed that more than 90 per cent complaints of violation of traffic rules have been controlled after an awareness campaign launched in the area.

In the past four days since the busy junction on Bailey Road was declared the first no-tolerance zone in the city, at least 1,500 vehicles have been penalised for violating traffic norms.

Rajiv Singh, a resident of Kadamkuan, was among the violators, who was slapped a fine of Rs 600 for jumping the lane and driving without a helmet on Monday. Rajiv, who works with a private insurance company, tried to convince the cops on duty to let him off but in vain. Finally, he left the spot with a challan mentioning the sections for which he had been fined. "I was not aware of the rules being implemented by the traffic police on this road. Since I was in a hurry, I took a turn from the intersection. But I was caught and fined," he said.

Similarly, Mukesh Kumar of Khagaul had to cough up Rs 500 after he was caught using cellphone while driving his car on Bailey Road. Mukesh, a sales representative at an automobile showroom, left the scene without mincing a word.

On Monday alone (till 3pm), 150 vehicles, both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, were penalised and challans issued. Majority of the cases were related to driving without wearing seat belt, use of pressure or musical horns, dangerous turn at intersections and talking on cellphone while driving.

SP (traffic) Das said on Monday that the rules would be implemented strictly from Tuesday. "Efforts are on to streamline the auto-rickshaw drivers, who mostly flout the rules while driving on the busy road," he said.

Das claimed that around 1,000 vehicles were fined for violating rules on the very first day (Friday). "We had to focus more on Bihar Divas celebrations. Once the celebrations are over, a dedicated team will be assigned to the job," he added.

According to experts, implementing lane driving is not easy in a city like Patna, which has multiple modes of transport. "There should be an effort to keep a check on vehicles driving dangerously by overtaking from the wrong side and turning at crossings without giving a proper signal," said Narendra Kumar, wing commander (retired) and honoray secretary of Automobile Dealers' Association of Bihar.

Sridhar Mandal, a retired police officer and former SP (traffic), said there was no segregation of fast and slow-moving traffic leading to motorists jumping lanes. "This leads to traffic chaos and forcing people to honk indiscriminately. In my opinion, jumping lanes and honking are inter-related," he said.

Ratneshwar Pandey, a college teacher, hoped that with no-tolerance zone concept introduced in the city, such violations would come to an end.