One of the main reasons for allowing vehicles to move 'as they please' upon the roads in a multi-traffic is this: inability to decide upon the way to enforce lane discipline upon them...which vehicle has to go in which lane. Another important 'obstacle' in enforcing lane discipline has been this: the 'disturbance' created by the movement of public buses while they move towards or away from the bus stops located upon the sidewalks.
In the figure above I have given the manner in which vehicles have to observe lane discipline. Having 2-wheelers occupying the medial lanes would raise a few eyebrows. I see it in this way: firstly, some class or other of vehicles have to occupy this lane; secondly, 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers are the most suitable vehicles to occupy this lane since they are smaller in size and highly manoeuvrable. Given proper care and consideration, these vehicles an easily occupy their medial lane once they enter the main road traffic from the by-lane or by-road. Also, when they have to leave the medial lane, they are better equipped than other vehicles to weave through the traffic and reach the lateral section of the roads. The rest of the traffic has to give priority to these vehicles by slowing down for them when they are in the act of entering or departing from their medial lane.
Another advantage which 2-wheeler motorists will have while moving in the medial lane would be this: they will be in the 'central field of vision' of the drivers of buses, cars and other vehicles traveling in the central lane. Being in such a favorable position, they are less likely to be 'hit from behind' by other vehicles. These safety features will be operational only when the various road users stick to their lanes while moving on the roads.
Granting the central lane for the plying of the public bus along with other motorized vehicles [4-wheelers and above] will ensure that the bus, while moving laterally towards the sidewalk stops or while moving medially away from the bus stops, will cause the least 'disturbance' to the rest of the motorized traffic. The 'intrusion' of the bus into their lane will certainly 'disturb' the non motorized section of traffic who are asked to keep to the lateral lane. But these 'slow moving' folks have silently suffered all this while the many insults being heaped upon them by the callous movements of the faster lot. I am sure that these folks will not grudge the need for the public bus to occupy briefly 'their' lane at the bus stops. Bus drivers on their part should exercise the greatest care to give these humble folks their due respect while entering or departing from their lane. I for one, will not protest if all motorized vehicles, buses included, are banned from using the roads! Any vehicle that consumes away oxygen from the air is also an environmentally unfriendly vehicle.
The figure above also contains something very essential for all pedestrians: safer road crossings. With Hyderabad roads having been widened very greatly in many areas, the motorized traffic speeds ahead in a 'stampede' type of movement...no lane discipline, no rules followed while overtaking, no regard for the other road users whether they be motorized vehicle users, non motorized vehicle users or 'plain' pedestrians; no slowing down, no braking at all, zooming, zooming and zooming. Attempting to cross the road through such a traffic is a daunting task for the pedestrian. This is a daily concern. For many, this act, has become their 'last act' on earth. Even while you are reading this line, at some place upon the Indian roads, some fellow countryman is breathing his last breath...struck by a speeding vehicle while crossing the road. Should we not be concerned?
Foot overbridges have been constructed at great expense at few places, but for various reasons public foolishly prefer to cross the roads directly rather than use them. Having such FOB at each and every place where needed is expensive on one hand and useless on the other because of the reluctance of the pedestrians to use them. Subways have been constructed; but public prefer to shun them too.
I feel the reason the public are not using these facilities is this: they want the shortest and easiest route possible and do not want to walk up or down the stairs and walk the longer distances involved in using FOBs or subways. However, the main reason why people are still crossing the raods wherever they want to is this: there are no FOBs, subways or regulated zebra crossings in almost all areas of the city.
Keeping the 'desires' of pedestrians in mind, keeping the need for providing safer road crossings at lesser expenditures, I propose the provision of what I term as paired 'one-way', 5-staged zebra crossings. The figure above shows the requirements of such zebra crossings. Because the vehicular traffic is FORCED to adhere to lane discipline at these places on account of the lane dividers provided, pedestrians are given the option of crossing the road in stages. Including the road divider with the other four lane dividers, there are five places where the pedestrian can safely halt before getting a 'safe gap' in the traffic to cross over to the next stage. Such zebra crossings will have the efect of taming the traffic and force them to switch over from 'stampede mode of driving' to a 'saner and responsible mode' of driving. When the traffic is thus subdued, crossing of the roads will become safer and deaths of pedestrians in road-crossing acts will be history.
To ensure that pedestrians cross the road only at these zebra crossings and no where else, the median road divider has to be of such a height that it cannot be scaled.
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