Police plan reflective stickers on bicycles

October 25, 2013

Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Subhendu Ray

NEW DELHI: The traffic police are planning a drive to paste “retroreflective tapes” on the rear mudguards of the cycles that ply on city roads.

SONU MEHTA/ HT PHOTO

Cyclists can often be seen jostling for space with cars, buses, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

This, the force believes, will increase the visibility of cycles in the dark and save cyclists from being mowed down. Around 100 cyclists die in road accidents each year in the Capital.

Around 12 lakh cycles ply on city roads especially in industrial areas and resettlement colonies. Bicycles are the preferred mode of transport for slum dwellers and labourers.

“We will start the drive in a week and deploy special teams in areas where people use bicycles to commute. In the first phase, we will affix one lakh stickers on cycles,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Anil Shukla.

Traffic police personnel will stop cyclists on roads and put the stickers on them.

Some of the colonies where the special teams will be deployed to affix stickers include Sangam Vihar, Deoli, Khanpur, Wazirabad, Silampur, Shastri Park, Badarpur, Mangolpuri, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar at Rohini and Mayapuri.

Till October 15, 67 cyclists had lost their lives in road accidents in Delhi. Last year, 90 cyclists were killed in 89 road accidents.

According to the traffic police, cyclists are the third most vulnerable road users after pedestrians and two-wheeler riders.

Uneven and broken surface of cycle tracks, discontinuation of the tracks, encroachment by makeshift shops and parked cars, pillars on tracks and poor visibility often lead to the deaths of cyclists.

“We are hopeful that the proposal will be accepted and installation of such tapes in bicycles will become mandatory,” said KK Kapila, chairman, the International Road Federation.

Source-http://paper.hindustantimes.com