The city traffic police has sent 1,032 people found violating the newly introduced ‘Free Left rule’ to traffic training institutes at Begumpet and Gosh-amahal for counselling. The vehicles of the violators are being handed over only after payment of the fine amount. Meanwhile, after the successful launch of the free left rule, city traffic police plan to introduce the rule in four more places in addition to the 57 places in 42 junctions where it has already been introduced.
The free left drive has been started by putting special boards and 10 new reflective cones tied with a rope to prevent crossing over. “This effort has been very successful as motorists have got used to it in the first five days itself, except at a few places like the Jubilee Hills checkpost, M.J. Market Junction, KCP Junction and Khairatabad towards Taj Krishna Road where the free left has been stopped,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic), C.V. Anand.
The three-lane road was found to be too small for the volume of vehicles coming on to the road. The discharge of traffic as the signal turned green through the two lanes instead of three, was leading to a huge traffic build-up on the back side. This was also leading to the non- operation of the free left leading to wastage of place on the one lane carriage way on those roads. “The free left experiment is under observation at some places like Rasoolpura, Srinagar ‘T’ junction, Sagar Society as the public is getting used to it,” the official added.