The work of traffic police is not easy. Guiding traffic in the chaotic Kathmandu with its ever-increasing number of vehicles and where people, both motorists and pedestrians, are inured to breaking rules, is harder still.
Add to it the wretched condition of the roads in the middle of a seemingly never-ending expansion program, and the pitiable picture of traffic cops is complete.[break]
In the last few years incidents of respiratory illnesses among traffic police personnel has gone through the roof, as they now not only have to inhale the never-ending supply of exhaust from smoke-belching vehicles, but are also chocking on the whirl of dust kicked up by every passing vehicle.
And yet there seems to be very little sympathy for the traffic police. This is because while the traffic cops in Kathmandu undoubtedly work hard, the unpredictable way they direct traffic and talk and behave with road users leaves a lot to be desired.
Traffic signals are supposed to be clear and unambiguous. But that is far from the case with the traffic police in Kathmandu. The rapid movements of their hands can sometimes be baffling. Often, it is hard even to figure out whether the signaling officer wants you to stop or go. And dare you make a mistake of misinterpreting the signal, all hell breaks loose. Many traffic police personnel address erring drivers with the derogatory ‘tan’:
Aakha chaina, dekhdainas? Many a times they are been known to manhandle the offending drivers, completely forgetting that even if a motorist makes a traffic law violation, the police has no right to use physical force.
There is also a perception that since the signaling of traffic police is so erratic, they cause more jams than help minimize them. It is about time the traffic authorities took these incidents and accusations seriously. Otherwise, the image of traffic police might deteriorate to such an extent that nobody on the road takes them seriously anymore and does not hesitate to break traffic rules with impunity.
This is sad because the traffic police can do some real good when they put their minds to it. Take the anti-drunk driving campaign, which has been a sterling success. Even its harshest critics have to admit that since the implementation of the program, the number of road accidents (as well as the number of casualties and serious injuries) has been reduced drastically.
And as discussed above, the conditions they are working under are far from ideal. It is not hard to imagine that traffic police personnel in Kathmandu must be suffering from a lot of stress and some of their rude behavior and dereliction of duty might be a direct result of it. If that is the case, the traffic cops must be trained in stress-management and in restraining themselves when they are about to lose control.
Right now, they are giving out an extremely negative image of themselves by losing their cool on the road and verbally and physically abusing motorists. They should be mindful that credibility is hard to gain, but can be lost in a trice.
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