More swear by the SMS traffic alerts in Bangalore

Subscriptions for SMS alerts from the city traffic police have skyrocketed in the last one month. From 8,000 subscribers in November, the numbers have touched 14,000 this month.

The police are baffled by the surge in the subscriber base. “We are not yet sure  why there has been this sudden increase. We are trying to find out why there was sudden spurt in the numbers of subscribers,” said Praveen Sood, additional commissioner of police (traffic). However, the police are not elated. “This is not a satisfactory figure. We need at least one lakh subscribers against the 40 lakh vehicle population to claim we have covered the maximum potential,” Sood explained. He hoped the subscriber count would touch 16,000 by the turn of the year.

The surge in subscriptions is possibly due to the near-completion of Namma Metro-Reach 1 between MG Road and Byappanahalli, he said.  Traffic police hope to see the Metro train operate within a couple of months.

Some projects are in the final stage and will be completed next month. Iblur-Agara flyover is already open to traffic. The opening of Nayandahalli and Sumanahalli junction on Ring Road brought down traffic on Mysore Road.

“The elevated highway on Tumkur Road will considerably reduce travel time on NH4. The only problem we will face is at the entrance of the city near Yeshwantpur,” he said.