Bengaluru has begun work on a new traffic park at the Traffic Training and Road Safety Institute in Thanisandra, aimed at giving schoolchildren and the public practical lessons in road safety and traffic rules. Home Minister Priyank Kharge laid the foundation stone on October 15 and also flagged off 20 new patrol motorcycles supplied under Honda India Foundation’s corporate social responsibility programme.
Kharge said road safety was not the responsibility of traffic police alone but a collective responsibility of every road user. He said following traffic rules, prioritising pedestrian safety and adopting responsible driving behaviour were important to preventing accidents.
The traffic park will include model roads, intersections, traffic signals, road signs and pedestrian crossings. The facilities are intended to recreate common road conditions so that children can learn traffic rules in a practical setting rather than only through classroom instruction. The park is being developed through a collaboration between Bengaluru Traffic Police and the Honda India Foundation.
According to the information released at the programme, Honda India Foundation is providing support worth ₹1.66 crore under its CSR initiative. Of this amount, ₹1 crore has been allocated for constructing the traffic park, while ₹66 lakh will fund the 20 patrol motorcycles.
The motorcycles are equipped with sirens, public announcement systems, flashing warning lights and safety helmets. The traffic police are expected to use them for patrolling, responding to emergencies, regulating traffic, reaching accident sites and improving communication with members of the public.
The project adds a practical training facility to Bengaluru’s existing road-safety awareness efforts. Under the Students’ Road Safety Association initiative, 2,53,245 schoolchildren have so far received traffic safety training, according to the information shared at the event. The Thanisandra park is intended to extend that effort through a dedicated setting where students can observe and practise basic road-use behaviour.
The programme was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Rajendra Kumar Kataria, Director General and Inspector General of Police M.A. Saleem, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy and representatives of Honda. The authorities did not provide a completion timeline for the traffic park in the information available.
