Bikers, cops team up for traffic awareness
■ Members of Royal Wanderlust teach traffic rules and also counsel violators
Royal Wanderlust, a group of enthusiastic Royal Enfield Bullet riders, joined hands with the Hyderabad traffic police to create traffic awareness among the citizens of Hyderabad recently. ‘Royal Wanderlust’ was formed by a group of 50 enthusiasts, the youngest among who is
19 years old and the oldest,
60 years old.
The group conducted an awareness programme on February 24 at the Panjagutta junction, the Jubilee Hills Checkpost junction, and the Trimulgherry junction.
At each junction, 20 members informed the citizens about the importance of following traffic safety rules, and the commuters who violated the traffic rules were counseled by the group.
On March 31, the group plans to conduct a bike rally.
While telling us how the group came together, Ravi Nair, the Founder of the group, said, “A friend of mine — Ramesh, a software employee — met with an accident while riding a bike in 2016. He died because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Had he been wearing a helmet that day, he would have been alive today. That is when I decided that I wanted to spread the word about traffic safety. I used to participate in Royal Enfield bike rallies, where I met like-minded people and the group came together.”
"We will submit our plan for the next two months to the Additional Commissioner of Police Traffic and get approval from him. We are currently three months into our association with the Hyderabad traffic police,” he added.
Jayesh Nair, the cofounder of the group, who was also a part of the management at St. Andrews school, said, “We’ve conducted awareness programs for the children in our school. Through the children, we aim to reach out to parents. We have also performed breathalyser tests on the school’s bus drivers to avert mishaps.”
The Additional Commissioner of Police traffic, Anil Kumar, said, “They have been trained at the traffic training institute in Goshamahal. We have educated them about traffic rules and the measures to be taken to avoid accidents. They have been informed about road signages and markings, about the various accident causing factors, and the precautionary measures that can be taken to avoid mishaps.”
He further added, “We need more voices to create awareness, and everyone who follows traffic discipline is welcome to help the Hyderabad Traffic Police in creating awareness and improving the traffic management in the city.”
Royal Wanderlust has been donating food to orphanages since its formation in September 2018. They also stop at various locations to create traffic awareness when making long rides to Leh Ladakh and Kashmir.