Encompassing a vast area around the banks of River Sabarmati, Ahmedabad is the largest and most populous city in Gujarat. The rapid pace of urban development in this city has led to a major influx of migrant populations, resulting in an increase in traffic volume. As per reports, the vehicle population in Ahmedabad is increasing every year, at a rate of 5-6% annually.

Due to unchecked traffic volume, fatal accidents are also increasing at an alarming rate in the city. In order to maintain road safety standards, Ahmedabad traffic authorities have been implementing revised traffic fines in Ahmedabad as per the amended Motor Vehicles Act.

To tackle the issue of unchecked traffic volume, the traffic authorities of Ahmedabad implemented new traffic fines on 16^th September 2019. In addition to the existing rules, according to a recent report, Ahmedabad Traffic Police will introduce 16 different traffic rule violations effective from 1^st April.

As per the news, the traffic police department also launched an application called “Road Ease" which will update a citizen on the road regarding traffic-related information. For instance, it will inform drivers/riders about the jam-packed routes and suggest other alternative routes to reach their destination. This application was introduced to help citizens avoid getting stuck in traffic and to facilitate traffic officers to regulate the traffic volume.

Have Traffic Fines Been Reduced in Ahmedabad?

In 2022, a report says, that Ahmedabad collected the lowest amount of traffic fines. This is not because its residents were compliant with the traffic rules and regulations but because the police were lenient to penalise the violators.

In some cases, the government also decided to trim down certain penalties significantly. For instance, while an offender is liable to pay a fine of ₹10000 for obstructing an ambulance as per the new amendment, the state government reduced the fine to ₹1000. Though in other cases such as speeding or racing and driving without insurance, the Ahmedabad traffic fines are the same as what is proposed by the amendment.

Important Points to Consider as a Citizen

There are some measures that one can take care of to ensure a safe traffic system in the city. Like:

• One must avoid violating basic rules and regulations laid down by the Motor Vehicles Act.
• Make sure to obey traffic signs on the road and avoid parking at the free left of the junctions and the AMTS bus stand. 

The implementation of new traffic fines in Ahmedabad and other regulations has positively changed the traffic scenario of Ahmedabad. According to the news, the city reported a 20 per cent reduction in the number of road fatalities in 2021.

For further improvement, all traffic authorities and citizens must strictly adhere to the above-mentioned regulations and can avoid getting charged for violating the same.