Forty-one two-wheelers were seized on New Year’s Eve in the Park Street area because of violations such as riding recklessly or without helmets/papers or with more than one person on the pillion.
The number last New Year’s Eve was almost four times that of Tuesday’s, which means there’s been a dip in traffic violations by two-wheelers in the party zone on the 31st night.
“This was the second such drive in the area after 2018 when we had seized more than 200 two-wheelers... it was a new thing for two-wheeler riders then. In 2019, it seemed most were cautious about following rules,” a traffic police officer said.
The two-wheelers seized on Tuesday were released on Wednesday after their owners turned up with papers and paid fines, the police said.
Thousands of vehicles ply along Park Street and adjoining roads at the year-end when the area is lit up in decorative lights and there’s an air of festivity all around.
Apart from the two-wheelers seized, 188 motorists were prosecuted for drink driving across the city and 343 more for rash driving, the police said.
At least 20 people were prosecuted for drink driving in the Park Street area on Tuesday night, the police said.
Senior officers who were posted in the Park Street area said there were no instances of “disobedience or dispute” from the motorists who had been approached for breathalyser test on Tuesday night. “It was by and large peaceful. Usually, motorists drop names or try to resist the test saying they are not drunk. But there was no resistance last night,” an officer said on Wednesday.
Most of the prosecutions were an outcome of “block raids” near night clubs, bars and restaurants, cops said.
At least 182 motorists had been prosecuted for drink driving on New Year’s Eve in 2018. In 2019, 1,289 two-wheeler riders were prosecuted across the city for riding without helmets, 654 for carrying more than one person on the pillion and 863 for disorderly conduct.
Last year, the number of people prosecuted for disorderly conduct was lower than Tuesday night’s figures.