Bengaluru traffic police launch ‘Cobra Beat’ system to address congestion: Report

Bengaluru traffic police have launched the ‘Cobra Beat’ system to address traffic congestion by deploying patrol officers to monitor routes during peak hours.

In an effort to ease Bengaluru’s ever-growing traffic woes, the city’s traffic police have rolled out a new initiative called the ‘Cobra Beat’ system, a hands-on approach aimed at tackling micro-level causes of congestion. The system involves deploying “Cobras,” or first responders from each traffic police station, to regularly patrol two assigned routes during peak hours and identify recurring choke points, parking violations, and bottlenecks.

The new 'Cobra Beat' initiative by Bengaluru traffic cops aims to tackle micro-level causes of traffic issues in the city.(Twitter)

The initiative is part of the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s (BTP) larger strategy to address issues that go beyond infrastructure gaps, said a report by The Hindu. Recently, officials identified 103 poorly placed bus stops and began relocating them to improve road efficiency. Signal synchronisation has also been introduced across several junctions to reduce wait times and improve traffic flow, the report said.

Each traffic station has three to four Cobras depending on its jurisdiction. These officers will patrol critical stretches known for frequent slowdowns, such as Commercial Street, where congestion often spills over to nearby roads like Dispensary Road. The focus will be on high-footfall zones with recurring problems such as illegal parking, haphazard vehicle stationing, and wrong-side driving, the report noted.

DCP (South) Gopal M Byakod explained that even small lapses can snowball into major traffic jams. A single wrongly parked vehicle can cause a delay of 10 seconds, but several such instances add up to minutes of lost time and long tailbacks, he said. The Cobras will not only monitor but also act, by clamping vehicles, issuing fines, and clearing obstructions on the spot, the report added.

Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), has instructed all Deputy Commissioners to identify key stretches in their zones and implement the system immediately. While differences in route length may pose challenges, officials believe the Cobra Beat will improve real-time enforcement and public discipline. The BTP has also revived on-ground interception drives to penalise visible violations, the report further stated.

HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of this information.