As Bengaluru traffic sign perplexes people, traffic police offer explanation

The Whitefield Traffic told South First that the rare signboard was recently refurbished so it came to notice of daily commuters.

BySaurav Kumar

Published Aug 05, 2022 | 4:55 PMUpdatedAug 05, 2022 | 4:56 PM

The traffic sign board displays four horizontal black dots at the bottom inside a triangle.

A rare traffic signage board showing four black dots placed horizontally in a red triangle in Bengaluru has made locals and netizens alike scratch their heads to figure out “why and what for”.

The rare traffic sign on a street near the Hope Farm junction caught the attention of Twitter user Aniruddha Mukherjee, who shared its image online and asked the police what the signage meant.

A large number of Twitter users, responding to the tweet, acknowledged that they, too, were unaware of the meaning of the traffic sign.

One Twitter user said it might be a sign for drivers and riders using the road to be watchful for potholes ahead.

Another Twitter user wrote, “This looks like there would be huge traffic block so people can get down from their vehicles and play goli (marbles) on the road till the traffic is cleared [sic].”

The Whitefield Traffic Police, responding to the query on Twitter, wrote, “Dear Sir, That is a Cautionary sign board which tells about a possible blind person likely on the road. Exercise caution while driving. There is a blind school at hopefarm junction where this board is placed. [sic]”

Whitefield Traffic Police Inspector Putta Obala Reddy told South First, “The signboard was refurbished recently so it came to the notice of the daily commuters. I cannot say exactly since when this signage was there, but I have noticed it from the day I joined duty in Whitefield.”

Reddy added that the traffic signage was issued by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) — the apex body of highway engineers in the country that decides the specification, standards, and design codes of all signboards on Indian roads.

“Rule 15.36 of the Code of Practice for Roadsigns suggests that this particular sign is to be installed near schools or institutions for special children and blind persons,” the officer explained.