LUCKNOW, April 7 -- A series of traffic management initiatives introduced in Lucknow over the past few years ended up in a 'hit and miss' zone as most of them faded away within months of their launch, exposing systemic gaps in planning, execution and accountability. These measures ranged from technology-driven interventions to strict enforcement drives, each promising to ease congestion in the rapidly expanding city. In what may be seen as a repetitive cycle, a new officer assumes charge, introduces a fresh set of reforms, and within months, those measures either lose steam or are quietly abandoned as another set of ideas takes their place. With no centralised monitoring mechanism or long-term roadmap, the city's traffic management has largely remained reactive rather than sustainable. One of the most visible examples was the installation of tyre killers near Gomti Barrage and Awadh Crossing in April 2024, aimed at curbing wrong-side driving. While the move initially drew attention, commuters quickly figured out ways to bypass the devices by manually pressing them down. Within weeks, the equipment suffered damage due to wear and weather exposure, rendering the system ineffective. Another ambitious initiative, the colour-coded QR system for e-rickshaws, introduced on January 1, 2024, sought to regulate their movement by assigning fixed routes through colour identification. However, protests by e-rickshaw drivers, coupled with lack of enforcement, led to the plan being scrapped. This is despite an existing ban on e-rickshaws on 11 major routes since May 2022, which continues to be violated openly even in 2026. Efforts to decongest busy intersections through red and yellow demarcation lines, restricting passenger pick-up and drop within 100 metres of crossings, also failed to sustain. Though implemented across key junctions, the markings gradually disappeared by the end of 2024, with no visible enforcement or maintenance. Similarly, a crackdown on illegal parking that identified 45 no-parking zones across the city in 2024 initially saw active towing and clamping drives. However, the initiative was discontinued within 10 months after crane operators hired for towing refused to continue due to repeated confrontations with aggressive vehicle owners. Even measures aimed at regulating traffic outside schools, introduced following directions from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court since 2015, have had limited impact. Schools were asked to deploy staff and prepare traffic management plans during dispersal hours, but congestion outside campuses continues to cause bottlenecks daily. Even though a senior official held meetings with schools and police trained their marshals, the situation is not improving on the ground. "Managing traffic in a growing city like Lucknow is a continuous challenge. While some measures fell short, we are now focusing on more scientific planning, better coordination and sustained enforcement to ensure long-term results," said Babloo Kumar, joint commissioner of police (Law and Order), Lucknow. Urban mobility experts and stakeholders point out that many of these initiatives lacked scientific backing and pilot testing. "Road safety, discipline, and congestion-free movement are not accidental outcomes-they are the direct results of a scientific traffic management system. It begins with roads that are properly traffic-engineered, as seen in cities like Chandigarh, where design itself guides and regulates road user behaviour," said Rohit Baluja, president, Institute of Road Traffic Education. "Traffic engineering is a science, grounded in the needs of road users and implemented through road traffic regulations and established codes of practice. Unfortunately, this scientific approach is largely missing in Lucknow. Equally concerning is the fragmented responsibility among agencies such as the police, roadway authorities and the transport department, which leads to poor coordination and weak accountability. Without clearly defined responsibility and a unified approach, effective traffic management cannot be achieved," Baluja added. "Traffic solutions cannot be one-size-fits-all or short-term experiments. Officers come without any context of city and homework and imple- ment as per their wish without even consulting us who are working on ground. When they are transferred, that move fades away. The move of police verification of auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw drivers was also introduced 10 years back and again in 2025. There should be a committee, which would have members from across the field," said Pankaj Dixit, president of LARTS (Lucknow Autorickshaw Three Wheeler Association)...