We were pleasantly surprised to read this message by Ramkumar Gopisetty about the self-regulated and disciplined traffic in Gonikoppal – the educational hub of Kodagu.
Lane Discipline and Impeccable Traffic Sense: A Lesson from Kodagu
In the midst of chaotic urban traffic and honking horns that echo through cities across India, there lies a small town in the scenic Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka that demonstrates a rare and admirable virtue—exemplary lane discipline. Gonikoppal, a charming town nestled in the verdant hills, stands as a beacon of traffic etiquette and patience, even during peak hours.
Recently, while making a 4.5-hour journey from Bangalore to Gonikoppal, I found myself marveling at an extraordinary sight: a single-file line of vehicles—cars, autos, and even bikes—meticulously adhering to the traffic lane. There were no impatient overtakes, no honking for shortcuts, and certainly no breaches of the lane. This disciplined flow of traffic on a narrow two-way lane is something I haven’t witnessed in all my years of driving across the country.
For someone used to the often chaotic and nerve-wracking traffic of metros, the calm, organized commuting style of Kodagu’s citizens was nothing short of refreshing. Even during peak traffic times, the lanes remained orderly, with each vehicle following the other in a straight line. There was an almost unspoken respect for rules, as though the residents were collectively tuned to prioritize safety and harmony over haste.
This experience was more than just a pleasant surprise—it was a revelation. It demonstrated that good traffic behavior is not just a matter of road infrastructure but also a reflection of community values. Kodagu’s residents have evidently cultivated a culture of patience and mutual respect that shines through in their driving.
What makes this even more remarkable is that Gonikoppal is not a bustling city with multiple flyovers, traffic signals, or state-of-the-art traffic management systems. It is a small, picturesque town where such disciplined driving is a result of people’s collective mindset and shared responsibility.
For travelers and commuters, this behavior isn’t just a relief—it’s an inspiration. In an era where time seems to outrun patience, Kodagu proves that orderly traffic can coexist with bustling streets, even in the absence of metropolitan luxuries.
As I waited my turn in the line of vehicles leading into Gonikoppal, I couldn’t help but appreciate the calmness that enveloped the traffic. There were no frayed tempers, no arguments, and no chaos. Instead, there was an unhurried yet efficient movement of vehicles, with each driver respecting the other’s space.
This disciplined behavior should be applauded and emulated. If a small town in the serene hills of Karnataka can embody such exceptional traffic sense, why can’t larger cities? Lane discipline isn’t just about following rules; it’s about fostering a culture of safety, respect, and accountability on the roads.
Kodagu’s example serves as a lesson for the rest of us. It shows that traffic order isn’t impossible—it is achievable when communities work together with the shared goal of making roads safer and driving a more pleasant experience for everyone.
The citizens of Kodagu have set a gold standard in traffic discipline. As I reflect on this remarkable experience, I’m left with a sense of gratitude and admiration. In a country where traffic indiscipline often reigns supreme, Kodagu stands tall, offering us all a much-needed reminder: patience and respect can transform even the busiest of streets into a seamless symphony of movement.
Let Gonikoppal’s commuters lead the way for the rest of the country—one single-file lane at a time.
Ramkumar GOPISETTY, Bengaluru
Intrigued by the above, we requested our local correspondents to check the reality on the ground. Although it was not the weekend, the traffic was indeed quite disciplined, cars well parked and virtually no car horns being blasted to overtake in a hurry, which was commendable. The proof of the pudding would be established on the weekend with the rush due to the Weekly Market Day (Sunday) and the proverbial rush of tourists.
This is what Dinesh Cariappa – President of Kodagu District Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association had to say – “Gonikoppal is indeed a remarkable town with relatively orderly traffic sense. Cannot say that this discipline exists in the rest of Kodagu’s major towns like Madikeri, Kushalnagar, Virajpet, Siddapur (relatively small but perhaps the worst). The Kushalnagar to Madikeri stretch is somewhat treacherous.” The way forward is to collaborate with the helpful District Administration and Police to jointly work with them in improving the traffic discipline, especially on holidays and weekends.
An environment free of garbage, clean public spaces and disciplined traffic reflects on the general perception of civic sense of any place and community. The Annual Cleanliness Survey of the Union Government declared Indore as the cleanest city (consistently for over 6 years, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai. It would be a great achievement if Kodagu can be noticed and recognized for both Traffic Discipline, Garbage free Environment and Safety.
Kodavas were known for their honesty, uprightness, clean environment, sense of community, hospitality and responsible leadership. This would be a great challenge for the people from the District to undertake in a phased manner – the people whom we spoke to in Gonikoppal were more than keen to lead the challenge!
Really enjoyed the article and the experience, I was travelling on 22nd November to Virajpet from Bangalore. Much to my surprise could experience vehicles parked in the lane and not obstructing the free movement.
I wanted to check and experience if it could be the same on my return to Bangalore on 25th being shandy day at Gonikoppal. I was amazed to see the disciplined traffic movement.
Long weekend travel to Coorg was always chaotic had to face bumper to bumper traffic , always felt NOT AGAIN! just trying to escape from Bangalore and we had to face the same here.
I wish this discipline continues and kudos to all who have made this happen.
Very happy to read this…
This is a good development, Gonikoppal being an important town where I studied in the 80’s with narrow roads to pass through to reach other important town/places like Ponnampet/Kutta/Virajpet/Madikeri/Mangalore and Kerala!
Since many years we’ve been staying and dining in Papera at Gonikoppal whenever we visited our ancestral home near Hermad temple, found that the traffic was very poorly managed and every thing becomes chaotic all of a sudden specially towards weekends/holidays, the people’s (mostly Kerala bound vehicles and outsiders) waywardness in creating traffic Chaos, parking/obstructing free movement of vehicles throughout the town!
Thanking the administration/police and public for their selfless involvement in streamlining traffic and improving overall image of one of the important towns of Kodagu…
🙏
I really enjoyed reading the responses to the Gonikoppal Traffic post – very meaningful and good comments.
Let me add to this and talk about Virajpet. This is an important town within Kodagu and all the problems associated with Gonikoppal, Madikeri, Ooty applies to Virajpet too.
First things first, introduction of parking fees will reduce irresponsible stationary vehicles. Perhaps the first 15 minutes can be free after that the charges should steeply keep escalating. The additional hands deployed as “marshals” could control garbage menace, street vendors and so on. Involve representatives of responsible shop owners – as they do in Brigade Road in Bangalore, in giving them a “badge of authority” as Marshals to enforce discipline, “impose fines” and report to the local Police.
The Police and District Administration should genuinely explore bypass of this town. It is possible.
These are just indicative suggestions. We have a really dynamic and action oriented MLA in Mr Ponnanna who could create joint local government administration, Police, Shopkeepers and Volunteers to meet, set an agenda, break up the task into modules and review progress on a periodic basis. In my experience, dialogue and interaction always generates positive results.
I really like the sequence of comments made in response to the article. Ramkumar Gopisetty is a kind hearted and well meaning soul. His articulation of the traffic in Gonikoppal is heartfelt – equally there are times when the situation on the ground is not all that hunky dory.
It is true that the residents and nearby locals at Gonikoppal are responsible and hospitable by nature. However the outsiders who travel through need some guidance from time to time – especially the heavy vehicle from Kerala including their buses which drive very rashly.
The fact of the matter is that from the time these roads were built, the population of Kodagu has probably tripled to 5 Lakhs plus – much of the increase is from neighbouring areas to the district seeking easy business and space to settle down. But the real volume of vehicle movement is because almost every “local” now owns one or more vehicles and mobility combined with social commitments makes density of vehicles intense and to some extent possibly out-of-control.
Now the real issue though is the weekend and holiday crowd where an additional 40-50,000 vehicles come into Kodagu and move around to maximise the impact of their stay. If serious thought is not given to this escalating problem, it will snow-ball into an out of control situation. The District Administration and local bodies, including People Initiatives have to collaborate. The resources of the District simply CANNOT absorb this out of control situation – starting with roads, to water, garbage management, preservation of important sites (including temples, monuments, natural beauty locales), safety, healthcare management and so on. Coffeeland News is a good platform to start the dialogue.
Read the post with genuine interest to see if there are parallels for Ooty traffic where it is chaotic especially over the weekend. The roads just cannot handle this heavy volume. Cops are untrained and add to the confusion.
As a consequence, we avoid going into town from Friday to Sunday. Sadly, they don’t charge an entry fee and the so called EPass is a farce being free.
Our urban planners just don’t have foresight and every project is short-term based.
Shudder to think what it will be like over the next 5 years.
The remarks by Anil Dharmapalan are applicable to Madikeri – point by point – other than the fact that there is no EPass for Kodagu. Friday to Sunday is hell in Madikeri – the road and area around Raja’s Seat is a nightmare; outside Gadige vehicles are crammed in a most disorganized manner; the road to Abby Falls and Club Mahindra is chaotic and sometimes even dangerous – the hired jeeps to Mandalpatti operate with a will of their own. Added the garbage strewn all over the place by tourists (and sadly by locals too) require strict monitoring.
The fact is that Kodagu’s roads and infrastructure in the towns simply cannot take the volume of traffic that tourism generates. The day trippers add only to chaos and hardly contribute to the economic upliftment of the district. Tourism has to be made more RESPONSIBLE and the District Administration and civic groups have an equal role to play. Ownership at a “micro” level is required.
Partially true.
Theory of Chaos seems to suit faster vehicle movement in Gonikoppal. The town has narrow roads which passes through the middle of town.
It’s the Kerala vehicles and their aggressive drivers who impatiently squeeze through the traffic initiating the jam.
The cascading effect is such that once there is a jam, there is hardly any room to overtake as the width is only for two lanes – necessitating lane discipline.
As opposed to most other business centres, you may notice that the shop owners have this compulsive need to park their vehicles sometimes more than one, right in front of their shops. Defeats the purpose of customers! The Police should take a leaf out of the parking fee structure at Commercial Street and Brigade Road which discourages vehicle owners for long stays (it should pinch their pockets) and remove the inconvenience for genuine shoppers.
When we look at the local media news from Kodagu, we seem to be confronted by news on crime, accidents, theft, murder, cheating and such depressing news. It is truly refreshing to see this post on traffic in Gonikoppal where the traffic seems to be genuinely better. The cynics will no doubt say that anyway there is room only for a single lane either way – but you need to experience a city like Bangalore to really understand aggression combined with irresponsible driving.
I was witness to an interesting incident where drivers of vehicles who wrongly crossed the lane to overtake were sent back by the local onlookers!
Well done residents of Gonikoppal and hope this can extend to other civic activities.
I see the traffic from close quarters every day from Papera Restaurant. The cars are quite well parked in front of our Restaurant Building and by and large what has been written about traffic in our town is true. There are the occasional traffic jams that make it difficult especially when the vehicles increase during weekends or if there is a wedding nearby. Appreciate Coffeeland News highlighting this news!