KATHMANDU: General Public is more impressed with women traffic cops than with their male counterparts.

Anupama Pandey, who travels daily through Thapathali intersections, is full of praise for the women traffic police personnel. She reasoned, “These women cops are rarely seen chatting with each other while on duty. They are strict and have very different personalities, which are seldom found on their male counterparts, necessary to control unruly youths, who violate traffic rules."

She said she had very rarely seen women traffic police personnel engaged in heated-exchange of debates with motorists.

“Male traffic cops argue for a long time, holding one vehicle and ignoring the rest, causing traffic jam. Thapathali is the only place where I have not seen traffic cops arguing with motorists for long time. This is because there are female traffic police personnel,” she added.

Pradeep Basnet, a taxi driver, said, "I've spent so much money to bribe traffic cops whenever they took my license and blue book. The same is next to impossible for anyone when it comes to women traffic cops.”

Narrating a recent incident in which one of his friends made an unsuccessful bid to bribe a woman traffic cop, he said, "My friend had a bad experience in this when one woman traffic cop caught his taxi documents. He forced her to accept money and return his licence and blue books but he got a scolding from her.”

“Had there been male traffic personnel, they would have accepted the cash without any hesitation,” he added.

Women traffic cops also have better physical facilities, like bathrooms, barracks, in their workplaces.

“We have deployed them together in one particular place, especially during the night hours on security grounds,” according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Pooja Singh, MTPD women traffic police in-charge.

The MTPD is planning to improve the physical facilities for women traffic cops and deploying them to regulate other traffic venues in the city, she added.

“Police must have patience. Cops must leave their excitements at home and then come for duty,” said Sub- Inspector Laxmi Gurung, Thapathali in-charge.

She added, “Duty on the road in such rush hours is a hard task for anyone; still our team has been performing well.”

She said that the traffic cops have to deal with variety of people, some of them drunk. “Nevertheless, we have always strictly handled situations", says Gurung.

Women Traffic Police Company (WTPC) has fielded at least 125 women cops to regulate traffic in the city.

In Kathmandu, Thapathali is the only intersection manned totally by women traffic cops. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has deployed 50 per cent of female traffic cops to regulate traffic at Koteshwor.