Early in her career, Kiran was posted to Delhi’s bureau of traffic police. The challenge was huge; not only did Kiran have to attend to the day-to-day traffic of a sprawling, chaotic city with tens of millions of inhabitants, but she also had to organize the traffic planning of the ninth Asian Games in Delhi in 1982 and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) in Goa in 1983. In both cities, Kiran implemented innovative reforms that earned accolades from the public and the respect of her police officers.

As New Delhi's traffic chief, her meticulous planning and ruthlessly impartial enforcement of the rules kept the capital's motley caravanserai of vehicles moving during the 1982 Asian Games. Kiran hired large numbers of cranes to remove illegally parked vehicles – on one memorable occasion, even a vehicle belonging to a former Prime Minister. It was during this period that Kiran earned the moniker “Crane” Bedi.

Again, Kiran's tenure is characterized by participative delivery of police services, involving both citizens and corporations. During the Asiad at Delhi, her team trained 1700 Home Guards and 1500 university students. She reached out to every strata of society, from children to senior citizens, to get them involved in understanding and contributing to road safety. 900 NCC cadets were specially trained at Goa for the CHOGM. Common people were trained on Sundays by Inspector Sarab Pal Singh, specially called from the Delhi Police for the purpose to Goa.

Kiran involved the corporate sector in an extensive way to provide services both in Delhi and Goa. She sought corporate sponsorship for traffic assistance booths, films, literature, etc. Kiran is still remembered by people in Delhi for traffic management solutions.

Various images from Kiran's traffic policing tenure: