Editorial
Easing traffic congestion
Act with a sense of urgency
SPEAKERS at a seminar held on Monday addressed the issue of traffic congestion in the city. There is no doubt that traffic congestion is one of the major problems that people in the city are facing. Experts have put forward various suggestions to address the problem. The suggestions fall in two broad categories: long term measures and immediate short term remedies that can bring some relief to the people. The traffic system will have to undergo a thorough overhauling to meet the needs of more than 10 million people in a city that suffers from a number of limitations when it comes to traffic management. For example, the total road space is six percent of the total city area which falls well short of what is desirable. So, the pressure has to be eased by building both surface and underground railway and also a waterway around the city as suggested by the experts. These are visionary options that must be considered in all seriousness to tackle the problem of traffic congestion. These will of course take time and require huge investments. However, there are areas where things may improve quickly if the traffic authorities can prevent violation of rules which is a major cause of traffic snarls in the metropolis. Pedestrians cannot any longer use the footpaths meant for them due to encroachments of all types. And illegal use of roadside space as bus stand slows down the pace of traffic. Roadside parking is another problem that hinders movement of both vehicles and pedestrians. So building parking lots in a planned way at several places should be on the top of traffic managers' agenda. They must also ensure that footpaths are not occupied by vendors and beggars and also shopowners. The traffic authorities must also ensure discipline on the roads. The traffic managers must make sure that punitive action is taken against the violators of traffic rules. Traffic congestion is more than a civic problem; we must not be oblivious of its great adverse effect on trade and commerce. So it has to be eliminated on the basis of a sound plan through adoption of both long and short term measures.
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