Even though traffic mismanagement has all along been a characteristic feature of Kashmir’s roads and streets, for the past few years the chaos and confusion has been increasing steadily. Today the situation has reached such a point that it seems almost impossible to travel in Srinagar city without facing hours of disconcerting traffic jams, which besides wasting people’s time and patience also burdens their purse by way of increasing the costs of fuel and vehicle wear and tear.
The basic reasons are the condition of roads and absence of a good and reliable public transport system, which leaves people with no choice but to use their personal vehicles for going to places which of course has a direct bearing on the number of vehicles on the roads. Needless to say that if a proper public transport system is put in place, it will encourage people to not use personal vehicles which would automatically bring down the number of vehicles on roads and streets and accordingly lessen the problems of traffic mismanagement.
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There are countless other reasons as well which could be cited as being responsible for the traffic mess here. And the unfortunate reality is that nobody seems to be bothered about the hardships and hassles faced by the common people as a result of increased traffic gridlocks, that certainly puts brakes on people’s mobility for hours on an average.
Even though there is a separate wing of police for the management of traffic – the Traffic Police; but owing to its failures to live up to its duties, its utility itself has come under a big question mark. The statement may no doubt seem too harsh, but given the fact that this agency has not been able to perform to anybody’s expectations, peoples’ misgivings vis-à-vis its efficiency are not unfounded.
While the common people are suffering more or less on every count of traffic management, this agency vested with the responsibility of maintaining some semblance of law on roads in terms of vehicular traffic and its regulation is seen doing precious little for it. There is no dearth of instances wherein one can see that the lack of imaginative creativity together with lack of proper management skills on part of Traffic Police is one of the biggest reasons responsible for messy traffic on Srinagar streets. The traffic matters are complicated so much so that the common people have to bear the brunt of traffic mismanagement in terms of their safety and precious time. Day in and day out people have to suffer worse only because those manning this all-important wing of traffic are not competent enough to do what they are supposed to do.
Need is to better the roads, remove bottle-necks, ensure proper training of these manning traffic and launch a full fledged war against corruption in the agency. This will help manage the traffic efficiently thus saving peoples’ precious time and will do justice with the slogan of Smart City.
