Management of traffic in Srinagar

For dealing with traffic complications the authorities do not have a magic wand in their hands. But there is always a possibility of improvement. The suave and proficient implementation for mobility of traffic can be accomplished by making best use of the existing system. The proper sign posts, zebra crossing, footpaths, subways and signals are the tools which can be used to transmute commotion into a smooth and effective mobility. We need to take appropriate traffic management measures after trying out their effects. In order to curb the jeopardy of mishaps caused by the maladministration of traffic we need to contemplate abysmally to this nuisance. Due to obliviousness of the rubrics, rowdiness, desertion and waywardness, the roads are wrenching into muddle. The authorities are wedged in torpidity and have no intimation of how to make traffic more affable. Hardly any zebra crossings are visible in Srinagar city. There are no passable parking facilities. The authorities are decreeing conceitedly that considerable challans are imposed on daily basis. Challans will only result in proliferation of corruption. There should be an obligatory training for the commercial vehicle drivers. Public infringing should be circumvented on the roads, there is need to accentuate the pedestrian crossings. Traffic police need not only check the vehicles but also pedestrian traffic. They should thwart people from crossing roads at high traffic zones. Fine should be levied on the pedestrians who are not using zebra crossings and foot paths provided they exist. Training is a vital contrivance and instructors need to be trained first who should be taught how to train.
It is highly advocated to instil the skills and awareness in the schools and colleges also. It is noticed that the tippers, Tata mobiles and other commercial vehicles are driven by minors who do not have any inkling what gaffes they can do on the roads. Rash driving and racing between the commercial vehicles are the causes of accidents. The traffic authorities only know how to do challans, they only punish the drivers who are possessing incomplete documents. They do not prevent the drivers from pledging mistakes on the roads. How many drivers have been penalized for rash driving? Another cause of accidents in Srinagar is teenage bike riders, who are endangering their lives for the sake of stunts that they perform in the cold weather imitating aerobatics. Bikes should have been proscribed in winters in Srinagar a long back, at least for the months of December and January. Another hazard is overloading in commercial vehicles. This has been going on for decades and no one is taking a heed. We have seen passengers boarding and getting down from the commercial vehicles in the middle of the roads. Accidents happen due to the indiscipline created by the commercial vehicle drivers. These drivers know the traffic rules but deliberately break them. In such cases impounding of driver licence for 15 days or 20 days is recommended. The monetary penalty need to be revoked as it only increases corruption. There need to be some firm guidelines for acquiring commercial licence.
The number of vehicles plying on the Srinagar roads has increased to manifold but the roads are the same. So there is a necessity of splaying all the city roads. Foreshortening the density of traffic through hectic plugs is need of the hour, specifically during peak hours. Increasing the number of flyovers and subways will also make the proper traffic flow on the roads. We need to increase the infrastructure facilities for smooth flow of traffic. The train connectivity like metro train should be introduced in the city. One ways should be made the norm throughout. Waterways should be used to conveyance and transport of the goods wherever possible. Traffic police should be deployed at schools and colleges during the peak hours. The commercial drivers need to be educated about their negligence. Shifting of education institutes and government offices to the suburbs is a virtuous alternative.
(Holding a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, the author is associated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT Srinagar)