Lack of efficient public transport adds to traffic chaos in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 16: The non-availability of efficient public transport within the Srinagar city area is considered one of the major reasons for traffic chaos in the summer capital, as more people are forced to rely on their private vehicles.

An official said the mini buses operating in Srinagar city do not have any obligation to cover the distance within the stipulated time period, while the number of smart buses running within the city was limited as well.

"The way public transport (mini buses) operates in the city is annoying. The distance which should be covered within 20 minutes and half an hour takes around one hour," a senior official in the Traffic police department told Greater Kashmir.

"This happens because there are no designated bus stops for these vehicles to stop. The passengers stop these vehicles at any spot on the road to board or to get off from the bus," he said.

The official said this forces people to use their private vehicles, which adds pressure on the flow of traffic on roads because the number of vehicles increases.

"It becomes a challenging situation mostly during morning and evening hours at many junctions," he said.

He said the commuters, mostly employees and the business community, use their private vehicles as the public transport does not follow any regulation.

"They stop at any spot and wait for passengers, which does not go well with all the passengers," he said.

With the increasing number of vehicles, most of the areas, including Sanat Nagar, Rawalpora, and MA Road (near Polo View), witness massive traffic gridlock, causing inconveniences to the commuters.

"It becomes so challenging for us even if we try to keep traffic moving, but the number of vehicles is so huge that it gets messed up," the official said.

The traffic police official said the facility of public transport must be made available as per the convenience of the commuters, so that the flow of private vehicles will be less.

"The government is working on all these issues, and we hope a concrete solution comes out to address the issue of traffic jams. But as of now, it is a problem," the official told Greater Kashmir.

Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kashmir and Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Srinagar were not available for their comments on the issue.