Traffic jams continue to pester commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Nov 6: Commuters faced a tough time on Monday due to massive traffic jams in city centre areas.

Traffic jams were witnessed at MA Road, Lal Chowk, Residency Road, Budshah Chowk, Jehangir Chowk and its adjacent areas throughout the day,

“Our precious time gets wasted in these traffic jams which are triggered mostly by diversions and non-functioning of traffic lights at important junctions,” said Arshid Ahmad, a commuter.

The commuters said that traffic diversions especially on MA Road are compounding traffic jams.

“Essential services like ambulances also get stranded in traffic jams, which can be detrimental for critical patients. There are also multiple projects including bridge construction at Dalgate which lead to traffic jams,” said Shabir Ahmad, another commuter.

The commuters also said that at many junctions, the intelligent traffic lights are yet to be functional, which is making the situation more problematic.

“In absence of traffic lights, traffic flow is hindered. The commuters are crossing the traffic junctions haphazardly, which leads to traffic jams. This can also lead to accidents, making installation of traffic lights more vital,” said another commuter.

SSP Traffic (Srinagar) Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that during peak hours, there is more traffic flow which leads to jams.

“School timings have also changed adding to more flow of traffic. On Mondays we usually witness more traffic after the weekend. The traffic jams mostly happen during this two-hour window of evening as everyone is rushing home. Better traffic management will be put in place, and things will ease up in the coming days,” Shah said.