Traffic jams in peak hours take toll on commuters

Srinagar: Massive traffic jams in peak morning and evening hours are taking heavy toll on commuters in the summer capital.

The commuters said that on Monday, massive traffic jams were witnessed in Srinagar city center area.

Commuters said there were gridlocks on vital roads including MA Road, Residency Road, Dalgate, Nowpora, Khanyar, Natipora , Rainawari, Nowhatta, and major junctions.

“This is annoying to be stuck in traffic jams in the city center areas during peak hours,” said Asif Ahmad, a commuter.

The commuters said that office goers are having a tough time during morning hours.

“Today, during the evening, it was a mess in the city center as far as traffic is concerned. We appeal to authorities to address the issue. Huge investment for making Srinagar a Smart City means nothing unless traffic is streamlined. We have been facing traffic gridlock for years, and over the past few months, the situation has gotten worse,” said Zahoor Ahmad, an office goer.

The commuters said that multiple traffic diversions in the city centre Lal Chowk and other areas have added to the issue. They said traffic diversions are making the commute more difficult and causing chaos.

“We want traffic diversion issues to be addressed properly so that we don’t have to suffer,” said another commuter.

The locals in these Srinagar areas said that essential services like ambulances also get stranded in traffic jams which can be detrimental for critical patients. They said that multiple drainage, bridge, and other road work projects also trigger traffic jams for hours.

Senior officials from the Traffic department said that they are addressing the issue of diversion, and soon the situation will be better. The officials also said that once the major development projects in the city center are complete, that will also ease the traffic.

SSP Traffic Srinagar City, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, said that there were few events in the city centre today including some VIP movement.

“Following these events today, there were some traffic halts which led to this issue for some time. There is some protocol that is to be followed and that sometimes leads to halting of traffic. Otherwise we are ensuring that traffic jams don’t occur especially during peak hours”, Shah said.