Traffic jams pester commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Dec 16: The summer capital today witnessed massive traffic jams causing immense inconvenience to commuters.
In absence of regulation, traffic jams were witnessed in many localities in Srinagar including MA Road, Regal Chowk, Residency Road, Budshah Chowk, Nowpora, Khanyar, Dalgate, Barzulla, Batamaloo, Sanat Nagar, Rawalpora, Wanabal and Rangreth.

“Driving in Srinagar has become a nightmare due to persistent traffic jams in absence of traffic regulation,” said Showkat Ahmad, a commuter.

Srinagar has been in the increasing grip of traffic jams for a long time now. Saturday, despite being the weekend, was no different. Commuters across Srinagar areas were aghast over traffic jams, which
crippled their travel and ended up with them losing precious time in traffic mess.

Commuters said that during peak hours, it is a nightmare to commute a few kilometers through Srinagar city center. They say the condition on city outskirts like Hazratbal and Uptown areas like Sanat Nagar and Bemina is no different. The traffic jams in Downtown and adjacent areas have the same magnitude.

“It has become a nuisance to drive as we get stuck in jams for hours. The purpose of owning a vehicle has vanished as both public transport users and private vehicle users have to bear the brunt of traffic jams,” said Altaf Ahmad, an officer who commutes through the city on a daily basis.

Commuters said that the failure of admiration to provide permanent vending zones to street vendors has turned the roads into flea markets. The areas in Downtown, Srinagar outskirts, and important traffic junctions are full of roadside vendors crippling traffic movement.

Officials said that there have been several accidents where mostly pedestrians were involved as the footpaths are occupied by vendors.

“When these vendors occupy roads and footpaths, it narrows down the roads, leading to traffic jams. This also increases the risk of accidents in Srinagar,” said an official.

Commuters also blamed slow pace of ongoing multiple projects under the Smart City and other schemes saying these have turned the city into a construction site.

They said various projects like drainage, roads, bridges, footpaths, and other development projects have forced a partial closure of roads and traffic diversions across the city. They said that the issue has resulted in the creation of traffic bottlenecks and triggered traffic jams.

“Ongoing works on different projects in Khanyar, Barbar Shah, Batamaloo, Karan Nagar, Bemina, Sanat Nagar, Dalgate and other city centre areas has affected the traffic badly. There is already a chronic problem of traffic jams, and this has added to it,” said an official.

In addition to navigating through construction sites and roadside vendors, commuters said that they have to commute through a complicated maze of traffic diversions across the city. They said these traffic diversions confuse commuters and also end up triggering traffic jams.

“Diversions at multiple places in Srinagar have become a nuisance. This has become a reason for traffic jams. I, as a commuter, believe that better measures should be put in place to solve the issue,” said Adil Bhat, a commuter.

Commuters have been urging authorities to make all the Intelligent Traffic Lighting System (ITLS) functional so that the traffic issue in Srinagar can be addressed.

To mention, although authorities have started the traffic lights at various junctions, there are various other junctions where these lights are not functional.

SSP Traffic Srinagar, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, said that there are many aspects to consider while talking about traffic jams. He said in the coming days, there will be significant changes in the issue.

“A few days back, we made around eight smart traffic light systems functional in the city centre. On the issue of traffic diversion, I want to make it clear that our aim is to keep the traffic moving and amid all the construction and other issues we have to put in some traffic diversions,” Shah said.

He said recently, many diversions along MA and Residency Road and at other places have been removed. “We are removing other diversions too in the coming days,” he said.

“The issue of roadside vendors, lack of basic civic sense while driving, and addressing development issues like construction will subside. There will be a significant change on the ground. Srinagar is witnessing a huge inter-district traffic influx as many institutions are centered here, which makes traffic management a mammoth task,” Shah said.

“Development projects will be complemented, and by coordination between various departments. We will address all these issues to ensure hassle-free movement of transport,” he added.