New ‘One Way’ Sign Creates ‘Two Way’ Talk between Cops and Public
A New ‘One way’ sign erected by City Traffic Police at the entrance of Balmatta New Road aka A F Coelho Road (road going from Falnir towards Jyothi Circle/KMC Hospital) has created controversies and “Two Way” talk between the Police and the public, including auto-rickshaw drivers.
Mangaluru: The City Traffic police are coming up with various plans to control and easy flow of traffic, but unfortunately they are facing all kinds of complaints and arguments with the public and motorists. Bumper-to-bumper traffic, the wait for signals to turn green and raised tempers caused by the time taken to cross important stretches in the heart of the city, are issues familiar to any Mangalorean. As a solution to these problems, the traffic police have proposed to implement the one-way rule on several roads in the main locations. Many plans have already been drafted and also includes reversing the flow of traffic on some roads.
Parking of school vehicles on busy roads, parking of vehicles by apartment residents on the streets contribute to traffic congestion during peak hours. By simply prohibiting parking on these main roads, half the traffic problems can be resolved. The traffic police have also decided to organize a public debate on this issue to take suggestions from the citizens. To avoid initial hiccups, the traffic police dept is planning additional policemen to direct motorists apart from signage at junctions. Reversing the traffic on some roads and implementing one-ways will not only increase the traffic speed to ensure smooth flow, but will also help reduce burden on intersections and junctions.
Congested roads are a headache for many modern cities, but what are the solutions? And can a city ever banish them completely? Traffic jams are the bane of motorists’ lives, whether it’s the daily bottleneck during the commute to work, or endless delays on motorways at the start of the holidays. Jams are not only frustrating, they are also a major contributor to air pollution, and that’s bad not just for our climate, but everybody’s health too. While every city has its unique set of traffic problems, there are a few common issues: many people insist on driving their own car, instead of sharing rides or using a bicycle; up to a third of cars on roads are drivers looking for a place to park; and then there’s the human factor: most of us simply are not very efficient drivers.
As soon as the ‘One Way” sign was posted by traffic police constables, a few auto rickshaw drivers raised their complaints and voices against these constables, which had to bring ACP-Traffic Manjunath Shetty to the spot to deal with the situation. A few drivers said by making this road one-way, it would be lot of inconveniences for people visiting KMC hospital- and that they will have to take a long route to reach Jyothi circle, where the passengers will have to pay more auto fare. They insisted on the ACP to change his mind and keep the road as two-way as it is now to avoid further problems.
Addressing the auto drivers and few of the residents on that road, ACP Manjunath Shetty said, ” As the city grows and traffic increases we have to come up with certain plans to ease traffic congestion. We are experimenting by introducing certain one way roads in order to find a solution for this traffic chaos and jams on certain roads in the city, and this road is one among them. Give us some time and let us see how this new one way solution will ease the problem- if it creates lot of inconveniences we will remove it. Until then the one-way rule will be in force, and I request the motorists and commuters to bear with us. We can’t please everyone, citizens have to cooperate with us- we are only trying to come up with various plans to control and easy flow of traffic.”
In conclusion, in my perspective, there is no need to blame the police. Many think the various plans taken up by traffic police don’t go far enough – and that we should provide more reasons for putting less cars on the road. The only effective long-term solutions are to improve alternative modes – walking, cycling and particularly high quality public transit. The solution to beating traffic congestion in cities, if it comes, will probably take a long time to reap rewards. But if at least some of these new ideas are a success – whether it’s one-way routes, smart parking places etc – the days of Kudla’s epic tailbacks may finally be consigned to history. If you look at Bengaluru the city traffic police have introduced many one-way roads, and commuters are adjusting to it. So also in Goa, few days ago I have noticed many one-way roads have been introduced- and no one is complaining about it. If you go to Western countries or Singapore, you will be surprised to see the number of one-way roads.
It’s only in Mangaluru that people whine and complain about new traffic rules and one-way traffic. Even if there is ample parking space a few yards from a function hall, people still want to park their vehicles near to the hall on the street, thereby creating traffic congestion. We need to blame ourselves- when the city grows and traffic increases, commuters and motorists have to abide by the new traffic signs and adjust to the situation. Earlier students went to school walking or by bicycle, now rich parents are buying them high-end cars, which eventually creates more traffic. So let’s cooperate with Traffic police and see what best could be done to ease out traffic snarls and congestion in Mangaluru.