Traffic lights can only ensure orderly movement of traffic at junctions and prevent snarls and jams and their installation will not result in decongestion of the city. In that sense, the traffic police have reason to doubt. Like all cities in the State and the rest of the country, Mapusa does not have enough parking slots for vehicles. Mapusa acts as a market for north Bardez, Pernem and parts of Bicholim and this results in an influx of vehicles from all over. Being the taluka headquarters only adds to the problem of congestion. At present, the traffic police and the municipal council are short of ideas to decongest the city and all eyes are on expansion plans laid out by the Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza. One of the ideas suggested is to shift the taluka headquarters away from the market area. Another way of decongesting the city is by encouraging new business houses to open outlets on the outskirts. It is difficult to re-order cities at one go and phase-wise upgradations are easier to implement. Signal lights are a step in the right direction.
Mapusa muddle
The proposal to install signal lights at key junctions in Mapusa will help infuse a sense of order into the traffic system, but police who man the trouble spots are skeptical.
