It was rush hour on what appeared to be the start of an extended weekend break in Goa. While traffic picked up pace on an overcast early Saturday evening, little did anyone realize that everything would freeze soon and the entire Zuari bridge area would turn into a mix of frenzy and chaos where all sorts of vehicular traffic remained gridlocked in a frustrating over-three-hour ordeal.
The Margao-Panaji highway from Keserval to Goa-Velha and the Cortalim-Vasco highways and the arterial roads were chock-a-blocked with virtually no way for traffic to ease off. There were many who missed their flights, several came out of their cars suited, many who missed their appointments, and two siren-sounding ambulance vans that had no way out of the jam. Motorists were caught in a ‘no return' situation and the reasons were many. There were minor mishaps like brushing of cars against each other, a punctured car at the Agasaim bypass, heavy rush of taxis and rent-a-bikes zooming in all directions, and the faithful making their annual visit to the Goencho Saib novena. But the biggest stumbling block was the ongoing flyover works going on along both sides of the Zuari bridge.
There is heavy barricading which is done from down the Kesarval slope to the Agassaim bypass, virtually turning it into an obstacle drive with motorists forced to take sudden turns and twists while also negotiating the single lanes midway. While all of this was expected, traffic management had been left to the wind and the impatient motorists seized the opportunity to overtake recklessly crossing lanes and flouting all traffic rules resulting in bottlenecks. On such days when traffic was expected to be in top gear, there should have been heavy police deployment along the route instead of manning the Cortalim junction alone. Ironically, locals took to the streets to try and sort out the mess with the police nowhere in the picture. Since there are narrow roadways on both sides, and considering the fact that there have been milder instances of traffic jams in the past few weeks, authorities should have learnt their lessons and taken precautionary measures. The attitude towards traffic management is so alarming, that the road at night is being managed by labourers on site who flash neon green and red indicators facilitating movement.
There is heavy machinery which is being used on site with high-rise cranes and earth-moving equipment on the roads, leading to frequent traffic disruptions. On days like these where heavy traffic is expected, there should have been coordination between the traffic cells and the construction company to plan work accordingly. The festive season has just begun and the month of December will witness heavy movement across the Panaji-Margao highway. Quick communication is required between police taking positions at crucial traffic spots. Traffic should have been cut off and diverted if there is a blockage ahead. Saturday's traffic chaos could have been avoided if traffic police presence had been beefed up along the route. Work on the pillars and Zuari bridge approach road has been going on at a breezy pace in view of the January 2019 inauguration as announced by Nitin Gadkari. But that doesn't mean that motorists should be put to such pain and peril. Better planning and policing is the need of the hour.
The Margao-Panaji highway from Keserval to Goa-Velha and the Cortalim-Vasco highways and the arterial roads were chock-a-blocked with virtually no way for traffic to ease off. There were many who missed their flights, several came out of their cars suited, many who missed their appointments, and two siren-sounding ambulance vans that had no way out of the jam. Motorists were caught in a ‘no return' situation and the reasons were many. There were minor mishaps like brushing of cars against each other, a punctured car at the Agasaim bypass, heavy rush of taxis and rent-a-bikes zooming in all directions, and the faithful making their annual visit to the Goencho Saib novena. But the biggest stumbling block was the ongoing flyover works going on along both sides of the Zuari bridge.
There is heavy barricading which is done from down the Kesarval slope to the Agassaim bypass, virtually turning it into an obstacle drive with motorists forced to take sudden turns and twists while also negotiating the single lanes midway. While all of this was expected, traffic management had been left to the wind and the impatient motorists seized the opportunity to overtake recklessly crossing lanes and flouting all traffic rules resulting in bottlenecks. On such days when traffic was expected to be in top gear, there should have been heavy police deployment along the route instead of manning the Cortalim junction alone. Ironically, locals took to the streets to try and sort out the mess with the police nowhere in the picture. Since there are narrow roadways on both sides, and considering the fact that there have been milder instances of traffic jams in the past few weeks, authorities should have learnt their lessons and taken precautionary measures. The attitude towards traffic management is so alarming, that the road at night is being managed by labourers on site who flash neon green and red indicators facilitating movement.
There is heavy machinery which is being used on site with high-rise cranes and earth-moving equipment on the roads, leading to frequent traffic disruptions. On days like these where heavy traffic is expected, there should have been coordination between the traffic cells and the construction company to plan work accordingly. The festive season has just begun and the month of December will witness heavy movement across the Panaji-Margao highway. Quick communication is required between police taking positions at crucial traffic spots. Traffic should have been cut off and diverted if there is a blockage ahead. Saturday's traffic chaos could have been avoided if traffic police presence had been beefed up along the route. Work on the pillars and Zuari bridge approach road has been going on at a breezy pace in view of the January 2019 inauguration as announced by Nitin Gadkari. But that doesn't mean that motorists should be put to such pain and peril. Better planning and policing is the need of the hour.
