the goan I network
MARGAO
After drawing all round flak for the traffic snarls triggered by the traffic signals installed at the Old market circle around a week ago, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has told officials of the National Highway to reduce the old market round about, link the old court road to the Colva road via the Municipal land and asked the Margao Municipality to sacrifice its prime land to widen an existing slip road.
While the TCP minister’s fiat to the National Highways will help bring about the necessary changes and streamline traffic, questions are being raised amongst citizens why these measures were put in place by the traffic or the highway before inaugurating the traffic signals. For, these long term measures will take long time to execute since it involved construction and seeking permission from the Margao civic body to part with his prime land where the Municipality had planned a mall for the displaced kiosk owners.
The TCP Minister along with DySP Traffic Prabodh Shirwaikar, Traffic PI Mohan Gawde, PWD and NH officials inspected the Old market circle which has been a scene of traffic chaos ever since the traffic signals were installed at the circle a week ago.
Based on the traffic police recommendation, the TCP Minister told to prepare a plan of action, including the design to reduce the width of the old market circle and the construction of a slip road passing through the MMC acquired property. Sardesai said the PWD officials have also been told to get the width widened of the Bolshe and Arlem circles.
While admitting that the recommendations made by the traffic police will take some time to implement, the TCP Minister, however, said a host of temporary measures have been put in place by the traffic police to reduce congestion. “Instead of the one minute regulation time, the timing of the signals have been brought down to 35 seconds and on the narrow concentrated lanes to 25 seconds. Strict instructions have been issued to the traffic police manning the old market circle to resort to manual operation of the signals to keep congestion at bay,” Sardesai said.
Moreover, he pointed out that the traffic police has been told in clear terms to suspend operation of the traffic signals during school peak hours in the morning and noon to avoid hardships to the students and children. “After it came to our knowledge that the Abade Faria road and internal Comba roads were choked with traffic during peak hours, the traffic police has been told to suspend operation of the signals during school peak hours. We are monitoring the situation. Since the traffic signals were being installed on an experimental basis, the traffic cops have also been told to operate the signals manually to clear the rush of traffic,” Sardesai added.
