The Traffic Police, PWD and the State Road Safety Committee need to inspect the area under the Atal Setu flyover near the parking area and Sulabh toilet at Dr Ambedkar Garden. Vehicles travelling from Ponda, Merces and Margao on the Atal Setu use the flyover’s side road to enter Panaji. On reaching Panaji, they are supposed to proceed towards the bus stand circle and then enter the city. However, some motorists take a shortcut towards the Tourism Department’s boat cruise terminal.
This creates a serious risk of accidents, as vehicles coming from the bus stand proceed towards Panaji and the Ribandar Divya Circle. There is currently no proper traffic sign indicating ‘No Entry’ or ‘Compulsory Left’ at this point. The PWD engineers need to inspect the site and rework the road layout to improve safety. They should also examine whether the present arrangement is increasing the distance travelled and resulting in unnecessary fuel consumption. As an immediate measure, an AI-enabled traffic camera along with a ‘Keep Left’ sign could be installed until expert road safety consultants are brought in to suggest a permanent solution.
Gregory E D’Souza, Siolim
