Blame it on the lack of mass transport, greed or perhaps a combination of many factors, but in terms of the number of vehicles per household, Goa is possibly one of the top five in that table. In a simple family of four, for instance, both the parents will have cars and there’s a possibility of a bike or two there for the children.
What this leads to is congestion on the roads. On one hand the government is widening roads to accommodate the existing vehicular population and on the other side, the number of cars and bikes is going up tremendously. There are over 10 lakh vehicles registered in Goa right now. The ratio of bikes to cars is nearly 5:1, and since bikers are the more accident prone than drivers, one can only imagine the state of the roads now.
So what can be done? The government has started installing signals in Porvorim for now, and this will serve as a template for many other places in Goa. It’s working so far, but just because people are following traffic signals, doesn’t mean they’re following all the rules and not indulging in rash and negligent driving. Look at some of the stretches in Porvorim, the Ribandar causeway, the highway at Verna and so many other places in Goa. Recently, a biker was killed when a car swerved into his path in Canacona. Anything can happen.
The government needs to introspect, conduct surveys and do more to ensure that Goan roads are safer than before. Just introducing alcometers or check points are not really solutions.
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The installation of new signals at major junctions throughout Goa makes a huge difference to daily commuters and traffic woes. What is really sad is the condition and delay in the hotmixing of almost all major roads within the north coast area. It's utter chaos for locals as well as tourists trying to escape a pothole but ending up being knocked down by another vehicle in a similar situation. If the government actually care for the safety of our people they should act immediately and do up the roads instead of waiting for brownie points just before the elections.
Saby Fernandes, musician
The driving style on our roads depicts a rat race, people are generally impatient and it seems like a birthright to keep pressing the horn. Zebra crossings are also not respected and crossing one is like the survival of the fittest. The mentality to wear helmets here is so that fines are avoided rather than one's own safety. We need strict fines and heavy penalties on rash riding. Traffic police presence also has to be felt on the road 24/7. Traffic police also should be very strict with enforcement.
Rhys Mascarenhas, player agent
