It’s a nightmare for someone who plans to travel to thecoastal belt during the weekend and peak tourist season.
Traffic snarls is the order of the day on most of the roadsleading to the famous beaches in North Goa.
At weekends and during the peak tourist season the roadsfrom Calangute to Sinquerim or Baga and from Arpora to Anjuna or Vagator arechockablock with vehicles.
A journey that can be covered within 15 to 20 minutes, attimes take almost an hour or even longer. Even a minor accident can throw thewhole traffic out of gear.
During the Christmas and New Year there is bumper to bumpertraffic on roads leading to Calangute, Baga and Sinquerim. Narrow roads whichhave no scope to widen are major causes for traffic jams.
Five years ago Calangute Panchayat had proposed to set up atraffic cell in Calangute, but nothing happened.
“Traffic cops aremore interested in issuing challans to tourists than managing traffic,” adistraught former sarpanch and present panch of Calangute panchayat JosephSequeira said.
To ease traffic problems in Calangute the panchayat hasproposed a bypass road from Agarwaddo to Baga, Sequeira disclosed.
“We have moved several proposals to solve the trafficproblem. We are in the process of acquiring more land in Calangute and alsoextend parking area in Candolim. A new bypass road is also proposed fromAgarwaddo to Baga,” said present Calangute MLA, Michael Lobo.
He further added that the existing road from Calangute toSinquerim would be widened by at least by 3 meters, which will includedemolition of few compound walls.
There is no scope for widening of roads in Candolim asstructures exist on both sides of the road. “Private buses are the mainculprits for traffic jams, as they halt wherever they want,” Fermino Fernandes,panch member of Candolim Panchayat said.
According to SP traffic, Vishram Borkar government hassanctioned two traffic cells in coastal belt of Bardez -- Calangute and Anjuna.“We are in the process of recruiting personnel,” he added.
