Source: Emailed by Sanabam Bhagat
Dear Sir,
There are frequent traffic jams in most important traffic points, such as the ones near Head Post Office, Nityaibai Chuthek, West Kangla Gate, Keisampat Jn., PWD Head Office, Khoyathong, North AOC and Chingmeirong Khongnang Ani Karak. But the severest of all is happening at Nityaibai Chuthek and West Kangla gate as all the highways of Manipur passes through these traffic points.
Adding to the already congested traffic is the unserviceable roads at western side of Naga Nullahs due to heavy clearance and construction works currently in progress.
Besides, the big outdated traffic islands at Nityaibai Chuthek and Western Gate of Kangla is the culprit for the most severe traffic congestion at Imphal which also baffled the traffic lights system installed there. As a result no traffic lights signal installed there could be used to control the traffic at such places. The designer of the system might not have thought of encountering such a traffic system created by Manipur. Nowhere; at least in major Indian cities do we find such traffic islands at traffic congestion junctions, the idea which everybody knows except the govt.
Isn’t it time to bulldoze the two big traffic islands and restore smooth traffic or wait, torture and waste extra oil for more time till people are accustomed to it and start to live with it without any complaint as usual.
An excellent and the only example of easing traffic and successful use of traffic lights is there at near post office, because there is no traffic islands there. The one at Keisampat could also work well if the Naga Nullah roads are wide enough which is currently under construction. Of course traffic lights are yet to be installed there.
Let good sense prevail with the govt.and help cure traffic congestion at the heart of the Imphal city which normally shouldn’t have happened if those two traffic islands which serves more for a cosmetic than purposeful ones are removed for the welfare of the commuters which include ministers as well.
With Regards,
Sanabam Bhagat, Email: sanabam_meitei@yahoo.com
traffic congestion cannot be attributed alone to driving behavior and volume of vehicles registered, but it also depends on the infrastructure, sensitizing general public, strict enforcement in a transparent manner for smooth flow of traffic. the initiative has to be born by the people who are in planning, designing and enforcing traffic management measures, unless these people are sensible enough to chalk out measures with with long term vision rather than short term vision.