National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

No Light Matter

The new glitzy traffic lights improve the flow but are still far from perfect

By NIRAJ POUDYAL

Traffic jams and road accidents have become a major characteristic of life in Kathmandu. Each day, news of injuries and casualties are recorded. No one knows when he or she will get caught in a traffic jam and run late for errands and appointments.

Narrow lanes, dilapidated streets and traffic congestion are the hallmarks of the city's thoroughfares. The problem is compounded by the lack of traffic knowledge in the public as well as traffic officers. While the high flow of vehicles has worsened road risks, lack of scientifically prepared crossroads and intersections has deepened traffic jams.

Traffic intersection in Kalimati : Easing off the jams

The Japanese government has been assisting Nepal to get over the snarl by improving 10 major intersections of the capital city. Under the Intersection Improvement Project, improved footpaths will be constructed and technologically developed traffic lights will be installed in the 10 busiest roundabouts of the city, including Koteshwor, Tinkune, Kalimati, Kalanki, Putali Sadak, Singha Durbar, Maitighar and Baneshwor.

These places are also where most of the accidents occur. There were very few traditional traffic lights in places like Singha Durbar and Putali Sadak. They were efficient neither from the point of view of public safety nor in terms of controlling traffic jams. The only advanced traffic system was at Thapathali.

Use of sophisticated technology demands a lot of knowledge. Moreover, construction of such infrastructure in a city like Kathmandu, where the roads are built in a traditional manner and have turns every hundred meters, is not easy.

"The improvement of the road and introduction of the new traffic lights will help to reduce road accidents in Kathmandu and maintain smooth vehicle flow," says Sunil Poudyal, an engineer with the Department of Road.

As the construction work is nearing completion, both bad and good results have appeared. On the positive side, road accidents at places where the new system has begun functioning have drastically fallen and the flow of vehicles has improved. These works have helped to restore beauty and order in the city.

However, the arrangement has also brought to the surface a few problems, the main one being insufficient knowledge on using the system. People are quite confused about the rules. Drivers and traffic officers also seem to be confused. One reason for the quandary is that so many traffic lights have been installed within short distances.

Some drivers and passengers believe the new system has further increased traffic jams and the speed of the vehicles. Ram Shrestha has been driving the bus for 10 years along the Ratna Park-Bhaktapur route. "The system is more advanced than what we really need," he says. "This cannot solve our problem of slow speed. Improving the intersections alone cannot solve our problems."

Traffic officials, however, disagree. They say the new traffic system was implemented after thorough research. "In fact, after the installation of new traffic lights and development of major intersections, the traffic situation has greatly improved," says Sudeep Acharya, deputy superintendent of police at the Valley Traffic Police Office.

Some traffic experts say real results can only be seen after the entire work is completed. To some extent, they seem to be right. More effective educational programs for the public and training for traffic officers and drivers are vital to ensuring full order on the roads.