Recently there has been a huge hue and cry about the traffic problems faced in Nagaland. In my humble opinion it is a boon for us as we have come to a saturation point where each and everyone of us know that something has to be done about it and I guess we are all ready to do our part and let me tell you, millions of people around the world deal with traffic congestion on a daily basis and is not something new or is happening only in Nagaland.
We always see that more talks and no work is being done in this regard. Authorities are acting on their own whims. Ill-advised plans for landing countless vehicles on the road; countless schools, colleges and varsities almost in every nook and corner and failure to introduce mass transport system, together with lawlessness on the roads have made traffic intolerable in Dimapur.
The roadways leading into and out of town can become gridlocked due to number of reasons like an accident, road construction or simply a high number of cars on the road. There are two main causes to traffic congestion... Recurring and Non-recurring.
The recurring cause to traffic congestion is due to (1) Insufficient road capacity, (2) Unrestrained demand, and (3) Ineffective management of capacity. Too many vehicles piling up on the same roads where there isn't enough room for everyone.
Non-recurrent events are, (1) Accidents, disabled vehicles and double parking, that cause restriction of roadway capacity. (2) Weather also reduces road capacities leading to slow driving restricting traffic flow. (3) Road Work such as repairs, install pipes and cables usually results in reduced lane capacity slowing traffic. (4)Other Causes Less common but significant causes of traffic jams are by natural disasters like land slides, special events, and emergencies and not forgetting our VIP motorcades.
Traffic congestion can have a number of adverse effects the people, environment, health and the economy. Pollution is one of the most harmful effects of traffic congestion leading to poor air quality resulting in smog and increased respiratory problems. Economically it impact commuters who encounters traffic congestion as it delays them for work or appointments besides burning up more fuel, resulting in loss of productivity. Drivers who become impatient are likely to develop road rage making them drive aggressively and dangerously. This contributes to poor health for those affected by the stress and puts other drivers in danger. Road rage also increases the danger posed to emergency workers or construction people who are working on the road.
So how do we go about in lightening this problem? Here are some humble suggestions.
The first and foremost is about the education of traffic rules and regulations. I realized that we are never formally taught any traffic rules in our lives. Whatever we learn is from our parent/ elder from whom we learned to drive. Recently I saw an ad in the newspaper of a driving school in Dimapur; I sincerely think that at least the people learning to drive from the driving school are being taught the rules. I definitely hope so! (I think that the Government of Nagaland should felicitate such undertakings at least in all major towns of Nagaland to interested entrepreneurs). And how many people actually study traffic rules because I have never come across driving license exam in Nagaland. Thus, since we don’t know the rules properly because we never learned them, we end up doing what other morons do on the roads.
I believe that if there is a proper format of driving education in place, we should see some improvement, also making traffic education a subject in schools and colleges would help. Hold sessions and seminars in offices and road plays/act/dramas with the help of some NGOs to educate people on driving dos and don’ts. It is not very difficult... If each one of us decides to convert at least one person into a sensible driver, we would have done our duty.
I feel that the government must make the laws stringent and improve the infrastructure of roads and parking places. They should also check the traffic policemen too as the police officials are always hell bent on ripping our pockets. Policemen taking bribes is a criminal offence and so action against them, if found guilty, should be punished. Yet, It is not possible for the police alone to improve the traffic situation. Everybody should come forward to cooperate with the police.
I think the work is more of municipal government rather than police department to improve current condition of traffic. If they can somehow lessen the numbers of auto-rickshaws operating in Dimapur and introduce better mass transportation (not in the main town i.e., Nyamo Lotha Road and Circular road), it can bring some relief to congestion.
CCTVs should be adopted to monitor traffic but again, CCTVs alone would not solve the problem, but the cameras will capture not only the vehicles breaking rules but also the policemen deployed at the spots. When there is strict traffic monitoring there surely will be an increase in awareness.
Also high parking taxes in commercial areas at peak hours as a means to easing traffic congestion could be more widely implemented like in other cities, But this can be achieved only after employing enough man-power to mange it as we Nagas tend to think that paying parking taxes is wrong as till now it is the only thing that is not taxed besides commercial vehicles, in Nagaland.
Media is one of the most viable means of creating awareness among the citizens. Media organizations and media persons should make people aware of the imperative of maintaining the traffic rules through Local TV channels, Newspaper, Radios and also the municipal government can spread awareness through poster, banner and billboard campaigns.
People of all walks of life should be careful and to abide by the traffic rules... it is ultimately you and I who should be responsible in bringing change. Here are some basic traffic etiquettes.
(1) Obey Traffic rules.
(2) Always drive within permissible speed limits and follow lane discipline.
(3) At night drive on a low beam. Never drive on upper beams unless on dark highways and empty roads.
(4) Don’t park anywhere as if it is your driveway. Park at proper designated parking places and avoid double parking in streets.
(5) Have common courtesy to let the traveler with the heavier load to be given the right of way.
(6) Do not use Horns unnecessarily... it is considered rude to do so.
We always see that more talks and no work is being done in this regard. Authorities are acting on their own whims. Ill-advised plans for landing countless vehicles on the road; countless schools, colleges and varsities almost in every nook and corner and failure to introduce mass transport system, together with lawlessness on the roads have made traffic intolerable in Dimapur.
The roadways leading into and out of town can become gridlocked due to number of reasons like an accident, road construction or simply a high number of cars on the road. There are two main causes to traffic congestion... Recurring and Non-recurring.
The recurring cause to traffic congestion is due to (1) Insufficient road capacity, (2) Unrestrained demand, and (3) Ineffective management of capacity. Too many vehicles piling up on the same roads where there isn't enough room for everyone.
Non-recurrent events are, (1) Accidents, disabled vehicles and double parking, that cause restriction of roadway capacity. (2) Weather also reduces road capacities leading to slow driving restricting traffic flow. (3) Road Work such as repairs, install pipes and cables usually results in reduced lane capacity slowing traffic. (4)Other Causes Less common but significant causes of traffic jams are by natural disasters like land slides, special events, and emergencies and not forgetting our VIP motorcades.
Traffic congestion can have a number of adverse effects the people, environment, health and the economy. Pollution is one of the most harmful effects of traffic congestion leading to poor air quality resulting in smog and increased respiratory problems. Economically it impact commuters who encounters traffic congestion as it delays them for work or appointments besides burning up more fuel, resulting in loss of productivity. Drivers who become impatient are likely to develop road rage making them drive aggressively and dangerously. This contributes to poor health for those affected by the stress and puts other drivers in danger. Road rage also increases the danger posed to emergency workers or construction people who are working on the road.
So how do we go about in lightening this problem? Here are some humble suggestions.
The first and foremost is about the education of traffic rules and regulations. I realized that we are never formally taught any traffic rules in our lives. Whatever we learn is from our parent/ elder from whom we learned to drive. Recently I saw an ad in the newspaper of a driving school in Dimapur; I sincerely think that at least the people learning to drive from the driving school are being taught the rules. I definitely hope so! (I think that the Government of Nagaland should felicitate such undertakings at least in all major towns of Nagaland to interested entrepreneurs). And how many people actually study traffic rules because I have never come across driving license exam in Nagaland. Thus, since we don’t know the rules properly because we never learned them, we end up doing what other morons do on the roads.
I believe that if there is a proper format of driving education in place, we should see some improvement, also making traffic education a subject in schools and colleges would help. Hold sessions and seminars in offices and road plays/act/dramas with the help of some NGOs to educate people on driving dos and don’ts. It is not very difficult... If each one of us decides to convert at least one person into a sensible driver, we would have done our duty.
I feel that the government must make the laws stringent and improve the infrastructure of roads and parking places. They should also check the traffic policemen too as the police officials are always hell bent on ripping our pockets. Policemen taking bribes is a criminal offence and so action against them, if found guilty, should be punished. Yet, It is not possible for the police alone to improve the traffic situation. Everybody should come forward to cooperate with the police.
I think the work is more of municipal government rather than police department to improve current condition of traffic. If they can somehow lessen the numbers of auto-rickshaws operating in Dimapur and introduce better mass transportation (not in the main town i.e., Nyamo Lotha Road and Circular road), it can bring some relief to congestion.
CCTVs should be adopted to monitor traffic but again, CCTVs alone would not solve the problem, but the cameras will capture not only the vehicles breaking rules but also the policemen deployed at the spots. When there is strict traffic monitoring there surely will be an increase in awareness.
Also high parking taxes in commercial areas at peak hours as a means to easing traffic congestion could be more widely implemented like in other cities, But this can be achieved only after employing enough man-power to mange it as we Nagas tend to think that paying parking taxes is wrong as till now it is the only thing that is not taxed besides commercial vehicles, in Nagaland.
Media is one of the most viable means of creating awareness among the citizens. Media organizations and media persons should make people aware of the imperative of maintaining the traffic rules through Local TV channels, Newspaper, Radios and also the municipal government can spread awareness through poster, banner and billboard campaigns.
People of all walks of life should be careful and to abide by the traffic rules... it is ultimately you and I who should be responsible in bringing change. Here are some basic traffic etiquettes.
(1) Obey Traffic rules.
(2) Always drive within permissible speed limits and follow lane discipline.
(3) At night drive on a low beam. Never drive on upper beams unless on dark highways and empty roads.
(4) Don’t park anywhere as if it is your driveway. Park at proper designated parking places and avoid double parking in streets.
(5) Have common courtesy to let the traveler with the heavier load to be given the right of way.
(6) Do not use Horns unnecessarily... it is considered rude to do so.
