Weekend Traffic or Daily Affair?

Shimla, Oct 31, Himachal Tonite Story

Call it weekend traffic but the local residents of the city know that long vehicle queue has become a daily affair. Shimla, a town that was never build to host a large population, is now bursting out of its seams.

Especially with the increase in the floating population, roads are getting choked with traffic on one hand whereas on the other, due to increased bus fare and COVID threat even the local people have opted for their personal car contributing towards frequent jams.

“I realized when it comes to buses again there is no guarantee of getting a seat on the bus, and no one can say who will sit next to me so it is better to go in my own car. Local transportation is no longer the economical mode these days either so, why the risk for few bucks”, says Pooja, an employee in a private office.

On the other hand Vipin Kumar a local resident shared, “During the lockdown, there was no public transport so we were forced to use our own means. Now many people have purchased their own cars and no one is willing to take a bus may that be as a precaution or on the contrary thinking that one has to wait in jam so why not one’s own car?”

As shared by Sanjay Chauhan, Shimla district secretary CPIM, “The present government is contributing towards the traffic issues personally by stopping bus services on a number of routes. The hiked buses fare has forced people to look for their personal transport facility due to low-quality service. Public transport should be affordable if the government wants to keep roads and air free of traffic and pollution.”

The city is a Zone IV (High Damage Risk Zone) per the Earthquake hazard zoning of India. Weak construction techniques and an increasing population pose a serious threat to the already earthquake-prone region. Against the fact, the ambitious smart city plans that are not considered feasible by many too might add to the burden.