Bhagalpur: The problem of traffic jam in the city is now becoming an everyday problem. The width of many major roads of the city may be around 40 feet on paper, but on the ground, a large part of them is surrounded by encroachment, vehicles parked on the roadside, goods kept outside shops and street vendors. The result is that the road which was about 40 feet wide has been reduced to just about 15 feet at many places. Due to less available road space, traffic gets affected even when two vehicles come face to face. The situation becomes more serious in the busy areas of the market, where vehicles of people coming to shop are parked on the roadside and within no time long traffic jams occur.
The problem of parking in Bhagalpur is not new. A large number of people reach the major markets and commercial areas of the city every day for shopping and other important purposes, but adequate and organized parking facilities are not available to park their vehicles. Under compulsion, people park bikes, scooters and cars on the roadside. With goods parked outside shops on one side and vehicles parked on the other, a large part of the road becomes unusable. After this, there is so little space left for vehicles plying on the road that even normal traffic starts getting jammed.
The biggest problem occurs during busy times. Traffic pressure increases in the morning while going to office and school. After this, the crowd of people shopping in the market increases in the afternoon. The situation becomes worse as the evening approaches. People returning from offices, customers reaching the market, e-rickshaws, autos, bikes and four-wheelers try to make space on the same road. In such a situation, if one vehicle stops for a while, a queue of vehicles forms behind it. At times a disruption of a few minutes turns into a jam lasting half an hour or more.
City residents say that the biggest reason for the jam is not only the increasing number of vehicles, but also the non-use of the available road properly. If the entire width of the road is available for traffic, the vehicular pressure can be managed to a great extent. But due to roadside encroachment and illegal parking, even a wide road starts looking like a narrow lane. At many places, after vehicles are parked on both sides of the road, only enough space is left in the middle so that the vehicles can pass slowly.
The condition of footpaths is also affecting the traffic system. Where there should be space for pedestrians, shop goods, carts, temporary shops and other items are kept at many places. Due to this, pedestrians have to walk on the road. When pedestrians and vehicles move in the same section, traffic speed is affected. Besides, the risk of accident also increases. This problem is more visible in the market area because the number of people shopping is also more.
To provide relief from traffic jam in the city, parking system has been considered necessary for a long time. Despite this, sufficient parking spaces have not been prepared. The direct effect of lack of parking system is visible on the main roads. Customers want to park their vehicles near the shops and shopkeepers also have their own vehicles parked on the roadside. At many places, vehicles carrying goods also get parked on the road during busy times. This leads to complete blockage of the road for some time.
On the other hand, the proposed ‘Khau Gali’ plan to organize the street food business in the city has also not yet come to fruition as was expected. At many places in the city, food stalls and shops are set up on the roadside. Crowds of customers gather at these places in the evening. People park their vehicles on the roadside and start eating and drinking. This creates additional pressure on the already narrow road. If a designated and organized space is available for street food vendors, then the crowd of roadside stalls and customers can be controlled.
The concept of ‘Khau Gali’ is not limited to just providing space to street food businesses. Through this, small shopkeepers and street vendors of the city can get organized space. If there is provision for seating space, cleanliness, electricity, water, waste management and parking, then it can also become a better public place for the city. This will bring together the scattered street food businesses on the roadside and reduce the pressure of vehicles and pedestrians on the main roads. But until this scheme is fully implemented on the ground, the problem of traffic disruption due to roadside business is likely to persist.
Traffic jam in Bhagalpur is also affecting the daily routine of common people. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to cover a short distance. People are not able to reach office on time or for important work. Students and patients also face problems. Due to vehicles stuck in jam, fuel consumption increases and people’s time is also wasted. It is natural for the stress among drivers to increase due to continuous traffic jams.
The most worrying thing is that the problem of traffic jam is not limited to certain times or one or two roads. With the increase in traffic pressure in different parts of the city, the problem of jam has started appearing. After a jam on a road, drivers turn to alternative routes and the pressure of vehicles increases there too. In this way, the traffic problem of one place gradually starts affecting other areas also.
City residents say that mere deployment of traffic police cannot provide a permanent solution to the problem. Policemen can control the traffic by standing on the road, but if a large part of the road is taken over by parking and encroachment then it becomes difficult for them to keep the traffic flowing smoothly. For this, Municipal Corporation, District Administration and Traffic Police will have to work together. Along with restoring the actual width of the road, it is necessary to make alternative arrangements for parking.
Action to remove encroachment should also be continuous. Often the road is vacated during the campaign, but after some time the shop goods start coming on the road again or the vehicles start parking at the same place. This does not lead to permanent improvement. People say that after vacating the road, if regular monitoring is done to ensure that there is no encroachment again, then the situation can be much better.
Along with systematic parking, no-parking zones also need to be clarified. Large and clear signs should be posted where parking is not permitted. People should be aware of where vehicles can be parked and where not. If regular action is taken against those who violate rules, the habit of parking vehicles on the roadside can also be controlled.
Along with this, it is also important to pay attention to the arrangements for loading and unloading in market areas. Vehicles delivering goods to shops sometimes stop on the road during busy times of the day. It takes a few minutes to unload the luggage, but during that time there is a queue of vehicles behind. If fixed timings are fixed for bringing and carrying goods to the markets, then this additional pressure on traffic can be reduced.
Designated stands are also needed for e-rickshaws and autos. At many places, drivers stop their vehicles in the middle or on the side of the road in the hope of finding passengers. Vehicles coming from behind have to change their way. If there are designated spaces for such vehicles and they are followed, then traffic flow can be better. Organizing the public transport system is also an important part of the traffic management of the city.
City traders also have an important role in this. If shopkeepers do not keep their goods outside the road limit and encourage customers to go towards the designated parking instead of parking their vehicles on the road, then the problem can be reduced significantly. Similarly, customers will also have to develop the habit of walking short distances. The tendency to park vehicles right in front of every shop further narrows the market roads.
The number of vehicles on the roads of Bhagalpur is likely to increase further in the coming times. In such a situation, ignoring the current problem can cause bigger problems in the future. With the development of the city, it is necessary to develop the transport system at the same pace. Along with widening the road, separate arrangements will have to be made for parking, footpath, street vending and public transport.
The residents of the city demand that work should be started soon at the places where parking scheme is proposed. Along with this, the plan of ‘Khau Gali’ should not be limited to mere proposal. If both these schemes are implemented in a timely manner, then the increasing pressure on the roads in many parts of the city can be reduced. People say that the problem is obvious and its solution is also clear, all that is needed is to put the plans on the ground.
Today the situation is that a large part of the 40 feet wide road is not in use. Due to encroachment and parking of vehicles on both sides of the road, only about 15 feet of path is left at many places. It is not easy to control the increasing traffic in such a small space. The vehicle coming from one side stops to give space to the vehicle coming from the other side and from there the traffic jam starts. Within a short time, the number of vehicles behind starts increasing and the jam spreads for several hundred meters.
City residents now need permanent solutions, not temporary action. Only when the road width is restored, there is separate space for parking, footpaths remain vacant for pedestrians, street food vendors get designated space and stands are fixed for e-rickshaws and autos, only then will real change be seen in the traffic system. If all these aspects are worked together, then there can be a lot of relief from the daily traffic jams in Bhagalpur.
At present, there is pressure on the main roads of the city due to schemes like parking and ‘Khau Gali’ not being fully implemented. Encroachment and haphazard parking have worsened the problem. In such a situation, the city residents are hoping that the Municipal Corporation and the administration will take concrete steps soon. People are demanding that along with making the roads free from encroachment, permanent parking arrangements should be made and street food businesses should also be given organized space. Only then will the roads of the city be able to be used again in their original width and Bhagalpur will be able to get out of the situation of shrinking the 40 feet roads to 15 feet.