Friday, 27 October 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Rising traffic congestion has become an inescapable condition in Dehradun. The commuters are expected to suffer more in the upcoming days due to the festive season, ongoing Smart City works, VIP movement and upcoming investors summit. Locals have been complaining consistently about traffic issues caused by Smart City project works and improper parking outside schools and other establishments, among others. Severe traffic congestion can also be observed during peak hours like school and office timings.
The city’s major chowks get congested during peak hours which worsens on weekends due to tourist arrivals from nearby cities and states. The ongoing wedding season has also worsened weekday traffic jams in many areas. The city has about 200 wedding venues but most of them have inadequate parking spaces. Due to this, the guests in the weddings park their vehicles outside the venues that cover a significant portion of the road for at least two to three hours. Recently, the police found out that about 45 wedding points in the Haridwar Road and Rispana area cause severe traffic jams due to inadequate parking in these venues.
The traffic situation is going to get severe with time as the wedding season has just started. Also, many VIPs and VVIPs are expected to arrive in Dehradun in the next few weeks which will also affect traffic on various roads. On the question of the police’s planning to tackle traffic associated grievances of commuters, the senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said that he has directed the traffic police to make proper traffic plans to ensure minimal inconvenience to locals during VIP movement. Besides this, the police are working to act against wedding venues with insufficient parking space.
He said that the police are considering various plans that can potentially minimise traffic congestion on roads like the implementation of an odd-even system on weekends. “We are making plans to improve traffic management in Dehradun. The issue of improper parking outside schools has been resolved in some areas to a certain extent. We will also approach departments concerned to address issues that affect traffic on major roads,” said the SSP.
