Olivia Lyngdoh Mawlong & Willie Gordon Suting walk around the city to
witness chaos on roads & Shillongites’ eternal wait for relief from traffic pangs
A gentleman, an old resident of Shillong, once said while describing the traffic in the city, “I wrote a poem in 12 couplets. There was no sound of engine roaring and I knew I would not get so much time again.”
Not many have the sangfroid to consider the daily torture as poetic justice to the residents and so head constable of Laban Traffic Branch Deepak Pradhan describes it as, “A nightmare.”
Welcome to Shillong, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s tourism dream, and he still believes it is.
The congestion on roads in any part of the city at any hour of the day is a nightmarish experience not only for locals but also for visitors. The chaos that starts in the beginning of the school hours continues throughout the day with intermittent reliefs.
Even on Sundays, locals have a harrowing time because of tourist influx from neighbouring Assam. Clogged thoroughfares lead to spill-over effect on link roads and bylanes.
The reasons for such grid-locking are manifold. If poor urban planning and the Government departments’ inept handling of the chaos are on the top of the list, then citizens’ reluctance to follow traffic rules and lack of responsibility can be counted among the major reasons.
Pressure on roads
As urbanisation crept into the once quiet hill city, people here adopted an uber lifestyle. The trend of owning multiple cars, a lifestyle on a par with big cities, saw an upward swing. The total number of vehicles, both commercial and private, on city roads has seen an increase of over 12 percent since 2015.
The Government has, however, remained unfazed by the growing pressure on the limited roads. No attempt to check registration of private cars has been made.
“How can we stop someone from buying cars? There has to be legislation,” says a senior official in the Transport Department.
City Traffic SP Kyntiew K Syiem says in India, one can buy as many cars as he wishes to as there are no regulations on this and “this is one factor that is choking roads”.
He admits that with such a sea of vehicles on the road, it is difficult to manage with the existing manpower.
“People should avoid taking vehicles when going to a nearby place and walk instead. It will not only improve health but also ease traffic,” says Syiem.
School rush
Syiem’s advice to walk to school cannot be rejected as an irrational remark, especially when schools have become a major cause for creating traffic snarls.
Most of the parents take their children to school in private vehicles, either on two-wheelers or in four-wheelers, as there are not many government or private buses for school goers. During the peak hours of the day, taxi drivers also act pricey and often refuse to take passengers.
“There is not enough public transport and how long can you wait for a taxi on your way to school, especially during exams,” says a parent whose daughter studies in a reputed city school. This practical problem prompted her to buy a two-wheeler only to add one more car to the chock-a-bloc road.
Now, she has to get out of the house early to compensate for the long wait in the traffic.
Another parent, the father of a nine-year-old whose school is in Laitumkhrah, says he drops the child to school and parks his car nearby. He takes a taxi back home. “The reason why I do is that I will not get space later when I come to pick him up,” he says helplessly.
This is a genuine problem but on the flip side it is one more blockade for pedestrians trying to squeeze through the vehicles.
The stretch from Barik Point to Laitumkhrah and further down Nongthymmai, which has many renowned schools, remain blocked round the clock. The linking roads near Pine Mount School are among the pedestrian-unfriendly ones in the city. The parked cars during school hours make the narrow road narrower.
The school, which has 1900 students, does not have buses but encourages students to walk, says Principal Aiom Ksiar Diengdoh. This has boomeranged leading to traffic travails.
Diengdoh says some parents have suggested that parking space be allowed in the school’s driveway and field. “But the driveway becomes narrow if cars are parked on both sides. Hence it is unsafe for little children. The field is for children to play,” she adds.
The principal admits that many students often reach late because of traffic.
Most of the schools in the city do not have buses. Some, like St Anthony’s School, do not use the buses because of traffic.
MUDA’s Raj Sohkhlet says the Government should ask schools to provide buses and there should be restrictions on buying cars.
Loreto Convent has parking space only for teachers but is in the process of constructing a parking area near Christ King College.
The stretch from Don Bosco Square to St Margaret’s School on Upland Road is another congested stretch. Sister Marina Thomas, principal of St Margaret’s, says the school has approached the departments concerned but every time the reply is “wait” or “we are studying the issue”.
The Transport Department official says the Urban Affairs Department can provide small school buses which are easy to ply and convenient to park.
Urban Affairs Minister Ronnie V. Lyngdoh says the Government too is encouraging students to go in buses and stresses on making school buses compulsory. “In fact we have given two school buses in Nongpoh. In Shillong, if schools approach us we will definitely look into the matter and convene a meeting with heads of institutes,” says the minister.
Public property
There is also no rule to force citizens to build garage before planning to buy cars. This is the reason why many irresponsible residents treat public space as their private property and park their cars without any qualms.
Planning officer Sohkhlet says according to the bylaws, if a commercial building has 50 sq km built-up area, it should have space for one car and for residential space, it is 100 sq km.
“There have been positive changes in some localities like Laitumkhrah where many buildings are coming up to provide parking to people, for example in Poinisuk Hotel and two near Nazareth Hospital,” he adds.
However, MUDA and DTO do not co-ordinate to chalk out a plan to stop careless parking of private vehicles. The Transport Department says it is the responsibility of the urban body to check whether a building plan has a garage space and “we cannot do anything unless a directive in this regard comes from the Government”.
The city also lacks parking areas, government or private, as land acquisition remains a perpetual problem.
Vast defence land in the city, like the one near Rilbong and Crowborough Hotel, can be turned into parking areas but it is again up to the Government to decide, says the MUDA official and points out the necessity to review these points in its Smart City proposals and New Master Plan. “Also, the land behind Shani Mandir on Butcher Road and that opposite Anjalee petrol pump can be developed into large parking spaces and the Government should look into the matter,” says Sohkhlet.
SP Syiem says traffic patrol teams move around the city and take prompt action against erring drivers for illegal parking.
Nonetheless, rule violators continue to cause inconvenience in the city.
The army restricts movement of civilians on the stretch from Anjalee Complex to Butcher Road, the footpath from Pine Walk Area to Butcher Road (near Bawri Netralaya) and the footpath from Pine Walk Area to Police Bazar, making it worse for commuters, especially pedestrians.
A taxi driver who plies in the Laitumkhrah area says driving in Shillong is a stressful job. “Roads are blocked all the time. How many trips do we get to have a day? It affects our earning,” he complains standing in the serpentine queue of vehicles.
Shillong’s desire to keep pace with big cities has been restricted by its lack of infrastructure. Limited road links and narrow thoroughfares choke the growth process. “Widening of roads while ensuring safety and decongestion is impossible as there is space constraint everywhere, but I feel new commercial hubs need to be introduced,” says East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner PS Dkhar.
Killer roads
With increase in vehicles, the number of accidents has also risen. Young and reckless drivers add to the woes of the public as well as the traffic police. Recently, a teenage driver without a licence mowed down four pedestrians at Nongthymmai.
Drunken driving is another menace that refuses to die down despite prosecutions and stringent penalty like cancelling of licence for six months.
The traffic SP says the main junctions in the city are under surveillance and any case of speeding or accident is recorded. On drunken driving, he says police use breath analysers to check rogue elements. “But it is not just the prerogative of the traffic department to control the chaos. We need planned roads and aware public,” he adds.
The Transport Department is contemplating introducing speed governors following a recent Supreme Court order. The devices will be attached to engines and in case of speeding, the engine will automatically shut off. The Government is also mulling speed limits but there is no time frame for laying down such regulations.
Tourism boom
The sizzling summer in the plains of Assam is driving hordes of tourists to Shillong in weekends. Cars from Assam visiting the outskirts pass through the city. There are no check posts to control the heavy flow of vehicles. The result is pandemonium and at the same time loss for local taxi drivers.
“Tourism should be allowed to grow as it is sign of prosperity for the State. But departments like MUDA, DTO and Traffic Police should look after more improvements in their respective roles,” says the East Khasi Hills DC.
Asked whether the Government is planning to put in place some mechanism to check the traffic flow, the Urban Affairs minister says the Government has proposed a bypass (west bypass) from Laitmawriang. The road project, which was earlier proposed to start from 5th Mile, has been realigned and survey for the same is in full swing. “Once that is ready, vehicles from Assam which are travelling to Cherapunjee need not enter the city. But land acquisition is the difficult step in the process,” Lyngdoh adds.
Untying the knots
Traffic jam was a lesser known word even 20 years ago and driving on Shillong roads was a pleasant experience. “We would drive freely and we felt blessed to live here. But today, with more population, buildings, shops and cars, the city has lost its charm,” rues septuagenarian singer Headingson Ryntathiang.
A senior transport official says plan to construct an inter-state bus terminus is in the anvil. “The plan is to push all big vehicles to Mawiong and taxis and small cars will bring people to the city. That way the congestion can be mitigated to a great extent,” he adds. The ISBT is likely by 2018.
Sohkhlet says if Iew Mawlong can be decentralised, then that will help in easing the area.
Dkhar seconds the idea. Motphran and Khyndailad bear the maximum brunt of traffic snarls and “if a new commercial hub is constructed in Mawiong or 7th Mile, it will help in dissipating the crowd and vehicles”, he points out. Besides, “I feel the traffic police should come out with a blueprint for movement of cars in certain busy roads of Shillong”, the DC adds.
There are no signals to guide drivers and with less manpower it is a daunting task for traffic guards to keep the city roads unclogged.
Laban traffic head constable Pradhan, who was awarded last year for his exemplary efforts to bring a method in the madness, says the situation was never like this. “Now there is wrong parking on small roads and people refuse to obey rules,” he says.
To make people aware of traffic rules and regulations, the Transport Department frequently conducts awareness programmes in schools, colleges and public forum. Schools are also trying to raise awareness in their capacity.
There should be proper embarkation and disembarkation points and commuters and drivers should be penalised from stopping anywhere on the road. People should be encouraged to buy small cars.
Syiem says more constables have been deployed near schools to ensure safety.
Pedestrians too should follow certain rules like following the zebra crossing and avoiding jaywalking.
Appreciating the good work of traffic constables, Pine Mount’s Diengdoh says they have done a commendable job in keeping the busy stretch safe for students.
“They are doing their level best,” says Dkhar.
But as Syiem says, “it is the consorted effort of all stakeholders to maintain discipline on the road”, it is time that even citizens share the burden of decongesting the city act responsibly so that the future generation can follow in their footsteps.
