SHILLONG: A brainstorming session on the ‘Burgeoning traffic congestion in Shillong’ was conducted at IIM Shillong on Friday where all stakeholders not only listed the problems but also tried to find out solutions.
The session opened with East Khasi Hills SP Davis NR Marak highlighting issues such as the increase in the number of vehicles in the city over the past few years and lack of planned parking spaces. Marak also laid emphasis on shortage of traffic personnel.
The police department suggested short-term solutions such as better on-street parking management, pavement markings, traffic signage, increase in the number of traffic marshals, renovation of pedestrian footpaths, car pooling, rationalisation of taxi stands and regulation of taxi permits.
Long-term solutions included improvement of intersections through circular roads, provision of school and college buses, construction of bus bays and taxi bays, hiring traffic consultants, construction of public walking ramps and issue of e-challan, which can be developed by NIC.
Inspired by the policy implemented in London, the idea of congestion pricing was also introduced wherein a person can be charged extra for driving or parking during peak hours which would reduce the number of active vehicles on the road.
During the discussion, traffic snarl during school hours was also raised.
Regarding public transport, it was pointed out that all SPTS (Shillong Public Transport Service) buses take the common route which adds to the congestion problem. The police department expressed the need for a traffic engineer/consultant to come up with alternate solutions.
The session even saw participation from the local cab drivers who expressed their concerns as well. There were talks on the easy permit of license and increase in the number of taxi stands owing to growth in tourist footfall.
To settle the licensing issue, a suggestion was made to introduce a booklet with all the rules and regulations that a candidate has to go through apart from basic driving test in order to obtain a driving licence.
People were encouraged to prefer two-wheelers and public transport to private four-wheeled vehicles.
Once all the suggestions and recommendations were made, a noteworthy point was made on policy implementation and authority.
With respect to authority, it was debated as to who would spearhead the plan consisting of these new initiative and after considerable contention, it was presumed that the ministry of transport along with the urban department can implement the proposed measures.
“Moreover, the entire implementation cannot be a success with the help of authorities alone but needs thorough cooperation from public”, one of the stakeholders pointed out.
Keya Sengupta, Director in charge, IIM Shillong concluded the discussion by expressing her gratitude towards the speakers.
It is expected that more follow-up conferences will be held in the coming time to track the progress on this initiative.
The programme was organised by IIM Shillong’s Centre for Development of Northeastern Region and was attended by principals and representatives from educational institutions, retired government officials, citizens, representatives amongst commercial vehicle drivers, media fraternity, and the police department of Meghalaya.
