“I can’t help it. Even when I leave as early as 9:30 in the morning, by the time I reach work it’s past 10:30,” says Pradhan who sometimes gets off the bus midway and walks for almost 45 minutes to reach her destination. “I figure that way I’ll at least reach earlier, even if not on time.”[break]
The traffic congestion is worsening day by day as hundreds of new vehicles are added to the city’s roads everyday, and if this continues, we have to start preparing ourselves to crawl at 5-10kmph during peak hours in the next five years when all the main roads of the city will be choc-a-bloc with vehicles moving at snail’s pace.
Roshani Tamrakar, 38, a primary level teacher, faces the traffic battle on a daily basis. “I have to sit around waiting for buses and tempos for additional time to reach my destination,” she says, adding that commuting to and from work almost always leaves her with a headache.
As per the records of the Transport Department, public transport vehicles registered in Kathmandu up to mid 2012 was 17,219 – 6,529 buses, 6,663 minibuses, 2,518 Tempos, and 1,509 micro vans – out of which 8,745 run in the city.
Right now, traffic in the city moves at a snail’s pace only and on gridlock stretches. But road space isn´t increasing at the same pace vehicles are, and very soon Kathmandu’s roads will become inadequate to handle the growing traffic volume.
More recently, multiple fingers are pointed at the road expansion campaign that has left heaps of sand, gravel and bricks piled high on the roadsides, forcing vehicles to maneuver their way around it, thus leading to traffic jams every so often.
Dr. Bhai Kaji Tiwari, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee, says, “Road expansion wasn’t necessary to ease the traffic congestion, and not much work is being done at present, and that has further led to traffic congestion. We’re waiting for orders from the concerned authorities to carry out the operation as planned.”
However, Sandeep Tuladhar, 41, a businessman, blames traffic officials for the traffic mismanagement in the city that contributes heavily to the worsening traffic situation.
“There are no set traffic rules, and the absence of traffic signals adds to the chaos. For this, only the traffic authorities are to be blamed as there is just no proper system and planning,” says Tuladhar.
Saurav KC, 25, a student and another regular commuter, says roadblocks are common during peak hours mostly because traffic police aren’t properly trained and don’t seem to know what they are doing.
“The way the traffic cops seem to be managing traffic at junctions is laughable. They look so panicked and walk about recklessly on the roads gesturing and waving frantically,” says KC. One can very easily relate to KC’s statement; at crossings, serpentine queues of vehicles waiting for the green signal of traffic cops or inspectors are a common sight.
“There is less rush during the day but the morning hours from 9-11 o’clock and the evening hours from 4-5 pm are the worst possible periods,” says Pradhan, adding that this is because there are more vehicles on the roads and traffic cops don’t know how to manage them all.
Traffic congestion and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for metropolitan transportation systems are frequently criticized for failing to make a dent in Kathmandu’s congestion.
Currently, during peak hours on roads, there are frequent and long traffic slowdowns or halts. The congestion problem is set to worsen, with a predicted 50% increase by 2020, focused primarily on urban areas.
“Unfortunately, decision-makers seem to promote and embrace only infrastructure expansion schemes that require a huge budget as solutions to the traffic woes. We can’t discount the fact that an increasing population and equally increasing number of vehicles will require more focus on public transportation and a much better planning,” adds Tiwari.
Parking of vehicles at no-parking zones is also quite common, adding to the congestion. The pavements around the capital are occupied by street vendors or parked motorbikes and bicycles; forcing the pedestrians to walk on the road. All in all, it is a chaotic situation and a situation that needs to be tackled right away.
“People need to be aware of traffic rules and the benefits of following them as well as use a little common sense. Otherwise, there will be no benefits, no matter how huge the roads become,” says Tiwari.
There is scope for public transport to help tackle congestion. Cycling and walking can also play more of a role, targeting schools and workplaces in particular, to reducing peak time traffic and making our cities cleaner, safer and centered around people – rather than vehicles.
What ails you in Kathmandu?
There are many things wrong with Kathmandu. There’s too much dust in the air, the water taps have run dry, and people have almost forgotten what electricity even means. Not to forget that Kathmandu falls under a zone of high seismic activity, and still there are buildings being constructed haphazardly. Keeping all this in mind, it’s not an exaggeration to say that soon it could be the most uninhabitable place in our country.
The Week talked to some Valley denizens to find out what ails them the most and what they think we could do about it.
Abhi Subedi
poet, playwright & essayist
The most worrisome thing about Kathmandu is the fact that buildings are being constructed in haphazard ways. We don’t have proper town planning and the roads are too narrow. So the government should impose proper rules regarding the way buildings are allowed to be constructed. We should keep in mind that Nepal is an earthquake-prone country and must plan accordingly while constructing buildings.
Another serious thing is that we have too many vehicles on the roads which I think aren’t fit to be running on the congested roads of Kathmandu. Either we should put heavy taxes on such vehicles or set a limit on the number of vehicles that should be allowed to enter the capital.
Apart from that, everybody talks about green Kathmandu but there are hardly any people who plant a bush in their own garden. So we need to promote clean and green Kathmandu with the support and effort of its own inhabitants.
Mukunda B. Shrestha
ace photographer
Our country isn’t the same as it used to be 50 years ago. Change is imperative but what I’ve witnessed is just plain sad. A once beautiful country has now become a decrepit, godforsaken land. The roads are dusty and there’s so much traffic that we can hardly walk without the fear of being run over. For me, it’s disheartening to see my country crumble like this. Earlier, I could breathe fresh air. These days, when I go for my late evening stroll, there’s so much dust and pollution that I have to rush back home if I don’t want to end up with a coughing fit. I wish people wouldn’t be so careless and disregardful. I think if people didn’t throw garbage in the river and just dump it anywhere they see some trash, then our country could be relatively cleaner. The least we could do is clean up the area in front of our homes. If every household did that, then we would be living in a much cleaner city.
Nilima Rauniyar
teacher
The road-widening campaign might be a good move to ease traffic congestion but it has left many things in need of dire attention. One of the most annoying aspects of the campaign has been dangling wires. While walking, I not only have to navigate potholes and crumbling pavements but also electrical wires that seem to be jutting out of nowhere. I don’t know who is responsible for fixing all this but this matter should be taken care of right away. It’s extremely hazardous to the public.
Another disconcerting thing about the city I live in is the fact that we don’t seem to be paying any attention to conserving our temples. Financial constraints might not let us reconstruct them but we should preserve what we have so that the future generations can enjoy them. The crumbling state most of them are in requires urgent attention.
Sangeeta Thapa
curator, Siddhartha Art Gallery
I’m sad about the fact that the infrastructure of Kathmandu doesn’t seem to sustain its growth. We’ve lost the beauty of what Kathmandu used to be. The haphazardness is disheartening. I think our city lacks vision and concrete plans. And without proper planning, a city can’t develop and any little development that takes place can’t be sustained in the long run. So whatsoever effort we put in building our city will just be in vain. I would like the government and the citizens alike to be aware of this and work together for sustainable development. I believe that if we have the persistence to move forward, then some order will come out of this chaos. People often say that there’s no hope, but I think that we’ll rise up and face the challenges. Things will be better and it’s all about keeping a positive mindset despite all the challenges and contradictions. Kathmandu is a beautiful city
Shradda Dhungel
Ph. D student
There’s so much pollution in Kathmandu and I think this is largely because of the fact that many vehicles go unchecked, or despite failing the pollution test are allowed to run on the roads. Most vehicles have Rs 500 green stickers instead of Rs 50 ones. Having failed the pollution test, they buy one for ten times the amount they’d be paying if they had passed it and continue using their vehicles. I see hundreds of vehicles emitting oodles of black smoke and they all flaunt green stickers. Most of the pollution in Kathmandu is the result of these emissions. This problem could be very easily tackled if there was a system that made it necessary for vehicles to pass two pollution tests instead of one. The monopoly over such tests by one organization alone is the culprit for the situation we’re currently facing. The government needs to be more committed to bringing about better changes and that’s the only way Kathmandu can perhaps regain its lost charms.
cillakhatry@gmail.com
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