In Kathmandu valley at least, it has become more a norm to break traffic rules than to observe them. It isn’t hard to see why: most people can get away with it. Easily. The pedestrians have it the easiest. Unlike the motorists, they are not expected to follow even minimal rules. They can walk through red light and the traffic police at the intersection won’t even raise his eyebrow. There is no monitoring to ensure that pedestrians are using overhead bridges. Most people find it convenient to run across the short stretch under the bridge than overburden their legs going up and down. In fact, people can be seen crossing the road at the most unimaginable places, even when there are clear barriers to prevent them from doing so. It is clear that they don’t give two hoots about traffic laws. Inexplicably, some initial endeavors to punish jaywalkers petered out soon after they started a few months ago.
Then there are the street vendors clogging the major sidewalks, their undesired presence compounding the already pathetic state of the walkways: riddled with potholes, many of them act as virtual booby traps at night. Vehicle operators are only a little better. Virtually every place on the road is a potential stop for public vehicles. During peak hours, it is common sight to witness motorbike riders invade the sidewalk. The private four-wheelers on Kathmandu’s roads, whose numbers are going up exponentially despite the high import tariffs, make the traffic situation worse. The roads are being widened, but traffic jams and noise and air pollution only seem to be increasing. The huge mounds of debris by the roadside are traffic stoppers, and big eyesores. [break]
The just concluded World Road Safety Week (May 6-12) was a time for reflection on Nepal’s lowly 127th position on global road safety rankings. Every day five people lose their lives on Nepali roads. According to Nepal Police, as many as 1,780 people died in road accidents in the last fiscal year. Most of the fatalities and indeed most road accidents are the result of reckless driving. The deterrents against unsafe driving have proven inadequate for a long time. The poor condition of the roads is another factor behind steadily increasing road accidents around the country. Back in the valley, it has become very important to install some civic sense among common people. Unless they clearly understand that they will have to pay for their transgressions on the road, they are unlikely to mend their errant ways. Just widening existing roads is unlikely to have the desired effect so long as the attitude of the people using them does not also change. But in order to make people comply with road rules, the least the traffic authorities could do is ensure that the basic infrastructure is in place—and working. Most traffic lights in the Valley are out of order. Promotion of mass public transport like Sajha Yatayat could be one of the ways to go about it. If safe, comfortable and affordable public transportation is available, people will take to them over time. Unimaginative methods like building more roads for more vehicles have, hopefully, run their course.
Related story
Access to finance biggest obstacle to growth for private sector
