Goa was alien
to the word ‘traffic’ until a few years ago but now the ‘big-city disease’ seems to have made its way to
Goa. With a crippled public transport system leaving the people with no other
option but to use their own vehicles, there are just too many automobiles on
the roadsof late. Add to that the menace of rash driving, overspeeding, drunken
driving and othertraffic rulesdefiances, the roads have indeed become
dangerous.
The Goa Police,
equipped with all ammunition (read: speed guns), has of late begun dealing with
law breakers on the road rather strictly. Whilst implementing the Supreme Court
committee directions on tackling deaths due to traffic violations, the traffic
police personnel are imposing strict penalties that include issuing/compounding
challan for traffic violation, and until a few days ago, were seen confiscating
the licence of the defaulter under due acknowledgement and then forwarding it
to the concerned State Assistant Director of Transport, recommending
suspension, etc, much to the chagrin of traffic violators. While the end motive
behind taking adequate action for breaking the law is undoubtedly good,
questions are being raised on whether this is the only way to make our roads
safe.
Mackenzie
Eudes Pereira was one of the early ones to be pulled up for ‘overspeeding’, a
few weeks ago. The popular DJ,who took to social media to share the
development, says, “It’s great to know that there is a law to control the
vehicle speed. I’m totally for it. But, are the speed limits based on today’s
road scenario or are the cops following the boards that were installed a couple
of decades ago? All speed limits should be reviewed and increased where it
should be increased. They then need to fix new speed limit boards tht are visible.”
Another
motorist, on condition of anonymity, says, “In countries that have a robust
public transport system, strict punishments for breaking traffic rulesmake
sense. In a place like Goa, where the authorities haven’t had the guts to
tackle the unruly taxi mafia, or ensure a smooth public transport system, punishments
like these are plain draconian.
Goa, on priority,
needs more inter-city buses plying on the roads till late hours, and efficient
and safe cabs to make for a viable option for public to avoid using personal
vehicles on the roads that cause traffic jams. Addressing the root cause of
accidents is important if the Goan roads are to be made truly safe.
