When Goa found itself stuck in what seemed like an unending traffic chaos over the past long
weekend, most Goans vented out their frustration on social media sites blaming the government
authorities and the tourists for their unruly traffic sense. Ethel da Costa, one of the locals who
participated in this exercise, attracted a long string of comments from fellow locals who took turns to
express their opinion on the matter. With the festive season approaching with its list of consecutive
holidays, many are speculating that Goa will undergo the same mess yet again. Whether or not
Goa has learnt to manage traffic in a better way, is a question for many and most locals are busy
making alternate plans like staying indoors or heading to the southern part of the state instead
of heading to the party zone along the northern beach belt. Ask Ethel about her plans for the upcoming
weekends and she is quick to reply, “After what happened last long weekend, I am not getting out
for sure. It was a nightmare. Annoying tourists drunk
out of their heads taking abrupt turns in the middle
of the road without flashing side indicators… they
are directly responsible for traffic jams. My question
is, when we know that a particular belt of Goa is a
goldmine and a prime tourist spot, why can’t the
traffic guys plan in advance? Why wait for the mess
to happen and then try to do damage control?
Surprisingly, the local MLA Michael Lobo has nothing
to say. If you cannot reach out to the people in your
constituency, then what’s the use?”
Sowmya Jagannathan, A PR professional who
has moved to Goa from Mumbai recently feels that
the charm of Goa is lost with commercialisation
happening at a rapid pace. Sowmya says, “For me
Goa is a chilled out, relaxed and peaceful place.
Thankfully, it is only the northern part of the state
that is commercialised whereas the southern part
has still retained its charm. The past long weekend
was a mess and to avoid the inconvenience, we
came down to the South. As for the forthcoming
weekends are concerned, I would not change my
plans but definitely not go up the northern beach
belt.” Vaibhav Naik from Vasco nods in agreement.
He says, “Traveling to the north for someone from
the centre of Goa, like Vasco or Margao is extremely
tedious with all the taxis and tourist vehicles, not to
mention the choked lanes of Calangute and Baga.
I’d rather travel by a two-wheeler or not at all. And if
it’s the last week of December in question then it’s a
strict no-no to clubbing up north.”
