Once virtually unheard of in Goa, road accidents have now become a daily occurrence in India’s smallest state, with many snuffing out precious lives in the blink of an eye. The recent spate in fatal accidents, most of them involving tourists or non-Goans, leaves much to be desired about the strict implementation of the laws in force and the will of the authorities concerned to bring the violators to task without fear or favour.
One other important aspect that appears to be overlooked altogether is the lack of proper signage along roads and highways in Goa. With speed breakers being set up virtually overnight on some routes without being properly marked, for instance, motorists are taken by surprise and tend to get into accidents as a result. Signage for such speed breakers and rumblers themselves are either missing or covered in foliage, making the situation nothing but a recipe for disaster.
The issue came to the forefront recently when commuters flagged the absence of proper signboards along the Western Bypass in Salcete. They said the issue was compounded by the fact that all heavy vehicles are redirected to the bypass road with the intention of decongesting a significant portion of the national highway that passes through a number of villages. This, they said, does not only hamper visibility due to the size of these vehicles but also confuses them as signboards indicating directions to a particular area are either not large enough or not placed early enough to prepare them to change lanes etc.
For example, they said that while there is no signage to direct vehicles from the highway onto the bypass road, an outdated ‘Service Road Starts’ board that hasn’t even been removed misleads motorists. It is a no-brainer that a confused driver will either suddenly apply the brakes or swerve to get onto the right lane, resulting not only in congestion but also accidents that can be severe enough to claim lives.
Apart from the Western Bypass stretch, the same problem persists along several other frequented routes. One such sore point is the diversion to the Dabolim airport from the new Zuari bridge. The board signalling this diversion for motorists travelling from the north is placed just a few metres before the actual road begins, leaving locals and tourists alike confounded as they are taken by surprise. Many are even forced to change lanes at the last minute which could have disastrous consequences, considering the high speeds at which vehicles moves on the bridge.
Even the installation of traffic signals at key points in the state leave much to be desired. At some areas, such as at Colva and Mapusa, they are hoisted too high up, thereby failing to catch the attention of commuters in smaller cars. A problem like this can easily be resolved by erecting traffic lights at eye level along the median of the road concerned. Road markings should be large enough too, so that vehicles know much in advance where exactly they are expected to halt before the light turns red. Several countries actually paint STOP in large font much before a traffic signal is approached, helping motorists slow down safely and well in advance so that pile-ups do not occur.
Then comes the issue of street lighting. While some stretches are well-lit, others are pitch dark, again endangering precious lives. A case in point at the moment is the stretch of NH 66 from the O’Coqueiro junction at Porvorim right up to the Green Park junction at Guirim. With hardly any illumination and the road rendered almost unmotorable due to ongoing work of the six-lane elevated corridor, commuters have been struggling to get past this zone safely, especially those who are not accustomed to the route.
It is clear that while accidents occur usually due to rash and negligent driving and when traffic rules are not obeyed, the government should do its part in ensuring road signage is correct and strategically placed and traffic signals and streetlights are functional. Road safety is, after all, a joint effort.