God has blessed and protected Goa, our land. We are stewards, and not masters of the Earth. To preserve Goa and the Earth, and to also pass it to our next generation, is our duty.
In recent years, some areas of Goa have been facing a lot of traffic jams, in some parts of the day or some season of the year. We have seen a number of road widening and flyover projects being often projected to solve traffic jams. However these have detrimental effects on our blessed land, where we see our way of life being affected and also its environment being harmed.
There are many alternatives to widening roads and building flyovers. Firstly, increasing public bus-transport will lead to more people using buses and consequently they using lesser vehicles and thus lesser traffic jams on roads. Around 2000 buses for Goa can cover many routes frequently and be implemented also within a few weeks. It would be cheaper to buy buses too, compared to all flyover and bridge costs. The extra money could be used to construct hospitals and schools and roads to places where people want them in more needy parts of India and beyond.
The villages of the labourers who died, or were injured, in Goa’s projects could be considered too. The profit of the buses could be shared with motor-cycle pilots, rickshaw and taxi-drivers and owners, private-bus owners, etc. Ferry-services can also be upgraded for better public-transport, but consulting the people first.
Secondly, the jams are mainly in the evenings in many places. Staggering office-ending timings from 4 pm, 4.30 pm., 5 pm., 5.30 pm and 6 pm can make the road-users spread-out across the evening, instead of all being on the road between around 6 to 7 pm. Thirdly, have the flights to also land in Dabolim, in-case they only go to Mopa. The travellers from Tiswadi to Canacona, need not travel through Bardez causing traffic jams there. The second and third alternatives cost nothing, and need just a caringly serving decision by those whom God has given power to serve and minister.
The concept of wider roads was popular in Europe and USA in the 1960s. Today, especially Europe, realises focussing on environmentally-friendly public transport, cycling, is better than road-widening. Utrecht changed its 12-century former city moat into a 12-lane motorway in early 1970s. In 2015 it was reverted back to a canal. In our era having knowledge of Climate Change, we need sustainable development. Why are we copying their mistakes of the 1960s?
Our Goan tribals build our roads originally. Roads have to be toll-free for posterity. The people should take decisions on the need of roads. Public hearings are also necessary. Goa needs the Swedish Vision Zero concept. Safer, narrower, peaceful, crossable roads are preferred over wider, faster, uncrossable unsafe roads.
We can preserve our way of life, our God-given environmental blessings, our heritage, without having to lose land which money cannot compensate emotionally, without having to break 470 year old chapels built by the decisions of our ancestors, without having to wonder of flyover-collapses during earthquakes and wars (hopefully never), without having to live in the Urban Heat Island effects engulfing our towns, etc.
We need to really ask ourselves: Are our actions good? and are the intentions of our actions also good? If either is not, we have to stop our action. We need to make morally right choices in life.
