The main topic of discussion now-a-days in any Goan household or among a group of friends at social gatherings is no longer about the eight Congress MLAs who jumped ship and went into the ruling party with the hope of getting inducted in the cabinet but sadly are out in the cold and still awaiting the offer of the warmth of cabinet berths. The discussions among concerned citizens of Goa are all about the alarming increase in the number of fatal road accidents taking place in Goa on a regular basis. There is a kind of fear psychosis in the minds of those who drive or ride to work and back every day. Goa is witnessing at least one fatal accident on our roads on an average every single day. The saddest part is young men and women are falling victims to the road rage and road indiscipline. It’s very frightening to say the least.
The tourism season is in full bloom and the number of vehicles both two and four wheelers on the roads and highways have increased manifold. Besides the outstation tourist vehicles, tourists are zooming past on rent-a-cars and rent-a-bikes as though they are taking part in a motor-cross rally. With the widening of the roads and highways in the state of Goa, the motorists are inclined to pump up the acceleration thereby resulting in an avoidable mishap. Everyone including the visiting tourists who are not familiar with the geography of the region and the road network are in a tearing hurry to get to their destination. The most fearsome situation is when these visiting tourists follow the Google map to their destination and whilst following the directions suddenly turn right or left, or stop all of a sudden in the middle of the road to follow Google directions. This behaviour has resulted in many an accident and unnecessary arguments from the other road users. But, nobody seems to be keen to rectify this behaviour of the out of the state motorists on our roads. We need tourists and tourism, but they cannot take possession of our roads and highways and indulge in traffic indiscipline. Clicking photographs in the morning on the new cable-stayed Zuari bridge by tourists and locals alike is a traffic hindrance till date.
Goans by and large for the last many decades were used to driving on the narrow Goan roads and double lane highways. And they had also developed defensive driving skills by default. With the arrival of the so called double engine development Goans are now exposed to the
Four and six lane driving culture on the Goan roads. An average Goan is yet not mentally prepared for this sudden switch over and the service roads which are there at the foot of every flyover only add to the confusion. One has to mentally set his/her route before taking to the wheels and keep in mind whether one has to take the flyover through and through or divert and take the service road for whatever reasons at some point of time.
The saddest truth however is that an average Goan is not used to the concept and culture of flyovers, 4 and 6 lane driving and hence this causes a lot of inconvenience to those who follow the lane discipline specially so on our newly commissioned flyovers along the Agasaim-Panjim highway. Sometimes it’s a nightmare to drive on these flyovers since many four wheeler drivers do not follow the proper lane discipline and change lanes at their whims and fancies. This does not only tantamount to traffic indiscipline but puts the other disciplined roads user to great risk. The Traffic Cell needs to bring about public awareness through the print and social media about how to adopt to the culture of lane discipline.
The Goa Police Traffic Cell and the Transport Department will have to work in tandem to bring about strict lane discipline on these flyovers all over Goa with strict surveillance either with the deployment of the men in uniform or with the help of technology like CCTV cameras or Artificial Intelligence surveillance. The Government has to pay closer attention to the vulnerable stretches along our highways and rewrite their priorities and install necessary technical gadgets to bring better and safer road discipline on our highways which are now become more accident prone than ever before. A stitch in time will surely save nine!
(The writer is a Vasco-based Konkani author, freelance writer and TV anchor)
