Except on holidays, parking problem and traffic congestion has become order of the day. People visiting Ponda town for various reasons face severe hardships and traffic snarls and on reaching the heart of the city find no place to park forcing them to stop their vehicle at any available spot on the road.
The number of vehicles is increasing every passing day but the roads and parking spaces have largely remained the same leaving the town devoid of parking.
Sources say one can easily get a flat for residence but no parking space in Ponda. One has to circle around the town till they discover a spot to park, which is not available most of the time.
In absence of parking spots and traffic management plan of the town remaining on paper only, vehicle owners coming into the town for various government and private works, shopping, etc park their vehicles in a haphazard manner, resulting in traffic congestion.
Further two high schools, located in heart of town near the Bus Stand with thousands of students, are contributing to the traffic congestion and parking problem in Ponda. Parents, arriving to drop and pick up their children, add to the traffic woes, especially in the peak hours. In the absence of proper buses for transporting students, the parents are forced to reach their wards in four-wheelers.
The Traffic Police often stop the traffic flow on the National Highway at the Ponda Bus Stand to allow students to cross the road before and after the school hours. Though there is an underground subway for students to avoid crossing the road, sources say they need an additional subway. Further several internal roads connecting to the main road are also adding to traffic congestion.
Due to limited space, roads have turned into parking spaces and some vehicles are often found parked on footpaths.
Ponda MLA Ravi Naik stressed the need of one underground subway for school students. “There is an urgent need of flyovers in Ponda. The city roads also need dividers. Had the Ponda Municipal Council devised a proper plan, it would solve the traffic problem,” said Ravi.
The Ponda MLA also stressed the need to create one-way streets in Ponda. He said in past he had proposed a road from Ponda Bus Stand Zareshwar to Khadpabandh Bypass connecting to Davlim Farmagudi but it is still pending.
