Nagpur’s Traffic Issues Escalate with Road Projects and Signal Jumping
Nagpur, India- Constant traffic problems are making daily life difficult for people. They are very frustrated because traffic jams happen every day in different parts of the city. Many feel embarrassed that this is happening in their beloved city. People are upset because there are hardly any rules to stop traffic violators.
Long lines of vehicles often form at the Rahate Colony end of the Shaheed Gowari Flyover, stretching for at least half a kilometer, especially during busy morning and evening hours. Similar jams happen in other busy areas. These jams continue even when many vehicles jump the traffic lights because there is no one to stop them. It seems like authorities allow to break the rules, and wrong-side driving has become common for reckless drivers.
Other issues, like poor design, make the problem worse. The Sadar flyover, for example, has long jams on the flyover and chaos at the landing near Kasturchand Park (KP) Metro Station, where traffic from two directions meet. Drivers in a hurry make the situation worse by trying to squeeze into any available space, causing traffic to stop completely. Even the traffic police struggle to manage the situation in such places. Similar chaos exists at Gandhibagh Square and Agrasen Square junctions. On Thursday, traffic police were seen trying to manage traffic on Central Avenue.
Additionally, many road construction projects happening at the same time in different areas make traffic worse. These projects often take months to complete, leading to even worse traffic as people look for other routes, which then become crowded. The failure to repair dug-up road sections makes things worse, making the 'Second Capital of Maharashtra' feel like a 'Second-Class Capital' to visitors.
The traffic situation is so bad that it will take years of strict policing to see any real change in people's behavior on the roads. Many factors contribute to Nagpur's traffic chaos: multiple road constructions, delays in completing projects, poor design of the Sadar flyover, and unchecked bad driving behavior. Wrong-side driving from Rahate Colony Square to Janata Chowk has become normal due to lack of enforcement. Traffic violations are also common at Trimurti Nagar Square, junctions on Central Avenue, parts of Sadar, Gaddigodam Square, and other areas, causing daily problems for the people of Nagpur.
