Traffic management in Visakhapatnam city is a challenge for the under-staffed police commissionerate, as every year over 60,000 new vehicles are hitting the roads. But bigger challenge that the police, especially the traffic police, face is managing the traffic in Gajuwaka area.
There are a number of bottlenecks, accidents have been on the rise and none of the issues raised at various review meets have been addressed so far.
It is absolutely nightmarish to drive from the Old Gajuwaka Junction to the New Gajuwaka Junction, during peak hours. To cover a distance of about 2 km it takes over 20 minutes. And the same is case with the Gajuwaka – Kaniti Road, said A. Agarwal, resident of Srinagar, Gajuwaka.
Road width
Road width is the major problem in the area. The roads in Gajuwaka area were widened around 15 years ago. But the number of vehicles has gone up 20 folds, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu.
The main road connecting Old and New Gajuwaka is about 80 feet. It needs to be further widened by at least 20 feet on each side to ease the traffic, he said.
About a decade ago, there were only a few commercial establishments, cinema halls, and educational institutions in Gajuwaka. But, now both Old Gajuwaka and New Gajuwka areas have emerged as commercial hubs that cater to a large neighbourhood. There are a number of problems faced by motorists.
The first is the issue of parking. No commercial establishment provides the required parking space as per the norms and more over both sides of the road is dotted with hawkers.
Parked vehicles, hawkers and illegal encroachments occupy 30 % of the road and that shrinks the motorable road space, said Mr. Mahendra Patrudu.
Another area that needs to be addressed is movement of heavy vehicles. Gajuwaka is surrounded by heavy, medium and small industries, including public sector and the APIIC Industrial Estate. The movement of heavy vehicles is high and this issue needs to be addressed, said Mr. Mahendra Patrudu.
“We have proposed for a bypass route for the heavy industrial vehicles including the oil tankers.
This will not only ease traffic but also reduce the rate of accidents,” he said. Last year 180 accidents occurred in Gajuwaka with 39 fatalities and this year the number already touched 83 and 15 of them were fatal accidents.
