Experts want flyovers, signal synchronisation to ease Vizag traffic

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam roads are getting choked with increasing vehicles. The city has witnessed an exponential growth in vehicles from 7.5 lakh to 22.78 lakh in past three decades.

Increase in vehicles is consequent on burgeoning population, which has shot up from 75,000 to a staggering 14 lakh during the same period. Further, people are preferring their own vehicles over public transport. As a result, about 600 vehicles are getting added each day, worsening the situation.

From early 2022, percentage of motorised two-wheelers has increased from 78 to 89, which is quite close to the annual maximum. This significant change has stressed out the transportation system, causing congestion and increased vehicle emissions throughout the city.

"Major intersections like Maddilapalem, Hanumanthavaaka and Kurmannapalem are places where flyovers are essential.  We have proposed 10 flyover projects. But funds have not yet been provided,” Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) Rajaratnam stated.

D. Mukund, professor of civil engineering at a private university in Visakhapatnam, points to another key lacuna. "The width of roads has remained the same in most parts of the city. We need a minimum 30-metre roads," he pointed out.

Says civil engineering graduate R. Vandhana. “Visakhapatnam’s current road infrastructure cannot meet the city's future mobility needs in absence of proper planning and traffic management, particularly all of the city's major intersections.”

GVMC and transport department officials have come up with certain workable alternatives. According to DTC Rajaratnam, traffic signals at a distance of every 100–200 metres on highways are not necessary. They add to the list of increasing congestion as flow of vehicles is impeded.

Mukund suggests that signal synchronisation at intersections is necessary, since it can lead to a smoother flow of traffic. However, two vendors are operating two separate systems, leading to confusion. This issue needs to be addressed, he underlined.