KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 4

Traffic management in Kathmandu valley has been complicated by narrow roads and increasing pressure of vehicles.

A delay in construction of corridor roads and other roads; garage, gas station and workshop being operated on the sides of roads and lack of parking lots and other technical problems are to be blamed for complication involving traffic management in the valley, said Senior Superintendent of Police Bhim Prasad Dhakal, chief of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division.

Dhakal is coordinator of the task-force of integrated traffic management action plan. Lack of adequate legal mechanism, qualified drivers and effective coordination and cooperation between concerned bodies sectors have also contributed to the problem, he said. The six-member task-force has submitted Integrated Traffic Management Action Plan-2020, to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The taskforce has categorised traffic problems as short-term and long-term. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said the action plan would be important to manage traffic in the valley and would be accorded high priority.

There is a need for sound cooperation among the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and local levels, he said Minister Thapa. Home Secretary Maheshwor Neupane said there was no alternative to implement the action plan to manage traffic in the valley.

The action plan has prioritised widening of all roads in the valley at the earliest. Long-term plan includes finding out places where the traffic volume is high, expanding the thoroughfares, concluding the process of the Ring Road expansion at the earliest, forwarding the concept of outer ring road and expediting work on the tunnel way from Nagdhunga and Tokha.