Anubhuti Parajuli

Traffic jams frequently block major routes of the Kathmandu Valley. But the Valley’s transport planning and policies are guided by populist motives rather than by long-term rational thinking, which stresses access-based transport benefiting the larger public. Neither expanding the existing roadways nor building new roads will help much to improve the traffic conditions of the Valley in the long run unless the authorities pay particular attention to improving the public transport service and mass access. Investments in public transport should take place from a holistic approach to solving the long-term problem of mobility, taking into account the pattern of city development, greater public attitude, the viability of different modes of commuting and sustainable development. One quick approach, as is seen these days, is to take a reactive measure by expanding the roads where there are frequent traffic jams. The widening of the existing road from Gaushala to Chabahil, where pavements have been poached on both sides, is a case in point. This has left little space for pedestrians to pass by freely. Apparently, this expansion will solve the problem of jams in this area. But it will actually nip the viability of walking as a means of short distance commuting in the area, thereby encouraging a more frequent use of private vehicles even for that.

Owners of private vehicles often push the idea that wider roads offer a sure-fire solution to the problem of mobility. This is also what largely guides the traffic planning in many cities throughout the world. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have not benefited much from mere road expansion. On the contrary, Hong Kong and Singapore have remarkably improved their public transport systems, thereby tackling traffic jams much better. The Netherlands and Germany have similar success stories. In sharp contrast, many American cities still face traffic jams at peak hours despite enormous networks of broad multi-lane roads.

Had the Valley’s public transport system been properly managed and made more efficient, people would not have felt the need to use private vehicles as they have been doing nowadays. This would have substantially reduced the traffic load on the narrow roads. However, the fact that the government has given low priority to improving public transport and high priority to increasing and expanding the roadways has discouraged people from using public transport. With the pavements most often occupied with rubbish, roadside hawkers and other street shopkeepers, water pools and sewage running in them, telephone and electrical substations, and carelessly parked vehicles, walking does not become an attractive proposition. Besides, overcrowded public buses and the almost non-existent facilities for pedestrians and cyclists on the roads have greatly discouraged the use of the city’s public transport. Against this background, overcoming the Valley’s traffic jams does not appear feasible.

It is not that we do not need bigger roads. We still need to increase our road networks with radial roads connecting the major roadways and city suburbs but newer construction should not minimise the importance of improving the public transport system. With increasing population density and high concentrations of jobs and services in the Valley, public transport will be more profitable for us and walking and cycling more viable. So our decision makers need to rethink the existing policy and strategy for solving the traffic congestion of the Valley. And this should include a greater reliance on an expanded, improved and efficient public transport system to cope with the chronic problem.