Apropos of the news story “Home Minister Sharma seeks plan for traffic management” (THT, June 18, Page 2), people can be assured that Sharma will fix the traffic mess on the byzantine streets, particularly in the valley. After flinging ‘dark days’ into the annals of history books with a single masterstroke, Sharma is the best man to fix the street mess. Coming to traffic management, traffic lights and their tough compliance will make roads safer for everyone including a large pedestrian population in the capital. So, we need to install small or big traffic signals according to the size of the intersections including the ones like Jyatha lane that meets Kantipath. All zebras must be laid next to the traffic signals so people can walk across when the signal turns red for vehicles to halt. Any vehicle which so much as grazes pedestrians on zebra during green walk signal could be fined millions. And any pedestrian who walks when the walk signal is red should be made to pay for the damages incurred while hitting him. This will force both pedestrians and motorists to be careful while using the road - a public property. It will also make expensive overhead bridges and underpasses redundant. When you can just walk across the road in an iffy why would people need to labour up the new bridges at  Koteswor and B&B Hospital which would demand quite a stamina. Kathmandu is a small town and people do not need to drive at 100 km an hour!

Now that many new public buses are rolling out, motorists and bikers who want to crowd the streets during peak hours could be slapped with surcharge for road usage. This will hopefully encourage them to use public transport. The electronic parking metre is a very effective solution. Let people pay through the nose for parking in prime areas like New Road, Durbar Marg, Kumari Pati etc -  people who can pay as much as 2.5 crore for a jeep should be ready to pay for parking charges daily. This is an idea. Charge for parking according to the size of the vehicles as much as on time factor.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Never too late

My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do. He is like any coach, has always stressed the fundamentals. His love and guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. And he said, ‘You never know what you can accomplish until you try.’ The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family. I must not forget that father’s protection was the biggest protection in childhood days and even today also. He taught me responsibility, accountability, and the importance of hard work. He has given me the best things in life: his time, his care, and his love. Thanks for acting like a baby when I was a baby, acting like a friend when I needed a friend, and acting like a parent when I needed one The older I get the more I

realize how important it is to have a dad like you. He is my hero and role model. I am truly grateful to have you in my life. Let’s enjoy this special day together. Happy Father’s Day!

Arnab Dey, Kolkata