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An Account on Traffic Congestion

As the world’s second-most populous country after China, India has more truly congested than any other nation. Vehicles in India are distributed unevenly. Traffic is well known for moving at the pace of its slowest component. Most counties have automobiles, buses, trucks, trains, motor-vehicles, motors, scooters and bicycles. But in India, in addition to this routine urban transportation, and contributing substantially to the congestion, are networks of auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers as well as bullock carts, hand-pulled rickshaws that has been staggering hundred fold increase in the population of motorized vehicle.

However, the expansion in the road network has not been commensurate with this increase. While the motor-vehicle population has grown from 0.3 million in 1951 to over 30 million in 2004, the road network has expanded from 0.4 million km to 3.32 million km, only a 8 fold increase in terms of length during the same period. Traffic congestion is the serious problem in most Indian metros. Thus the scorching pace off economic growth and the growing incomes of India’s burgeoning middle class are only likely to make the situation worse. Public transport systems are overloaded, and there is a limit on how much additional infra structure such as roads, and rail lines a city can add. Traffic is growing four times faster than the population in six cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Insight Into Congestion: Congestion on the urban roads are afflicting vehicle stock pile in India, and effects the urban economies in different ways. Congestion may be defined as excess demand for travel over its supply. In fact, the reason why governments are forced to revisit their policies like in Delhi for urban transport just because of increasing demand of travel within limited available services like public transports. The occurrence of congestion on the city roads prevents the movement of traffic and leading to the intolerable increase in the trip delay.

Constructing new road or the widening of an existing road is a temporary relief to the congestion, but in future perspective it simply encourages the growth of new vehicle through increased level and it may also switch away the use of public transport. Against the serious problem of growing and existing congestion problems in Indian cities, small traffic control and information techniques are required that can subsequently reduce the traffic congestion and increase demand of public transport. According to the transport research wing, ministry of surface transport, the total number of registered vehicle in India has been increased from above 50000000 in 2007 to above 15000000 in 2012.

Reasons Behind Traffic Congestion:
Inadequacy of traffic police:

Traffic police in Talegaon Dabhade is inadequate in numbers compared to other mega cities in Maharashtra. All the cross roads need at least four traffic police at a time whereas in Talegaon it is seen that the number of traffic police are always short and due to the lacking of proper instruction the vehicles are getting trapped in traffic. Only two traffic police are working in the city which is inadequate.

Narrow Roads:
Streets of Talegaon are not that wide spread, due to illegal possession on the road they are getting narrow and becoming a reason behind traffic jam. So every possibility is there to expand the road as per their right of way to reduce traffic congestion. Moreover this will be less time consuming due to land acquisition won’t be required in this process.

Illegal Parking:
Illegal Parking on the road has been creating congestion every day from petrol pump to Indrayani College, a distance of around one kilometer. On-road parking of vehicles is one of the main reasons behind serious traffic congestion on different parts of the Talegaon city.

Increasing number of population:
All the areas under Talegaon city are facing an increasing number of population which is a bad indicator for the traffic management and this could be a vital reason behind traffic.

Higher Purchasing power of the public:
Due to the higher purchasing power of the citizen of Talegaon Dabhade city the popularity of private transportation is increasing and but existing roads and highway are not supportive or changing according to the increasing number of vehicle. As a result vehicle congestion is increasing at an alarming rate.

Improper planning of city development:
Development Plan has its long term city development planning. But that planning is not proper. Most of the time it is seen that some illegally ceased roadside land, but due to the vague development plan these kinds of movements are going in vain.

Impacts Of Congestion:
Congestion involves slower speeds, queuing and increased trip times, which impose higher costs on the economy and also generate impacts on urban regions and their inhabitants. Congestion also has a range of indirect impacts including the marginal environmental and resource impacts of congestion, impacts on quality of life, stress, safety as well as impacts on non-vehicular road space users such as the users of sidewalks and road frontage properties.

There are some more serious social effects of congestion on the environment are listed here:
Congestion means just waste of valuable time and health. The time wasted in congestion could effectively be used in doing dome productive work. The sudden stop and go driving pattern in the congestion leads to the more fuel consumption in the city and thereby increasing the pollution level in the city by emitting more carbon into the environment. Traffic congestion causes noise of high level (more than 90 dB) which causes environment unpleasant. The slow speed of vehicles in the traffic jams also leads to the emission of the oxides of nitrogen and some hydrocarbons which is major culprit of a term known as photo chemical smog.

Conclusion:
If we drive frequently, traffic congestion can be a major headache. There are some simple driving techniques and with the few simple techniques, we can also be a part of the solution. Gap must be maintained between the cars. Every time when we tap our brakes then the cars behind us will also tap the brakes. So gap must be maintained between the cars. If another car slows down or tries to merge, we should have enough room to slow down without braking suddenly. Consistent speed must be maintained like we should know our speed limit or we should go according to the traffic. Changing lanes too often must be avoided. We should allow other drivers to merge into the lane. Attention must be paid to road conditions. And the final thing is avoid taking your eyes off the road.

Author, Subha, New Delhi.

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