Traffic congestion due to school-office timing overlap: SSP

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 13: Srinagar’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic, Aijaz Ahmad, today said that traffic congestion in the city has intensified due to overlapping school and office timings, shorter days and limited road capacity along key routes.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Ahmad said most schools and offices open at 10 a.m. and close between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., causing heavy traffic flow along major arteries such as Residency Road and MA Road.

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“All the traffic converges on our main arteries at the same time. Earlier, there used to be a four-hour operational window in the morning, but due to shorter days, that window has shrunk to just two hours from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.,” he said.
The SSP urged residents to use public transport and reduce dependence on private vehicles to ease congestion. “People should share vehicles and avoid roadside parking to prevent getting stuck in traffic jams,” he added.
Ahmad said traffic personnel have been deployed in greater numbers at key junctions to manage the rush. However, he acknowledged that congestion worsens during winter as people tend to leave home late and return early due to reduced daylight.
On the persistent traffic jams at Rambagh and Natipora, Ahmad explained that vehicles diverted from Natipora through Doodganga often intersect at Rambagh, creating bottlenecks. “There is no immediate solution, but authorities are working to open traffic movement under the Barzulla bridge, which will help reduce the mess,” he said.
Regarding traffic signals, Ahmad said Srinagar has 66 signal nodes, of which 59 are operational. “During peak evening hours, we switch to manual operation to manage flow. Only six to seven signals are currently non-functional,” he noted.
He said that e-rickshaws will soon be restricted from plying between Dalgate and Jahangir Chowk, while new one-way routes and designated bus stops for minibuses will be introduced in congested areas like Rajouri Kadal, Hawal, and Dalagte.
On enforcement, Ahmad said around 2.5 lakh challans have been issued so far this year, lower than last year’s four lakh, as the department now focuses on “real challans.” Under the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), phase two, featuring camera-based e-challans, is underway, with about 1,000 challans already generated through the system.

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