SUNDAY BYTES: Traffic Police at Your Service – Managing Traffic and Managing Expectations
But,Can They Do It Alone?
Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili
There is a limit to what traffic authorities can achieve in a community where a majority of road users routinely violate traffic norms. Before blaming the Traffic Department for every traffic jam, delay, or bottleneck, we need to ask ourselves a difficult question: Can any traffic authority successfully manage a city where indiscipline has become the norm rather than the exception?
The reality is that Kashmir’s road infrastructure was largely designed in the 1960s and 1970s. The road space available today remains almost the same, while the number of vehicles has increased by hundreds, if not thousands, of times. This explosive growth was never matched by corresponding urban planning, road expansion, parking infrastructure, or traffic management systems.The result is visible everywhere.
Major commercial establishments and malls have been emerged or permitted at critical intersections. Footpaths have disappeared under encroachments. Many shopkeepers have extended their businesses onto public spaces. Designated parking areas are grossly inadequate, forcing vehicles to park on both sides of already narrow roads. What should function as two-lane roads often become single-lane corridors.
Every year, thousands of new vehicles are added to Srinagar’s roads, while the road network remains largely unchanged. Major bottlenecks such as Jehangir Chowk, Hyderpora, Abdullah Bridge, Eidgah Entrance, Hawal Intersection, and the Boulevard corridor require comprehensive redesign and scientific traffic-engineering solutions.This also reinforces a point consistently advocated by GCC: traffic congestion is not merely a Traffic Police issue. It is the cumulative result of urban planning constraints, encroachments, inadequate parking, flawed land-use decisions, rapid vehicle growth, insufficient public transport, and, at times, our own traffic behaviour. Addressing these challenges requires years of planning, funding, and execution. Even if major projects begin today, their benefits will take time to materialize. Public expectations must therefore remain realistic. Can public behaviour change overnight? Can multi-level parking facilities be built in a month? Can roads be widened instantly? Can decades of planning deficiencies be corrected within a single administrative tenure?
Traffic management demands coordinated action by the Traffic Police, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Srinagar Smart City authorities, urban planners, road and transport agencies, market associations, defence establishments, VIP movement coordinators, and, above all, responsible citizens. Take Jehangir Chowk or Hyderpora Chowk as examples. Despite repeated interventions, deployment of personnel, traffic diversions, signal management, and periodic modifications, these junctions continue to remain among the most challenging traffic nodes in Srinagar. The reason is simple: the underlying structural problems remain unresolved.
The irony is that traffic police are often blamed for congestion that was effectively built into the system decades ago. One must ask an uncomfortable but necessary question: Who permitted such concentrated commercial and institutional activity at these critical choke points in the first place?
At Hyderpora, for instance, multiple high-footfall establishments coexist within a limited road network—a petrol pump, major commercial complexes, educational institutions, taxi stands, and intense local traffic—all converging on a strategic artery that serves multiple purposes simultaneously. This corridor carries traffic destined for the Srinagar International Airport, the National Highway, Budgam district, Gulmarg, Baramulla, and large parts of north Kashmir. It is not merely a city intersection; it is a regional transportation gateway. Every vehicle entering or leaving these destinations adds pressure to an already saturated junction. During peak hours, traffic regulators s are essentially attempting to pour the flow of a river through a narrow channel. The critical question therefore is not how many traffic personnel are deployed at these intersections. The real question is whether the existing urban design itself has exceeded its carrying capacity. Can traffic police relocate a petrol pump? Can they shift commercial complexes? Can they redesign taxi stands?Can they widen roads where permanent structures now stand? Can they undo planning decisions taken decades ago?The answer is clearly no.
These are matters requiring long-term urban planning, political will, engineering expertise, and substantial investment. Unfortunately, once major structures become established and commercial interests take root, corrective action becomes extraordinarily difficult. Every proposed modification encounters administrative, legal, financial, and political hurdles.
That is why genuine solutions at places like Hyderpora and Jehangir Chowk require a city-wide vision extending beyond traffic regulation. They demand integrated planning involving urban planners, traffic engineers, municipal authorities, transport experts, economists, and policymakers. The challenge is not merely to manage congestion today but to prevent the creation of future Hyderporas and Jehangir Chowks elsewhere in the city.Until such structural issues are addressed, traffic police will continue doing what they can—managing symptoms of a problem whose roots lie much deeper than traffic enforcement alone. The public must recognize this distinction if we are to have an honest conversation about Srinagar’s traffic crisis.
Modern cities rely on technology-driven solutions such as Integrated Traffic Management Systems (ITMS), intelligent traffic signals, GPS-based advisories, speed radars, surveillance systems, and data-driven traffic planning. These tools require investment and institutional support. As the city expands, manpower and resources must expand accordingly.Some difficult decisions on traffic regulation, including Vvip and security forces movement re-regulation may have to be re- strategized not to incur public inconvenience. Certain bottlenecks created by poor planning, encroachments, or structural obstructions may require removal of buildings or redesign of existing infrastructure. Unfortunately, vote-bank politics often delays such decisions. Take scenario at Jehangir Chowk or Hyderpora chowk as an example. Despite multiple interventions, it remains one of the most challenging traffic nodes in the city because the underlying permanent structural problems remain unresolved.
Traffic Department Cannot Do It Alone — Can They?
It is not as if nothing is being done. As members of the GCC (Group of Concerned Citizens), we have repeatedly engaged with the issue through dialogue, consultation, and advocacy.We at GCC ,organized an interactive seminar-workshop bringing together all major stakeholders — the Divisional Commissioner, Traffic Police, SMC, Smart City officials, town planners, road engineers, representatives from engineering institutions, and members of civil society. During my presentation, I displayed live photographs documenting everyday traffic misbehaviours that have unfortunately become normalized in our city: illegal parking, overtaking from the left, failure to maintain safe distances, indiscriminate honking at traffic signals, lane jumping, wrong-side driving, and numerous other violations.The discussion did not end there. In a follow-up meeting at the Divisional Commissioner’s office, GCC member Ms. Nasima Lankar, former Commissioner & Secretary, and Divisional Commissioner, facilitated a detailed review with the concerned authorities. Through a virtual tour of Srinagar city, several physical bottlenecks, encroachments, and avoidable obstructions were identified. Locations such as Karan Nagar, Shaheed Gunj, Nawab Bazar, Eidgah, and others were examined, where selective demolition, removal of encroachments, relocation of obstructions, or redesign of road space could substantially improve traffic flow.
However, solutions are often easier to identify and suggest than to implement. Vote-bank politics, resistance from vested interests, legal complications, and stay orders from Hon’ble Courts frequently slow or halt corrective measures. Consequently, public expectations of immediate results often collide with administrative realities. We must honestly acknowledge the situation we are in. Traffic congestion is not merely a traffic police problem. It is the cumulative outcome of decades of unplanned urbanization, indiscriminate commercial permissions, roadside encroachments, inadequate public transport, exploding vehicle numbers, weak civic discipline, and delayed infrastructure development.
The Traffic Police can regulate movement, enforce laws, and manage intersections. What they cannot do is widen roads, remove encroachments, redesign markets, relocate institutions, stop illegal construction, or reverse decades of planning mistakes.Traffic management requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. Urban planners, municipal authorities, development agencies, law enforcement, courts, elected representatives, business establishments, transport operators, and citizens must all contribute.
The question therefore is not whether the Traffic Department is doing enough. The more honest question is:Can the Traffic Department alone solve a problem that the entire society helped create?
Among all challenges facing the Traffic Department, perhaps the most difficult is changing human behaviour. Roads can be widened. Flyovers can be built. Technology can be installed. But convincing individuals to obey lane discipline, avoid wrong-side driving, respect pedestrian rights, refrain from illegal parking, and follow basic traffic rules is a far greater challenge.
Anyone observing the increasing number of motorcycles, reckless overtaking, helmet violations, and general disregard for traffic norms can understand why enforcement alone cannot solve the problem.
Over the years, I have had opportunities to closely observe traffic management efforts and participate in seminars with traffic regulators. Like many citizens, I have shared suggestions and concerns. One officer who deserves appreciation is Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic Srinagar, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, and his hardworking team. What distinguishes , Aijaz Ahmad Bhat from many predecessors is his accessibility, openness to public feedback, and willingness to engage in dialogue. He welcomes suggestions, discusses constraints candidly, and encourages citizens to point out problem areas and possible solutions. More importantly, he appears genuinely committed to finding practical ways to decongest the city despite limited staff, limited resources, and enormous challenges.
However, no officer—no matter how committed—can transform traffic management single-handedly. We the people of this land often become advisors. We offer opinions, criticism, and solutions. But an important question remains: Are all our suggestions realistic, implementable, financially viable, and politically feasible within the existing administrative framework?
Good governance requires balancing ideals with practical realities.
Traffic management is a shared responsibility. Citizens must comply with rules. Shopkeepers must respect public spaces. Urban planners must plan for future growth. Municipal authorities must address encroachments. Governments must invest in infrastructure. And traffic police must continue enforcing regulations fairly and consistently.
Until all stakeholders work together, expecting miracles from the Traffic Department alone is neither fair nor realistic. The Traffic Police can regulate movement. They cannot create road space where none exists. They can penalize violations. They cannot instantly transform public behaviour. They can propose solutions. They cannot execute every urban planning decision. Perhaps the time has come not merely to criticize but to collaborate. The fact that traffic patterns are continuously being reviewed scientifically and realistically – how can we do better? That is why we see, intersections opened or closed based on peak-hour requirements, and decisions adjusted according to ground realities demonstrates a dynamic approach rather than a rigid one.We appreciate the openness of traffic department in engaging with public feedback and explaining operational challenges. Such dialogue between authorities and citizens is essential if we are to collectively find practical solutions. Let us continue this conversation in a spirit of collaboration, recognising that while the Traffic Police can regulate and manage traffic, lasting improvements will require support from multiple departments and responsible participation from the public. The Traffic Police can manage traffic; they cannot manufacture road space, demolish encroachments, rewrite master plans, or create civic sense.”Only then can we hope to build a city where traffic flows not because of enforcement alone, but because civic responsibility becomes a shared culture.
With regards and appreciation for all personnel working on the roads, often under difficult conditions and extended duty hours.
(STRAIGHT TALK COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVE. Author is a columnist who writes on civilized society, ethical values, healthcare, and social reforms, and regularly raises awareness on issues concerning moral responsibility, civic consciousness, and community welfare.)
