E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUN 29 -

Soon major roads of Kathmandu Valley will be devoid of the concrete lane dividers, one of the major causes of road accidents.

Traffic police had came up with the idea of putting up concrete road dividers to tame traffic congestion, but as the dividers turned out to be killers, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) is now preparing to remove them.

Police records show at least one person dies every month at night-time because of road dividers. According to the traffic division, 10 people lost their lives in Valley between June 15 and June 27 in 197 road accidents with the concrete dividers accounting for the majority cases. Though drunken driving, indiscipline and poorly-lit streets are also the causes of road accidents, traffic police have reached a conclusion that the dividers are mainly to blame and they need to be immediately removed.

MTPD Spokesman SP Jagat Man Shrestha said the concrete block also occupied space on the already narrow roads of Valley. The MTPD has already removed the dividers from the main roads in Sundhara and Naagpokhari.

“The concrete blocks are not visible at night-time, thus more accidents are taking place,” said Shrestha. “Mostly motorcyclists under alcohol influence are prone to such accidents.” Majority of road accidents due to dividers are reported in Chabahil, Tripureshwor, Gausala and Singha Durbar. The lane divider between Gaushala and Chabahil is the longest one in the Capital city.

The plan to clear the dividers has drawn a mixed reaction from the road users. While some concur with the police observation and hail the decision, others say the dividers help manage traffic.

Suman Acharya, 25-year-old motorcycle rider, said the concrete blocks Old Baneshwor, rarely visible even from 20-meter distance at night-time, were the real nuisance.

But for Nazma Shakya (22), a scooter rider of Mangalbazar, these concrete blocks are maintaining lane discipline.

In the beginning, when the dividers started causing accidents, traffic police tried to fix reflectors to improve night-time visibility. But the system came of no use as the reflectors soon eroded.

Shrestha also agrees that the dividers help maintain road discipline. The risky road activities like overtaking, U-turns, right-turns and left-turns were reduced greatly, he said.

MTPD is searching for a harmless and effective alternative to lane dividers such as constructing railing walls like in Durbar Marg and Sundhara.

Posted on: 2011-06-29 08:53

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